State governments are now beginning to fund holistic medicine facilities with greater regularity,confirming that these practices are fast gaining mainstream acceptance in the United States. More and more addiction treatment facilities are using ancient holistic practices to help their patients enhance wellness.

For centuries, these methods have helped countless people overcome a number of different illnesses and psychological conditions – and now they are being used in the fight against alcohol and drug dependence. Here is just a small sample of some of these rehab-based holistic practices:

• Yoga. Yoga provides multiple benefits for the recovering addict. In addition to helping develop physical endurance and flexibility, yoga also promotes emotional and spiritual wellness. When an individual is engaged in regular yoga sessions, their minds are free to focus on their recovery. Finally, yoga is a discipline that can, post-rehab, replace substance abuse as a regular activity.
• Meditation. Meditation helps shut out the distractions and “white noise” that only serve to keep the individual off-point. Through meditation, the individual can achieve a higher state of consciousness, one that helps aid solitary focus on recovery.
• Acupuncture. Many treatment facilities will use acupuncture to help relieve stress and focus in with pinpoint accuracy on those functions that involve addiction.
• Nutritional counseling. Many addicts neglect good eating habits in pursuit of their next “fix” – which is why nutritional counseling plays such an important role in treatment.

By helping individuals learn how to eat right – and prepare their own meals on a proper schedule, holistic rehab programs are building the sound foundation of a clean and sober life.

Confirming what many in the addiction treatment field have suspected for years, a recent study by European researchers have found a strong link between drug addiction in women and a history of sexual abuse.

Examining the lives of poor women and prostitutes in Malta, the study finds that sexual abuse is a leading cause of not only drug addiction, but poor mental health, a low socio-economic level and even criminal activity.

Giving the study additional weight across disciplines, the authors were a medical practitioner (Dr Anna Vella), a psychotherapist (Mariella Dimech), a forensic pharmacist (Mario Mifsud), a social worker (Vicki Sultana), and a senior probation officer (Mariella Camilleri) Sexual abuse is just one of the factors behind drug addiction that is found more commonly in women than in men. Other root causes of addiction in women include:

• Past physical abuse by a family member or spouse
• Issues of poor self image
• Co-dependency within a relationship
• Eating disorders
• Depression

To help address these gender-specific issues, many drug rehab programs have begun holding counseling sessions and workshops that are exclusively for women. Although the treatment program as a whole may be co-ed, these programs within the program give women a safe place to discuss the issues that are most relevant to their addiction.

You can’t expect an individual to stand up and declare “I need help from an alcohol rehab program!” The majority of those who have an alcohol addiction are likely to be in a state of deep denial about the true nature of their problem – and may fall deeper and deeper into a downward spiral as a result.

Therefore, it is up to family and friends to recognize the signs of alcoholism so that they can get their loved ones the help they need.

The following are five of the most common signs that someone needs alcohol rehab treatment.

1. Poor performance at work or school. Those who struggle with alcoholism may see a rapid drop off in classroom performance as well as on the job. Many individuals who are drinking at work will be unable to focus on the tasks at hand and will fall behind in the general work flow.
2. Drinking at socially unacceptable times. Alcoholics will drink throughout the course of the day and well into the night. They are more likely to drink alone, and may keep consuming alcohol even when the rest of their peer group has stopped. Look for hidden “stashes” of alcohol around the house.
3. Encounters with the law. Alcoholics tend to put themselves and others at risk with the law. Driving while intoxicated or engaging in fist-fights are just two of the ways those with an alcohol addiction can run afoul of the law.
4. Exhibits depression or other mental health issues. Almost half of those individuals who suffer from an alcohol addiction are also suffering from a serious mental health issue. Be mindful of the symptoms of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and other illnesses – as they may accompany alcoholism.
5. Has relationship troubles. Some alcoholics become abusive when they drink – leading to physical altercations with their spouse or significant other. Many alcoholics simply withdraw into a shell – closing down the lines of communication and harming their relationship in the process.