When I was seventeen I earned a mean set of wings. My parents had stopped me dead in my tracks. I was confronted head on by family, about my addiction to booze and meth. I foolishly thought I was hiding it well. But that mistake comes with being young, dumb, and addicted to drugs. Fortunately I had parents who loved me enough to pay attention to my life and who I was hanging around. My parents are also both recovering drug addicts who know the deadly consequences of abusing your body and mind for too many years. They did not want the same life for me.

They knew me well enough to know that a standard twelve step program would not be enough to kill the devil I was facing. They had each been in and out of several programs with only limited results. After some research they had checked themselves into an non-12 step drug treatment center and have since never looked back. So when it came the sad time in their lives to put their only son into a treatment center, they had no hesitation about what to do. They enrolled me in a form of nontraditional treatment that focused on holistic healing. In other words, this alternative style of treatment focused on me as a whole, as one with the earth and the universe. Sounds corny right? Well it worked. And it’s been working for over twenty years.

For anyone who has tried a standard 12 step program and swayed back to their old habits, I highly recommend checking out an alternative center for recovery. After looking into a few of my own, I’ve discovered many that may be suitable for all walks of life. There are centers strictly for men, women, gay/lesbian/bi/tran, faith-based, and holistic. And since I’ve followed the holistic style of alternative drug rehab, please allow me to tell you a little about it and how it works.

First of all they focus on your diet and what you take into your body. They believe that improving the food you take into the body, the more it strengthens the mind and spirit. By removing additives and empty substances from the diet, the holistic approach intends to move the brain to its highest levels of functioning.

Massage, meditation, and relaxation treatments are also lovely factors in the holistic approach to treating negative thoughts of alcohol and drug addiction. We believe that learning to control negative thinking and negative influences, will create a positive and substance free path to follow. Tai Chi and Yoga also play a large role in recovering the strength of mind and body in order for it to take care of itself and shut out any dependence on drugs and alcohol.

These are just a few of the things that the holistic approach to alternative drug rehab has to offer. After completing 6 short months in the program, I saw that my life had turned a new leaf. I wrote to my parents and let them know that I was going to train to become an alternative drug counselor and help others just like me. Holistic healing had changed my life and made a devotee out of me. I urge anyone who may have a problem to seek help. But I want to show that there are alternative treatment programs out there if a 12 step program isn’t working out.