Addiction-Free Naturally

Addiction-Free for Life

Making It through Tough Times

Addictions often result from emotional distress. In trying times, characterized by stress, depression, loneliness, boredom, grief, pain, sleeplessness, fear, or anxiety, chemical substances offer a type of relief. They help a person cope with—or, as is more often the case, avoid—the emotional distress endemic to difficult periods in life.

Unfortunately, having overcome an addiction is not the same as having no addiction. You can’t go back. Your body remembers and, given the chance, will retake the addiction in all its original intensity. If you’re struggling to give up an addiction, or if you’ve already left one behind, you must find new tools for facing times of trial and emotional distress. You must learn how to cope with life stressors without chemical assistance. This chapter offers a few ideas.

ANXIETY

The word anxiety derives from the Latin angustia, meaning “narrowness,” “restriction,” or “difficulty.” Anxiety is a feeling of uneasy anticipation brought on by fear of the known or unknown. Anxiety is a natural by-product of the high-speed changeable world we live in. It’s also a common side effect of withdrawal from drugs, including caffeine and sugar.

Anxiety causes shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest tightness, trembling, sweating, dizziness, numbness, shaking, and muscular tension. Panic attacks, or cases of acute anxiety, can cause severe manifestations of these symptoms, to the point at which you may feel as if you’re dying. Although panic attacks rarely last longer than ten minutes, they can be very disabling.

To relieve anxiety, you must nourish the kidneys, which govern the emotion of fear, and calm the heart. Remember to breathe deeply and slowly. Feed your brain the oxygen it craves for serenity.

Nutritional Therapy

To relieve anxiety, eat foods that are calming and nourishing. Here are some examples:

Oatmeal and yogurt are both high in calming calcium.
Lettuce helps calm anxiety.
Whole grains such as buckwheat, millet, and brown rice and the seed quinoa all contain complex carbohydrates and are very calming.
Vegetables such as sweet potatoes and winter squash are calming, warming, and naturally sweet, which can help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates (see chapter 3 for more details). You want to keep your blood sugar on an even keel instead of a sugar-powered roller coaster. Interestingly, experts say that the physiological symptoms of panic attacks closely mimic those of a hypoglycemic reaction.

Minimize or completely exclude all caffeinated and alcoholic products. They can contribute to further anxiety.

Supplement Therapy

During difficult times in your life, you may need a “supplemental” boost to help you manage without developing undue anxiety, which can lead to addiction relapse. Here are some suggestions:

Herbal Therapy

Herbal teas can be tremendously helpful in soothing anxiety. Good choices include catnip, chamomile, lemon balm, oat seed or oatstraw, and passionflower, which are all calming. In addition, try the herbs listed below:

Calamus root is a natural sedative and antidepressant.
California poppy is cooling, calming, nonnarcotic, and soothing to the emotional body. It calms anxiety and restlessness.
Eleuthero relieves fatigue and depression and helps the body adapt to stress.
Hawthorn nourishes the physical and emotional heart and the kidneys.
Hops tincture can calm anxiety and aid sleep.
Kava kava tincture relieves anxiety and aids sleep.
Oat seed or oatstraw helps ease acute anxiety and calms and strengthens the nerves.
St. John’s wort helps stabilize the nervous system, relieves anxiety, and lifts depression.
Valerian tincture calms anxiety and stress and aids sleep.
Wild lettuce tincture helps calm anxiety and restlessness and improves sleep.

Flower Essences

There are several flower essences that can help relieve anxiety.

Aspen flower essence is for the person who is fearful and anxious yet doesn’t know why.
Mimulus flower essence is for anxiety about things not working out, as with money concerns.
Agrimony flower essence helps relieve restlessness and inner anxiety.
Rescue Remedy is good for all sorts of anxieties. Keep it in several convenient locations, such as your briefcase, desk, purse, and the glove compartment of your car. Use it whenever anxiety starts to come on. Two drops under the tongue is all you need.

Aromatherapy

Make a sachet with an aroma that’s familiar to you from your childhood. Inhale the aroma deeply whenever you begin to feel anxious.

Inhale the fragrance of essential oils that are known to relax, calm, and relieve anxiety, including basil, bergamot, chamomile, geranium, jasmine, juniper, lavender, marjoram, melissa, neroli, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, and ylang-ylang.

Other Therapies for Anxiety

Surround yourself with the color blue, which is tranquil and soothing to the spirit. Practice prayer, visualizations, and peaceful mantras to calm the spirit. Soak in a warm bath scented with calming, relaxing essential oils, herbs, or flower essences.

Get or give yourself a massage to help release tensions. Hold the thumb of one hand with the other as a calming technique. Rub the third-eye chakra center—the center of the forehead between the brows—to calm the shen, or spirit. Hold your toes, especially the middle toe, to help bring the energy down from your head and ground it.

Exercise often—in the open air whenever possible—to bring more oxygen into your body and to release the emotional and physical tension of anxiety.

INSOMNIA

Sleep and rest are necessary for health, healing, and sanity. But as you read in chapter 9, prescription sedatives are not the answer to insomnia. They have dangerous side effects and are often habit forming. They leave you feeling less than rested and impair clarity of thought. The best way to deal with insomnia is to determine and change the cause.

Are you taking any prescription drugs? Many drugs inhibit sleep. Antibiotics, steroids, decongestants, cold remedies, appetite suppressants, contraceptives, and thyroid medications all can make sleep difficult. If your prescription medication is making it difficult for you to sleep, ask your doctor about any alternative medications. If none is available, try some of the sleep-inducing remedies suggested below.
Are you getting enough exercise? It’s important to get some exercise if you want restful, deep sleep. Studies show that people who are more active in the daytime are less likely to have problems with sleep. However, don’t exercise right before going to bed—that can be stimulating. Tai chi, yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, biofeedback, and guided visualizations are also effective techniques to aid sleep. Yoga postures that are especially relaxing for the mind and body and encourage deep sleep include the Corpse, Cobra Pose, Shoulder Stand, and Mountain.
Are you relaxing in the evening? It’s important—both for your sanity and for your prospects for deep, restful sleep—that you use your evening, and especially the hour before you go to bed, to relax. Don’t eat or drink any caffeinated products after dinner. Don’t watch action-packed television programs or read page-turning novels right before going to bed. Don’t pay your bills right before going to bed. Do take a walk after dinner. Do savor a bedtime mug of relaxing herbal tea (see the recommendations listed below). Do spend time in the evening hours enjoying conversation with loved ones instead of watching television.
Are you eating the wrong late-night snacks? It has been said that sleep doesn’t interfere with digestion, but digestion interferes with sleep. Avoid eating late at night because many foods stimulate the adrenal glands and elevate blood pressure. However, if you insist on eating late at night, the few foods that can actually aid sleep include bananas, lettuce, oatmeal, and yogurt.
Are you using stimulants? For some insomniacs, any amount of caffeinated food or drink may be too stimulating, even when consumed early in the day. And don’t smoke before going to bed—nicotine is a stimulant, and smokers can take longer to fall asleep than nonsmokers.
Are you unable to sleep because your mind is busy? Our thoughts often keep us awake. Downloading mental baggage onto a piece of paper or engagement book before bed allows slumber to carry us to dreamland, knowing that the errands of tomorrow will not be forgotten. Journal writing before bed can help express thoughts.
Is your insomnia a symptom of withdrawal? In the early stages of withdrawal from an addiction, sleeping difficulties often occur. Try to not become anxious about it. You will soon find balance again.

Eastern Perspectives on Insomnia

In traditional Chinese medicine sleep is the supreme tonic. Many sleep problems are related to the liver, which houses the soul. Going to bed by 10:30 p.m. allows you to be in a state of deep sleep by “liver time” (from 1 to 3 A.M.), when liver energy is active, which is helpful for healing addictions.

Getting Yourself to Sleep

When you’re trying to sleep, don’t allow yourself to be distracted by thoughts about work, family, or other issues. Concentrate on the in and out of your breath. While you focus on your breath, practice some sort of visualization. For example, imagine that your inhalation carries the breath down to your toes, where it gathers up physical tension. Exhalation carries the breath and that tension out of the body. Move on to the top of each foot, then each sole, then each ankle, and so on, working your way one small step at a time all the way up the legs, up the belly and chest, up the arms, up the back, and across the face.

Another breathwork technique to help you get to sleep is to get comfortable in bed and take eight breaths while lying flat on your back. Turn onto your right side and take sixteen deep breaths, then turn onto your left side and take thirty-two deep breaths. Most people are asleep before they can complete the exercise.

If you lie awake in bed for more than thirty minutes, get up. Your body must learn to associate the bed with sleeping, not lying awake. Turn on a low light—not a bright one!—and write a letter or read a book. If you choose to read, don’t pick out anything action packed or otherwise enthralling.

Try removing electric clocks, stereos, electric blankets, and other electrical equipment from your bedroom. For some individuals, electromagnetic pollution can stimulate the nervous system and weaken the immune system.

Remember that light is a stimulant. If there’s a lot of light shining brightly through your windows at night, consider getting heavier curtains. You can also use eye masks and earplugs to help shut out the world for a while. If you make a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night, use a red night-light rather than turning on a bright light; the brightness will jar your senses, leaving you fully awake.

Have sex! It’s relaxing and warming, and it can be a pleasurable prelude to sleep.

Consider saying a prayer or giving thanks for the good things in your day. Bless the people and creatures you love.

Supplement Therapy

Deficiencies in the B-complex vitamins can be a factor in poor sleep. If you’re suffering from insomnia, try taking a regular daily B-complex supplement.

Calcium-magnesium supplements help nourish the nerves. Take one just before going to bed to promote sound, restful sleep.

Herbal Therapy

There are many herbs that can be consumed in the evening to aid sleep. Focus on herbs that function as nervines (nourishing the nervous system) and as sedatives (calming the central nervous system during times of stress). Here are some good choices:

Chamomile is a natural sedative that also calms anxieties and deters nightmares.
Hops are a reliable natural sedative that also calm restlessness.
Kava kava encourages sound sleep and calms fears and anxieties.
Passionflower is a natural sedative and promotes sound sleep.
Skullcap is a sedative and a nerve tonic.
Valerian is another natural sedative that also functions as a muscle relaxant.

You can also make a dream pillow, which is simply a small sachet filled with hops. Just slip it inside your pillowcase, and the calming aroma will help you slumber soundly.

Aromatic Hydrotherapy

A warm, aromatic bath before bedtime is comforting and relaxing. Add a pound of baking soda and 7 drops of chamomile or lavender essential oil to the bathwater. Baking soda makes the water alkalinizing and sedative, while chamomile and lavender essential oils are fragrant, soothing, and relaxing. When you’re done bathing, open the drain and remain in the tub for a few minutes. As the water runs out, visualize all your tensions spiraling down the drain.

DEPRESSION

It would be pointless to treat addiction without addressing depression. In many, if not most, cases, depression is a contributing factor to addiction. And vice versa—sometimes substance abuse is a causative factor in depression.

Eastern Perspectives on Depression

In traditional Chinese medicine depression results from the liver being in a stagnant condition. Depression is caused by anger, which is the result of liver energy rising and being turned inward, against the self. So paying attention to the liver should be one of the first orders of business in treating depression.

How does the liver become stagnant? In many cases repressed emotions are causative. Anger, depression, and creativity are all connected to the liver, and creativity can be a remedy for the other two conditions. Find creative outlets. Draw. Paint. Write. Sing. Scream in an empty room. Do whatever it takes to let those repressed emotions find expression.

Many of us have experienced bouts of depression as a reaction to a difficult life circumstance or a traumatic event. Others suffer from biochemical depression, or depression caused by imbalanced hormones. Whatever the case, depression can be a difficult mental state for someone struggling to give up an addiction or for a recovered addict. The extreme emotional distress opens the door to relapse.

One of the most difficult steps in overcoming depression is simply raising enough energy to do something about it. A person who is seriously depressed may lack the motivation to follow a program and may need the help and support of a friend, family member, or health professional.

If depression is severe, you may need to seek the counsel of a professional. He or she may prescribe medication for a short period of time. If you are struggling to give up an addiction or have already left one behind, you may be hesitant to take a potentially addictive prescription drug. But follow your counselor’s advice. During the period while you’re taking the medication, learn how to eat better, improve your living environment, and handle stress and anxiety. Begin an exercise program. Find a support group or a therapist whom you feel comfortable talking to. When your depression is under control and you’re ready to go off medication, you’ll have the tools you need to cope with—and conquer—depression.

Serious depression can lead to thoughts of suicide. In these cases, temporary hospitalization and/or medication may be necessary. Once the severe depression has lifted, nutritional and other holistic therapies can begin.

Behavior Therapy

When you’re trying to recover from depression, it’s important to look at your spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, and environmental state. It will take a combination of all these factors to truly lift your spirits.

We know that light affects plant and animal behavior. More research is making it clear that humans are also affected by light. Light enters the retina and travels directly to the brain, specifically parts of the hypothalamus and pineal gland. The hypothalamus regulates the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which help maintain emotional balance and govern important life functions such as sleeping and breathing. The pineal gland activates hormones based upon the light that it receives. Without light, the hypothalamus and pineal gland don’t function optimally.

Modern-day humans are light deficient. Often we go to work in darkness and return home in darkness. We live by fluorescent lighting, which doesn’t give us the full spectrum of sunlight. We hide our eyes behind glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses. So make an effort to spend some time outdoors, in natural light, every day, without glasses, sunglasses, or contact lenses. If you work under fluorescent fixtures, replace the bulbs with full-spectrum lights. It’s amazing what a little natural light can do for your mood.

Coming home to a dirty or dingy living space will dampen anyone’s spirits. Do what you can to brighten where you live so that it pleases you. Delight your senses as best you can with color, beauty, aroma, flowers, and music.

Make a list of ten activities to accomplish every day (even if they’re as simple as getting dressed and making the bed). Check them off one by one as you accomplish them.

Get out and exercise! Exercise wakes up the body and stimulates endorphin production. Though exercise may not cure depression, a lack of it can be a contributing factor in being depressed.

Nutritional Therapy

Nutrition can be a valuable tool in protecting and nurturing the liver, which will relieve depression. On a physical level we literally gum up our livers by eating foods that melt at a temperature higher than that of the body, such as margarine and shortening. Even though we may not consciously choose these foods, they’re often hidden in bread, cookies, crackers, chips, and fried foods. Avoid anything whose ingredients list mentions “hydrogenated oils” or “partially hydrogenated oils.” It’s also wise to eat sparingly of fatty foods, which make the liver work overtime.

In addition, it’s important to keep blood sugar levels steady. Consume small, frequent, meals filled with complex carbohydrates. Whole grains such as buckwheat, brown rice, millet, and oatmeal are good sources, as is quinoa, which is gluten free and high in protein. Also eat foods that improve the liver’s function, such as legumes, tempeh, miso soup, onions, scallions. Utilize healing, detoxifying herbs in your cuisine such as basil, cumin, ginger, and oregano. Other foods to focus on are those that nourish the mind and the body, including apples, artichokes, barley, burdock root, and carrots. Include some mineral-rich sea vegetables such as kelp, dulse, or wakame to nourish the thyroid and boost a sluggish metabolism. Green leafy vegetables are high in chlorophyll and help transport oxygen into the body.

Fish and chicken can be beneficial for depression because they’re rich in the amino acids that are precursors to mood-elevating neurotransmitters. Vegan alternatives can include lima beans, fava beans, and chia seeds. Eating two ripe bananas a day is said to help the production of serotonin and norepinephrine, both natural antidepressants.

Sourness stimulates the flow of bile and helps the liver do its job better. Try drinking your water with the juice of half a lemon added to it, and eat sour-sweet berries, such as raspberries and strawberries, to bring more of the sour flavor into your diet.

Antidepressant Vegetable Juice

This juice combination is highly nutritive and can compensate for the nutritional deficiencies that contribute to depression.

½ cup carrot juice

¼ cup celery juice

¼ cup spinach juice

1 cup springwater

Combine all the ingredients and drink. Repeat daily until your depression lifts.

Supplement Therapy

Those undergoing stress and depression may find relief from these supplements:

Cautions

Those with phenylketonuria or those taking MAO-inhibiting drugs should avoid DLPA. Those with high blood pressure, severe liver disease, or kidney and thyroid disorders should consult with a nutritionally trained physician before taking any isolated amino acids, including DLPA. Pregnant and nursing mothers should also avoid DLPA.

SAMe is not recommended for people with bipolar conditions because it could intensify manic behavior.

Herbal Therapy

Herbs offer a safe and healthful alternative to antidepressant medication. Consider the following herbs to improve depression:

Dandelion root improves liver function and thus can relieve depression.
Eleuthero helps relieve debility and exhaustion.
Ginger improves circulation and enhances lung capacity, bringing more oxygen into the body.
Ginkgo improves cerebral blood flow, which can help relieve depression.
Hawthorn improves the body’s ability to utilize oxygen and comforts the physical and emotional heart.
Kava kava encourages emotional openness and helps alleviate fear, pain, anxiety, and depression.
Lavender gently lifts the spirits.
Lemon balm has been used for centuries to “maketh a sad heart merrie.”
Licorice root helps promote feelings of peace, calmness, and harmony.
Motherwort helps reduce the pangs of grief and relieves depression and exhaustion.
Nettle provides a wealth of nutrients for all body systems.
Oat seed or oatstraw is a natural antidepressant that strengthens the nervous system.
Rosemary is a cerebral stimulant, nervine, rejuvenative, and antidepressant.
St. John’s wort is one of the world’s best-researched natural antidepressants. It inhibits the breakdown of several neurotransmitters, including serotonin, which helps maintain emotional stability.
Slippery elm is highly nutritious and is helpful for convalescence. It also helps you feel calm and stable.

Hsiao Yao Wan is a Chinese patent medicine also known as Bupleurum Sedative. It helps improve liver stagnation, irritability, and depression. It can be purchased at many health foods stores and from most acupuncturists.

Aromatherapy

Our nasal cavities are in such close proximity to the brain that smelling essential oils can have a very quick beneficial effect on the physical and mental body. Essential oils that can help lift your spirits from depression include:

Basil

Bergamot

Cinnamon

Clary sage

Clove

Geranium

Jasmine

Lavender

Neroli

Patchouli

Peppermint

Rose

Rosemary

Sandalwood

Ylang-ylang

OVERCOMING FATIGUE AND INCREASING ENERGY

Chronic fatigue can be caused by many factors, including nutritional deficiencies, poor elimination, lack of oxygen, stress, insomnia, and poor circulation. Fatigue encompasses much more than simply a lack of energy; it reflects an inner state of nervous and emotional exhaustion. To climb out of these doldrums, you must rest and nurture all your body systems.

The Power of Oxygen

If your breathing is shallow and your posture poor, you may be missing out on some of the brain-charging properties of oxygen, one of the last free remedies! Deep-breathing exercises can increase oxygen intake and enliven the body; see chapter 2 for details. Exercise is another way of increasing oxygen intake, as is spending time outdoors. So straighten up and breathe deep the breath of life!

Nutritional Therapy

Many people overeat in a quest for more energy, but this can actually make the body have to work harder. Foods high in fat definitely slow you down. Sweets, fruit juices, and caffeine offer a quick high, but they soon leave you more tired than before. Sugar and caffeine also deplete the body of needed nutrients such as the B vitamins and calcium.

For sustained energy, eat protein-rich foods such as fish and lean poultry, legumes, nuts, and seeds as well as whole grains and fresh vegetables and fruit. Some natural supplements, such as blue-green algae, spirulina, chlorella, barley grass, and wheat grass, are loaded with nutrients such as beta-carotene, iron, protein, and chlorophyll—the wonderful oxygen-transporting lifeblood of plants.

Herbal Therapy

A number of herbs help increase energy and battle fatigue.

Ashwagandha is a tonic and rejuvenative herb that’s also highly nutritive. It improves memory and relieves exhaustion.
Codonopsis is a chi tonic and a nutritive herb. It increases the red blood cell count and helps weak people feel stronger.
Eleuthero improves mental alertness, boosts circulation, and is a chi tonic.
Ginkgo helps relax blood vessels so more nutrients can be delivered throughout the body. It also helps the brain better utilize oxygen, thereby improving alertness.
Ginseng is a chi tonic; it supports exhausted adrenal glands and helps the body better utilize oxygen.
Hawthorn also improves the body’s utilization of oxygen.
Licorice is a chi tonic and nourishes exhausted adrenal glands.
Nettle is rich in nutrients, builds healthy blood, and strengthens the kidneys and adrenals.
Oat seed or oatstraw is highly nutritive and can relieve nervous exhaustion.
Schizandra improves the body’s utilization of oxygen, increases endurance, and improves concentration.
Yerba maté brightens the mood and stimulates the nerves. It’s nutritive and antioxidant.

Aromatherapy

Inhalations of geranium, lemon, and peppermint essential oils can be very effective in relieving exhaustion. Geranium is a mild adrenal stimulant, lemon encourages a sense of freshness and well-being, and peppermint is energizing and uplifting.

STRESS

For a recovered addict, stress can be a precursor to relapse. And as we’re all well aware, life is full of stress, whether it be a temperature change, strong emotion, or physical trauma. Even such lofty activities as skiing down a mountain, aiming for higher goals, or falling in love can take a toll on our nerves. Though stress may be unavoidable—and indeed, life without any stress would be boring!—we can come through most ordeals if our lifestyles are balanced by faith, rest, good nutrition, and exercise.

Nutritional Therapy

During tense times, you owe it to yourself to choose nutritious foods. Whole grains are rich in complex carbohydrates, help keep blood sugar levels even, and provide important B vitamins. Oatmeal and yogurt are easy to digest and rich in calming calcium. Onions contain tension-relieving prostaglandins. Other good stress-busting foods include almonds, legumes, raisins, and sunflower seeds.

Foods that will increase the negative effects of stress include alcohol, caffeinated beverages, fruit juices, and sugar.

Supplement Therapy

During stressful periods, consider supplementing with B-complex and C vitamins. They can not only nourish the nervous system but also give you the energy you need to deal with life’s problems. Also consider adding calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which help ease tension and irritability. Our requirements for these nutrients are increased during difficult times.

Herbal Therapy

Taking the time to savor a cup of soothing herbal tea is a wonderful way to nourish your nerves.

Ashwagandha is an adaptogen that helps support the body’s response to stress.
Blue vervain is a nerve-nourishing sedative.
California poppy is a skeletal relaxant and effective sedative that calms restlessness.
Catnip calms the nerves and relieves stress.
Chamomile helps restore an exhausted nervous system and calms restlessness.
Eleuthero helps you acclimate to the stresses of life, and it minimizes the harmful effects of stress on the body.
Ginseng is an adaptogen; it helps the adrenal glands conserve vitamin C during times of stress and stabilizes blood sugar levels.
Hawthorn can help normalize blood pressure, which can help you feel calm, and improves the body’s utilization of calcium.
Hops calm those with a quarrelsome nature; they relieve restlessness and are muscle relaxants.
Kava kava is both a skeletal and muscle relaxant that causes you to feel pleasantly relaxed.
Lemon balm is mildly hypotensive and can calm a heart that races due to nerves. It also protects the cerebrum from excessive external stimuli.
Licorice induces feelings of peace and calmness and stabilizes blood sugar levels.
Linden relaxes the nerves and calms spasms.
Oat seed or oatstraw is high in calcium and B vitamins and so nourishes the nervous system.
Passionflower has a quieting effect upon the central nervous system, calming restlessness and stress.
Poria calms hyperactivity; it’s both a sedative and a tonic.
Skullcap calms the emotions, quiets overexcitability, and stimulates endorphin production.
Slippery elm helps nourish the nerves of those who feel edgy.
St. John’s wort calms irritability and helps heal a damaged nervous system.
Valerian is a muscle and skeletal relaxant; it calms stress and reduces pain.
Wild lettuce calms restlessness and hyperactivity.
Wood betony has been used for thousands of years to relieve stress, worry, anxiety, and nightmares.

PAIN RELIEF

Pain is nature’s way of letting us know that something in our body is wrong so that we improve or fix the condition. It makes us pay attention. The best way to relieve pain is to eliminate the underlying problem. However, that may be easier said than done.

According to a CDC survey in 2016, 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from chronic pain. That’s fifty million people. Eight percent suffer from what’s called “high-impact” chronic pain—pain that limits personal or work activities on most days or every day over a six-month period.

For most people, chronic pain leads to emotional stress, lack of sleep, anxiety, and depression. It may also lead to reliance on medications. Most of those medications are hard on our liver and kidneys; some are downright addictive.

Pain is a neurological response. Nerve cells in the body send signals to the brain that something is wrong, and the brain interprets those signals as pain. For this reason, therapies and relaxation techniques, like hypnosis, that target the brain’s processing centers can help relieve pain. And, of course, remedies and techniques that target the root of pain in the body, like inflammation or muscle cramping, are also helpful. For many recovered addicts, finding nonaddictive therapies and remedies to ease pain, whether acute or chronic, is key to staying addiction free.

Endorphin Therapy

The body’s natural response to pain is produce endorphins, which lock into the opioid receptors in the brain and reduce our perception of pain. In this way, endorphins function much like opioid painkillers such as morphine or codeine. To take advantage of this biochemical response in cases of chronic pain, look for ways to trigger your body to produce endorphins.

Exercise is a great option. It triggers a burst of endorphins in the body and can relieve pain, energize your mind, and elevate your mood.

Acupuncture can also help stimulate endorphin production, as well as detoxification and relaxation. It is so effective in relieving pain that today it’s being used to “assist” anesthesia during surgical procedures and as a complement to opioid prescriptions to reduce the need for chemical analgesia.

Visualization and Reflection

For some people, mindfulness practices can bring relief from pain. To begin, try deep, slow breathing. The same sort of breathwork practices that you might use to beat an addiction can be helpful in treating pain; see here.

Visualization can also be helpful. As you are practicing deep breathing, visualize yourself pulling in healing light with every in-breath and exhaling the pain out of your body. The color blue is considered anti-inflammatory. Perhaps the healing light you are breathing in is blue. Or perhaps you can wear blue or spend some time under a blue light.

Some people find it helpful to write about their experience with pain in a journal. This may even help you to find clues about where the pain is coming from and what helps to ease it.

Some people have found success in relieving pain through art therapy. (You don’t need to be a talented artist for this therapy to work!) Try drawing your pain. Is it like a biting dog or like burning flames? In your mind’s eye, muzzle the dog or pour water on the fire. Then draw those images, visualizing them giving relief.

Nutritional Therapy

When we eat unrefined carbohydrates, our body releases insulin into our bloodstream, which, in addition to aiding digestion, aids the assimilation of tryptophan and its conversion into serotonin, which helps us to feel calmer and happier. Some particularly beneficial foods for the person suffering from pain include oats, rice (brown, black, or wild), black-eyed peas, broccoli, cauliflower, winter squashes, sesame seeds, and flax seeds. These are nutrient-dense foods with anti-inflammatory properties. Seafood, especially herring, is a folk remedy for relieving pain. Add cayenne pepper to your dishes; it stimulates endorphin production. Strawberries, which contain natural salicylates, are cooling and anti-inflammatory.

It is best to avoid vasodilating substances, which increase blood flow and can contribute to inflammation and any associated pain. In the diet, vasodilators include yeasts, processed meats, aged cheese, MSG, and alcohol. Vasoconstrictors, on the other hand, can overly narrow the blood vessels, impairing circulation, and should also be avoided; they include chocolate, coffee, and black tea.

Supplement Therapy

Both vitamin B₁ and calcium increase your tolerance for pain. Vitamins C and E are necessary for the production of endorphins. Be sure that you’re getting plenty of these nutrients in your diet, or take them as supplements.

DL-phenylalanine (DLPA) is a synthetic version of phenylalanine that combines the D and L forms of this amino acid. DLPA aids in the production of norepinephrine and inhibits the enzymes that destroy endorphins. Higher levels of endorphins reduce our perception of pain. DLPA helps to relieve chronic pain yet does not block the nerve transmission of acute pain. In other words, if you touch a hot stove, you will still know it immediately and quickly move yourself away. Most people obtain relief of pain within one to four weeks of beginning supplementation with DLPA. Although DLPA is considered to be very safe, it should not be used with MAO-inhibiting drugs, during pregnancy, or by phenylketonurics.

Herbal Therapy

When it comes to herbs that can help relieve pain, we generally classify them into one of two categories:

Anesthetics numb pain, whether locally or generally.
Analgesics are taken internally to ease pain without disturbing consciousness.

Herb	Actions
Alfalfa	Relieves arthritis, colitis, and ulcers and encourages convalescence. Anti-inflammatory, nutritive, and tonic.
Aloe	Used topically to relieve pain from joint inflammation, burns, insect bites, sunburn, and wounds. Speeds the healing process and minimizes scars. Anti-inflammatory, biogenic stimulator, demulcent, emollient, rejuvenative, and vulnerary.
Cannabis	Relieves dysmenorrhea, insomnia, migraine, muscle spasms, neuralgia, restlessness, and general pain. Analgesic, anesthetic, anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, cerebral sedative, demulcent (seeds), emollient (seeds), euphoric, and hypnotic.
Cayenne	Stimulates endorphin production. Helpful for treating arthritis, general pain, headache, migraine, and shingles. Applied topically, it blocks transmission of substance P, which transports pain messages to the brain. Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, counterirritant, and rubefacient.
Chamomile	Relieves colic, dysmenorrhea, general pain, insomnia, intestinal cramps, lumbago, migraine, neuralgia, rheumatism, stress, and ulcers. Analgesic, anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, nervine, and sedative.
Cloves	Good for stomachache. Applied topically to numb pain, such as toothaches. Analgesic, anesthetic, anodyne, antiseptic, antispasmodic, and rubefacient.
Corydalis	Helps relieve pain from traumatic injury. Its constituents bind to the same receptor sites in the brain as opiates, though it’s not addictive. Used for treating ataxia, backache, dysmenorrhea, headache, and rheumatism. Analgesic, antispasmodic, and sedative.
Cramp bark	Used for menstrual cramps, false labor, postpartum pain, rheumatism, and spasms of legs and lower back. Included in liniments for arthritic joints, sore muscles, and back pain. Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, nervine, and sedative.
Feverfew	Inhibits certain prostaglandins and prevents blood platelet aggregation. Used on a regular basis to prevent migraines. Also used for arthritis, colic, dysmenorrhea, general pain, headache, and rheumatism. Anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and nervine
Frankincense	Used topically to relieve joint pain and arthritis pain. Analgesic, antispasmodic, and nervine.
Ginger	Warming. Improves circulation, inhibits prostaglandins, and reduces blood platelet aggregation. Helps ease arthritis, backache, cramps, and dysmenorrhea. Chew a piece of fresh root to relieve a sore throat. Analgesic, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant.
Hops	Sedative for the parasympathetic nervous system. Helps relieve dysmenorrhea, general pain, headache, insomnia, irritable bowel, restlessness, stomachache, and stress. Anodyne, antispasmodic, hypnotic, muscle relaxant, nervine, sedative, and soporific.
Kava kava	Muscle relaxant and central nervous system depressant. Helps relieve anxiety, cramps, depression, dysmenorrhea, general pain, gout, insomnia, neuralgia, and rheumatism. Analgesic, antispasmodic, sedative, and tonic.
Passionflower	Slows the breakdown of serotonin and norepinephrine. Relieves dysmenorrhea, headache, insomnia, muscle spasms, neuralgia, shingles, and stress. Anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, hypnotic, nervine, and sedative.
Peony root	Relieves muscle spasms and pain from injuries by clearing blood congestion. Also relieves cramps and general pain. Anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, sedative, vasodilator, and yin tonic.
Skullcap	Encourages endorphin production. Used for arthritis, delirium, emotional trauma, headache, insomnia, neuralgia, restlessness, rheumatism, and spasms. Alterative, antispasmodic, cerebral tonic, nervine, and sedative.
St. John’s wort	Relieves nerve pain and helps heal damaged nerves when used internally and topically. Used for dysmenorrhea, gout, irritability, neuralgia, and rheumatism. Alterative, anodyne, antiinflammatory, antispasmodic, nervine, sedative, and vulnerary.
Valerian	Smooth muscle relaxant and central nervous system depressant. Warming. Used for dysmenorrhea, headache, hypochondria, insomnia, migraine, neuralgia, shingles, stress, and trauma. Anodyne, antispasmodic, hypnotic, nervine, and sedative.
White willow	Contains salicin. Inhibits prostaglandin production. Used for arthritis, backache, colic, general pain, gout, headache, joint inflammation, migraine, and rheumatism. Cooling. Alterative, analgesic, anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, and tonic.
Wild lettuce	Small amounts aid sleep. Also used for general pain and restlessness. Analgesic, anodyne, hypnotic, and sedative.
Wild yam	Moves congested chi. Used for arthritis, colic, dysmenorrhea, irritable bowel, muscle cramps and spasms, neuralgia, ovarian pain, and rheumatism. Anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, and sedative.

Compresses, Poultices, and Baths

In a lot of cases, pain can be relieved by the application of heat or cold. If a painful area hurts too much to touch, a cold application, like an ice pack or cool compress, is usually your best bet. Most throbbing pain is best relieved by cold. Sharp pain is often remedied by heat, such as a hot water bottle or hot compress. A hot bath to which herb tea or Epsom salts have been added may also be of benefit.

Other topical applications include:

Castor oil. A castor oil compress is made by saturating a clean piece of flannel with the oil, applying to the body where needed, covering with a sheet of plastic, then applying a hot water bottle. Treatments are often done for one-and-a-half-hour periods, three days on, taking a four day break, then resuming the procedure. Castor oil also has a limbering effect, facilitating movement by providing lubrication to the body.
Charcoal poultices. Use an activated charcoal product derived from coconut husks and mix with hot water, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, or castor oil in quantities appropriate for covering the painful area. Poultices may be applied several times throughout the day or in succession during one sitting. It’s unclear how charcoal works, except that it absorbs and draws out toxins. When applied to painful areas of the body it generally brings relief within about a half-hour.
Cold mashed tofu. Simply mash some tofu and apply to the area that would benefit from its cooling, anti-inflammatory effects.
Ginger tea compress. Compresses are a great way to use herbs topically to help heal wounds, inflammation, rashes, and skin infections; relieve pain, soreness, and spasms; improve circulation; and stimulate sweat glands and the lymphatic system. Soak a clean towel in hot or cold ginger tea, wring it out, and apply the cloth to the area needing treatment. Cover the damp cloth with a dry towel to help it stay hot or cold. When the compress temperature changes (the hot cools down or the cold warms up), resoak the cloth in the tea and reapply. Repeat several times.
Mustard foot baths. This traditional remedy improves circulation throughout the body, relieving pain and inflammation by drawing blood away from an injured area. Add ¼ cup mustard powder to a gallon of hot water and soak both feet in the solution until it cools.
Salt packs. Heat 2–3 cups sea salt or Epsom salt in a baking dish at 200°F for thirty minutes. Pour the hot salt into a cloth bag (an old pillowcase or sock works well). Wrap the salt-filled cloth in a towel after securing it with a hair tie (don’t put it in the oven at this point, as the hair tie might melt). Apply topically to the painful area. The salt pack will retain its heat for a good length of time, so lie down with the pack for about half an hour to relieve pain, cramps, stiffness, and soreness.

Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)

DMSO is a by-product of the papermaking industry. It has a long history of use as an industrial solvent but in recent years has been investigated for its therapeutic uses, particularly in terms of reducing inflammation. Though its uses in medicine are subject to controversy, some people have found it helpful for relieving pain. It’s generally diluted and then applied topically. It penetrates the skin so quickly and easily that it’s sometimes used as a carrier for other medications. For pain, it can bring relief for four to six hours. It’s also said to reduce swelling, increase circulation, and soften scar tissue and to have bacteriostatic properties. It can have some negative side effects, however, such as garlic breath, irritated skin, and blurry vision and is not appropriate for everyone.

Aromatherapy

Essential oils can be used in massage oils over the affected area and even as inhalations to help relieve pain. Those that can help ease pain include birch, cajeput, camphor, chamomile, eucalyptus, geranium, ginger, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, and wintergreen.

101 WAYS TO STAY POSITIVE AND ADDICTION-FREE

Encourage spirituality in your life.
Treat all living things as spiritual beings.
Live life as a prayer.
Pray for strength, guidance, and wisdom.
Meditate.
Breathe deeply and slowly. Oxygen nourishes the brain.
Chant. Allow your entire being to radiate healing sounds. Om works well. Or use your favorite mantra.
Read. Read all those books you’ve always wanted to but never had the time for.
Make your living space beautiful and joyous. Surround yourself with the healing energy of plants, colors, and aromas.
Keep your living space clean.
Look and dress in a manner that you deem pleasing and professional. This will boost your confidence in all of life’s situations.
Unclutter your mind. Make use of any of the myriad calendar and scheduling apps to keep track of your errands and appointments, or write them all down in a planner.
Play music that’s calming and contemplative.
Don’t listen to music that you associate with your addiction.
Learn to play a musical instrument.
Dance.
Face your fears.
Address the issue. Don’t suppress the issue.
Make a list of all of your good characteristics. Keep it posted on your bathroom mirror. Update as often as possible.
Write down all your problems and brainstorm possible ways to solve them.
Practice visualization. Visit these tranquil places in your mind. If you’re having trouble doing it on your own, invest in some of the many recordings available that guide listeners through visualizations.
Talk to a sympathetic listener.
If you need outside help, get it. Find a therapist with whom you’re comfortable talking. Or join a support group—they’re free, widely available, and have worked for millions of people. Support groups offer the opportunity to share what matters to you with those who understand. Bring your loved ones if they’re willing.
Heal your inner child. We sometimes need to accept that our parents did the best they could, and they themselves may have lived with great difficulty. Be willing to forgive.
Nurture your inner child. Read fairy tales. Blow bubbles. Laugh. Play in streams. Be silly.
Spend time basking in the beauty of nature.
Eat right.
Exercise! Exercise improves respiration and circulation, sends nutrients to the cells, and stimulates endorphin production.
Substitute good habits for bad habits. For example, if you used to smoke after dinner, go for a walk instead.
Slow down. Whether you’re eating, talking, walking, or driving, do it slower.
Take up yoga or tai chi. Both relax and strengthen the mind and body.
Get a massage.
Massage your own hands, face, and feet daily.
Reach out to someone. Hug your child, love your mate, put your arm around a friend, or even stroke your pet.
Plant a garden. Gardening is a great way to affirm faith in the future and to observe the wonders of growth and life.
H.A.L.T.: avoid being Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. These are the conditions that can make you most vulnerable to relapse into addiction.
Remember that when you feel the least like going to meetings can be the time when you need most to attend them. The support of a group has more power to keep you from relapsing than you have by yourself.
Make a list of the places to avoid, the people to avoid, and what needs changing in your life. On the backside of that list, write down what you need to do to achieve these things.
Get rid of clutter in your house.
Drink more water to help flush toxins out of your system.
In all areas of your life, delegate. You don’t have to do everything yourself.
Wear cool, pale greens and blues to help you stay calm during stressful periods. Avoid yellow, which can contribute to anxiety, and plaids and prints, which can be too busy and cause confusion.
Wear comfortable clothing that allows your skin to breathe and allows freedom of movement.
Try a relaxing bath. Light a candle, then add a few drops of essential oils such as chamomile, lavender, rosemary, and sandalwood to the bathwater. Soak and enjoy. When you’re done bathing, let the water run down the drain as you visualize all your stress going with it.
Maintain a sense of wonderment. Every day try to go out and look at a sunrise, sunset, the moon, or the stars.
Read books that connect you to your highest truth of God. Read books that are uplifting.
Ask yourself what the best ways are to heal yourself.
Learn to say no.
Use aromatherapy in times of stress. Essential oils that relieve stress include anise, basil, bay leaf, bergamot, cardamom, chamomile, clary sage, fennel, frankincense, geranium, helichrysum, juniper, lavender, lemon, marjoram, neroli, nutmeg, orange, peppermint, rose, sage, sandalwood, spearmint, and ylang-ylang.
Visit an aquarium.
Prepare your clothes, paperwork, and perhaps lunch the night before, rather than starting your morning in a frenzy.
Take naps.
Get up fifteen minutes earlier than you think you should.
Take care of unpleasant or difficult tasks early in the day, so the rest of your time can be spent more easily.
Treat yourself as you would a friend whom you love and care for. Find small ways to treat yourself—new music, a scarf, a bouquet of flowers.
Get a set of Chinese hand balls, available at many natural foods stores. Learn to use them.
Each day find some positive way to reward yourself—an aromatherapy bath, leisure reading, or taking a walk.
If you’re blessed with a beloved, make love to your partner very slowly. Allow yourself to experience greater pleasure in intimacy.
Learn a new craft. Creating things of beauty is great for self-esteem.
Smile. Relaxing your face helps the rest of your body as well as putting at ease those around you. Practice an inner radiating smile and give thanks; allow your heart to fill with love.
When you’re waiting in line at a grocery, bank, or anywhere else, smile at the other people in line with you.
Do something nice for someone less fortunate than yourself.
Take things one at a time.
Don’t assume that the success or failure of your children is the result of your influence.
Spend quality time with people you care about.
Avoid people who cannot honor your addiction-free lifestyle.
Have more fun.
Spend some time alone every day.
Write down your dreams.
Remember that saying yes to an addiction once makes it easier to say yes twice. Remind yourself of the advantages of giving up the addiction. Reflect on these often. If a lapse occurs, evaluate why it happened and what you could do differently. Don’t allow a lapse to be a relapse. Get back on your bike. You can be wiser now.
Consult the oracles, such as the I Ching or tarot, with a sincere heart and open mind.
Put all the remedies that help you stay addiction-free and relaxed in an easily accessible location so you’ll remember to take them.
Remember the saying “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Make it a mantra for your life.
Visit hot springs.
Be in tune with the moon.
Have courage.
Open your heart. Give yourself to love.
Write poems.
Maintain a sense of humor.
Remember that your true self is beyond your body and career.
Enjoy beautiful food that tastes good and is wholesome. Which seems closer to God: a fresh-picked peach or a bag of fried pork rinds?
Watch movies that are uplifting.
Place healing crystals on your chakras.
Play Tibetan bowls.
Every day, make a chart of ten positive, healthy things you can do in a day’s time. Give yourself stars for the ones you do.
Celebrate!
Be compassionate toward those still struggling with addictions.
Put out a birdfeeder. Purchase a pair of binoculars and a bird identification book. Watch.
Volunteer.
Send a handwritten letter to a friend every week.
Make homemade treats for your pet.
Go for long walks.
Make it a habit to see something new—some detail you’ve never noticed before—every day on your commute to work or your walk around the block.
Hold babies—human, feline, canine, or otherwise.
Bring a homemade treat—bread, cookies, a wreath—to each of your neighbors. If you don’t already know, learn their names.
Think globally. Act locally.
Go on picnics with family and friends.
Keep your head up. Look people in the eye.
Be honest. Be kind.
Leave this earth a better place.
Count your blessings—every day!