By Chad Chenoweth, MD

Spring is finally here, and that means it’s time for Spring cleaning. And I don’t mean that in the literal sense: I mean it’s time to clean the mind and body. A new season is the perfect time to start thinking about getting healthy – both physically and mentally. After all, we’ve had a long winter in which we spent a lot of time inside. Spring offers warmer temperatures, fresh air, and sunshine, all of which do a body – and mind – good.
Warmer temperatures and sunshine inspire us to get more outdoor activities into our schedule. This is an easy first step in clearing out the winter cobwebs in our minds and getting our bodies in a place where they are willing and happy to move. And the better our bodies and minds feel, the less likely they’ll be to seek escape in addictive behaviors.
Addiction often begins when a person no longer wants to feel. You might ask, “Well, why would someone not want to feel?” Feelings can be overwhelming, and sometimes it’s too hard to deal with them. But when we fail to deal with our feelings – or avoid them – we can create more stress in our lives, which results in further avoidance and more stress. And a greater need to escape. There may also be traumatic events in a person’s life they are seeking to avoid, which leads to numbing just to cope, and then possibly a full-blown addiction.
Addiction is a serious disease that affects the mind, body, emotions, and spirit. Any addiction will inevitably result in disintegration, and that is when life gets to the tipping point and falls apart. At Sovegna, our mission is to help our clients prevent disintegration and restore their lives to optimal function. Our approach to recovery medicine is designed to provide comprehensive outpatient addiction assessment and treatment that blends medical, psychiatric, and therapy-based practices under the same roof. We incorporate Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) to provide a barrier to relapse while treating the underlying conditions that lead to the addiction. We know how important it may be to obtain discreet treatment while safely maintaining a career, working at the office, or engaging at home, so we prescribe effective minimal dosing for MAT to optimize daily function.
If you or someone you know has an addiction and needs help, contact us at Sovegna at (385) 429-9808 or visit www.sovegna.com for more information. We will help you create a roadmap back to health.
Comments