Witnessing someone battling with addiction is distressing and emotionally draining. It can take a heavy toll on your mental and emotional well-being. It brings a huge pile of stress while constantly testing your patience, straining your bank balance, and leaving you racked by feelings of regret, guilt, sadness, anger, and so on. One of the critical challenges with addiction is that apart from the addict, many others get impacted by this disease. Friends, family, and colleagues often face difficulties with the addict’s behavior in terms of financial or legal problems while facing the constant struggle of supporting their loved ones. 

However, it is crucial to understand that this support is not about catching them when they fall, rather giving them a hand to hold while they get up on their own. 

Here’s how you can support your loved ones with an addiction:

Take care of yourself first

Encountering problems associated with substance abuse is a chronic illness. Besides the addict, it also affects every individual who’s close to them. Placing the need of your loved one above yours often results in increased illness, lack of self-care, depression, and anxiety. 

However, taking appropriate care of your own emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual needs leaves you in a better position to help your loved one through the journey.

Treat them as humans, not monsters

Substance abuse addiction is a disease that leads to a dysfunctional value system, shifting towards supporting ongoing substance use. It is natural to feel frustrated, angry, or irritated with your loved ones or limit your contact with them. 

But, try abstaining from treating them like an outcast or a disgrace to the family since this can shame your loved one and hinder them from reaching out to you for support. Once they start taking the recovery sessions, communicate with them and try to understand how substance misuse became a part of their lifestyle. 

Gain adequate knowledge about substance abuse

Feelings of worry, fear, and anger are normal and inevitable. Like other chronic illnesses, gaining better knowledge will help you provide better care to your loved one. Therefore, educating yourself about substance abuse disorder, interventions, treatment methods, and recovery programs will help enable you to help them and yourself in the best way possible. 

Determine ways to offer recovery support without enabling the addictions

Intense substance use disorder often leads to various problematic scenarios such as making people financially drained or invites legal troubles. In such cases, friends and family support often end up laying unintended effects of making the addiction worse. However, it is important to let your loved one in early recovery understand how you will only be supporting their recovery efforts and nothing more. 

Give them time to learn from their mistakes

During the recovery treatment, you should allow the patient to learn how to gracefully reject the cravings by themselves. Grant them the time to develop the ability to talk about their problems regarding their substance abuse. Your role during the whole treatment is to support them if they slip, along with constant love and encouragement.

About‌ ‌us‌ ‌

If‌ ‌you‌ ‌are looking for an effective alternative recovery treatment program to help yourself or your loved one heal‌ from‌ ‌substance‌ ‌abuse,‌ ‌we‌ ‌are here to ‌help.‌ ‌We’re‌ ‌a‌ ‌non-profit‌ organization‌ ‌providing ‌complete ‌healing‌ ‌for‌ ‌those‌ ‌aiming for ‌recovery‌ ‌and‌ ‌sobriety‌ ‌in‌ ‌their‌ ‌lives.‌ ‌We ‌offer ‌an‌ ‌ideal‌ ‌environment‌ ‌to‌ ‌achieve‌ ‌lasting‌ ‌sobriety‌ ‌without‌ ‌facing‌ ‌another‌ ‌relapse‌ ‌ever.‌ ‌To know more about ‌the‌ ‌details ‌of‌ ‌our‌ ‌program or substance use disorder treatment,‌ ‌contact‌ ‌us‌ ‌at‌ ‌503-457-3366 ‌or‌ ‌email‌ ‌us‌ ‌at‌ ‌‌lowell@taylormaderetreat.org.

Recovery from addiction and substance abuse is challenging. Depending on the type and seriousness of addiction, the process and time of recovery may differ for each individual. Among the various forms of treatments, what may help one may not prove beneficial for others. However, walking on the path of spirituality by taking the assistance of yoga and mindful meditation is one of the practical and long-term assets to recover from substance abuse. Yoga encourages a healthy mind and body and, therefore, is a fruitful way to focus your energy on the path of sobriety. 

Here’s how yoga is advantageous during the recovery from addiction:

Eliminates the withdrawal symptoms

Depending upon a substance for comfort is easy, but quitting it for good is difficult. When undergoing the recovery program, the addicts often feel intense discomfort, pain, and other issues. They often fall into the relapse cycle by addressing their cravings due to a lack of control over themselves. However, integrating yoga in the recovery program helps in mitigating the majority of withdrawal symptoms. Yoga helps ease the mind and body while relieving the stressful hormones during your addiction recovery program.

Empowers you to connect with your inner self

Individuals using substances become entirely dependent on their addictions and ultimately detaches themselves from their inner self and outer surroundings. However, practicing yoga helps you achieve an elevated consciousness and contentment that is similar but healthier than harmful substances. Yoga empowers you to explore outside the confines of your mind and enables you to achieve a stronger euphoric sense of spiritual tranquility. It calms your mind and gives you the freedom to connect with your inner self. 

Improves concentration and focus

Individuals often use chemical dependency- the hazardous way as a medium to escape from reality and life worries. However, initiating yoga in your addiction recovery program trains you to focus and invest your energy into your thoughts and emotions. It prepares you to focus and accept your current state of being, ultimately helping you gain the perspective you need to transform your life for the better. 

Helps in coping with emotions

For some people, recovery from drug abuse is arduous and involves a series of emotional turmoil. As a result, people often adopt unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with their feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, helplessness, anxiety, and depression during the treatment. However, coming face-to-face with your fears is a crucial step in a recovery program. Here, yoga acts as a perfect escort to the recovery treatment. It teaches you to control your negative thoughts by holding hands with inner peace and spiritual self. 

Helps in gaining better self-control

Self-control is a significant factor during the recovery program. Maintaining self-control and staying true to the sobriety treatment and self is a demanding task. Having healthier alternatives like yoga and meditation in hand is one of the practical ways of ceasing drug dependency. Practicing yoga to fight compulsive cravings is a successful way to avoid relapse and gain self-control.

About‌ ‌us‌ ‌

If‌ ‌you‌ ‌want‌ ‌to‌ ‌help your loved ones or yourself heal‌ from‌ ‌an‌ ‌obsession‌ ‌or‌ ‌substance‌ ‌abuse,‌ ‌we‌ ‌can‌ ‌help.‌ ‌We are known for providing the best alternative substance use disorder treatment in Portland, Oregon. We’re‌ ‌a‌ ‌non-profit‌ organization‌ ‌that‌ ‌offers‌ ‌holistic‌ ‌healing‌ ‌for‌ ‌those‌ ‌seeking‌ ‌recovery‌ ‌and‌ ‌sobriety‌ ‌in‌ ‌their‌ ‌lives.‌ ‌Our‌ retreat‌ ‌provides‌ ‌an‌ ‌ideal‌ ‌environment‌ ‌and‌ ‌tools‌ ‌necessary‌ ‌to‌ ‌achieve‌ ‌lasting‌ ‌sobriety‌ ‌without‌ ‌facing‌ ‌another‌ ‌relapse‌ ‌ever.‌ ‌To know more about ‌the‌ ‌details ‌of‌ ‌our‌ ‌program,‌ ‌contact‌ ‌us‌ ‌at‌ ‌503-457-3366‌ ‌or‌ ‌email‌ ‌us‌ ‌at‌ ‌‌info@taylormaderetreat.org‌.‌

Meditation is a practice that intends to heighten the state of self-awareness and attentiveness. Since ancient times, it has grown extensively in form and popularity. It is a technique to enhance an individual’s spiritual connection and enlightenment. From spiritual discovery to health and recovery, practicing meditation brings several physical and mental health benefits. It is an effective solution to overcome any addiction naturally and bring about lasting sobriety.

Here are the top five benefits drug addicts can derive from meditation: 

Meditation makes you immune to stress

Going through early recovery is stressful for an individual who’s abusing drugs and alcohol for years. They’re constantly fighting against the addictive cravings and coping with new challenges coming forth. Such battles often create emotional turmoil. However, practicing meditation during addiction recovery allows people to become less reactive to stress. It effectively melts down your emotional distress, leaving you immune to addictions.

Meditation improves physical and mental well-being.

Years of substance misuse damages the physical and mental well-being of addicts. People struggling to live a life without substance use often experience common withdrawal symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and irritability. Luckily, mindful meditation comes to rescuing mental health disorders. Studies suggest that meditation successfully improves heart health, reduces blood pressure and cell aging, and boosts the immune system of an individual.

Meditation manages pain and boosts self-control.

Over-consumption of alcohol and drugs causes the brain to depend upon chemicals provided by substance abuse. Many people struggle with chronic pain while quitting drugs and alcohol. However, practicing meditation reduces pain intensity and induces self-control by increasing your power to accept the present moment. It helps you to acknowledge the process of letting go and creates willpower to fight against the addictions. 

Meditation is more effective than medications.

In the medicinal world, substance use disorder is a complicated disease that often involves treatment on an outpatient basis. In some cases, it becomes challenging and dangerous to stop or even skip the medications. However, exercising meditation has no harmful consequences. It can help you beat any addiction healthily and naturally. Therefore, becoming a more productive solution to addiction recovery.

Meditation creates a path to spirituality.

For most people, the root cause of addiction is unhappiness, discontentment, and lack of self-control in life. Addiction recovery through meditation helps people to become mindfully aware of their thoughts and actions. For some people, mindfulness creates the ability to connect with their spirituality. While self-awareness enables you to combat your addictions, spirituality brings back the long-lasting harmony in life.

About us

If you seek a natural and comprehensive solution to drug and alcohol addiction treatment in Portland, Oregon, Taylor Made Retreat is a one-stop destination for you. We offer a 12-step immersion program that gives a long-lasting spiritual awakening solution to substance use disorders in a caring, positive environment. The success rate of our spiritual awakening mechanism reflects the key of our addiction rehabilitation care program. To know more about substance use disorder treatment, book an appointment by calling 503-457-3366 or write to us at info@taylormaderetreat.org.

Growing up in a small town in Oregon, I promised myself I’d never touch alcohol because people forget to come home when they drink that awful stuff. At a party, I saw my friend’s father kissing a woman I didn’t know in our front hall closet, and I thought, “Jeepers, alcohol even makes you forget who you’re married to.”

I completely changed my mind when I was 18 years old and found the champagne fountain at my sister’s wedding. My relatively short drinking career of 13 years ended in Athens, Greece. I called myself an “International Beatnik” but I was actually a wino suffering from liver damage, DTs, Convulsions, Insanity, a broken spirit, and a padlocked heart. I awakened from a 5 day coma during my 3rd visit to the psycho ward to see my Dad sitting on the side of my bed and a Greek policeman stationed at the door. The police found drugs in my flat and I was deported. I was 31 years old.

Dad escorted me to Palm Springs, CA, where he and Mom were spending the winter. I had a lot of trouble walking and talking. Here I was with a MA in Speech Pathology and I couldn’t even string a sentence together. Miraculously, I ended up in a 12 step fellowship soon after our airplane landed and I haven’t had any alcohol or any sort of drug since January 12, 1969. It’s been a wonderful 50-year journey from darkness into light. The Twelve Steps saved my life and my sanity, and for that, I’ll be eternally grateful. My special interest has been practicing the various methods of meditation. I’ve studied with some very enlightened beings.

There were no treatment programs for alcoholics when I was new to the 12 steps. We had sponsors who guided us through the 12 Steps, and we had each other. If anyone went back to drinking, all of us cried together because so few people ever made it back to the 12 steps. This year I’ve been fortunate to spend time at Taylor Made Retreat, leading a meditation class. It’s a wonderful way to give back what I’ve been given. And it’s really fun to see the 12 step program working on all sorts of people from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences. As the Big Book of AA says, “The alcoholic is like a tornado, roaring his way through the lives of others.” Taylor Made Retreat teaches the way of patience, tolerance, kindness, and love.

Taylor Made Retreat’s founder, Lowell MacGregor, his staff, and volunteers do an outstanding job of using the 12 Steps as a design for living. The newcomer is truly reborn in body, mind, and spirit. Old ways of experiencing life fall away. A man I met the day he left prison for TMR is a different person now. He and the other clients are busy working their way through the 12 Steps and helping others by setting up chairs for the community AA meetings and making visitors feel welcome and appreciated.

If you visit Taylor Made Retreat, you may feel the consciousness of love and peace like I do every time I walk through the door or explore the beautiful grounds. Taylor Made Retreat is a sanctuary in the middle of our fast-paced world. I feel so fortunate that it’s only a few minutes away from my home in downtown Portland.

Patty L. ♥️

Morning sunbeams peek through the grey Pacific Northwestern sky bringing nourishing light to the lush natural ecosystem of plants surrounding the Mansion on the four and a half acre estate at the Taylor Made Retreat center. Light is critical for the renewal of life.

The beginning of a new year often represents a time of reflection and renewal, today I am in awe of the transformations happening here a the Taylor Made Retreat in just a few short months. Hope and healing are being streamed like a giant flood lamp into the lives of the residents and community of volunteers who chose to come and spend time sharing their experiences with us.

Many of the residents have had their own light nearly extinguished due to prolonged drug and alcohol abuse. Substance use disorder is an insidious disease that often cuts people off from the sunlight of the spirit, from their families, friends, and their ability to fully participate in life. The disease often robs suffers from their dignity, hope, and perhaps even the ability to differentiate the true from the false. But each day at the Taylor Made Retreat brings a new chance for renewal. At the Taylor Made Retreat, we present steps out of this darkness and into the light of recovery. Feel free to contact us if you are looking for the best substance use disorder treatment.

At the Retreat, we aim to help people break out of the isolation of their disease by providing more than education about the problem, we help residents find the solution through a sober community and a design for living based on the twelve steps. The community begins inside the house.

Walking into the Taylor Made Retreat for the first time, visitors and volunteers comment that there is something special happening here, that it feels more like “home”. Volunteers and experts show our residents how to live sober using their personal experience in long-term recovery applying the 12 steps in their own lives. They share time with the residents and form relationships, talking over a delicious home-cooked meal prepared by our chef, or attending an outside meeting or social activity together. Visitors, residents, graduates, and staff are all working together inside and outside the meeting room sharing their time and a common goal — recovery from our insidious disease.

I am profoundly moved by all that is taking place here and am honored to be a part of God’s plan as He uses us to furrow the field for those to come. Seeing the light come back into people’s lives is truly a gift. Witnessing individuals recover from a seemingly hopeless state, the restoration of families, renewal of hope, and the re-centering of lives on a new path with a pervasive sense of love washing over all who come here. I’m excited to see what unfolds.

In love and service,
Lowell

Follow us on Facebook @TaylorMadeRetreat

To learn more about the Taylor Made Retreat or to donate visit https://taylormaderetreat.org/donate/