Making Running Part of Your Healthy Recovery

photo of a woman running

Running is a great recovery activity to get a “natural high” as the body releases endorphins and adrenaline. Plus, it can help counteract the trauma that your body has endured during years of substance abuse – healing and restoring your physical and mental health. What’s more, running delivers a staggering number of health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure and better weight control.

If you’re thinking about becoming a runner, these proven strategies will help you ease into this healthy habit. 

  • Get your doctor’s clearance. This is especially important if you’ve been sedentary for more than a year, are overweight, or have a history of diabetes or high blood pressure.
  • Go slow. With any new habit, you’ll want to make sure to set attainable goals. This will help give you confidence and also prevent injury. Commit to running a few minutes each day for the next month – and then increase your time when you’re ready. Listen to your body. Pushing yourself too hard or too quickly can lead to burnout and injuries.
  • Track your progress. Whether you record your progress (time, mileage, etc.) in a journal or use a free smartphone app (RunKeeper, iMapMyRun and SmartRunner, for example), keeping track of your new running routine is a great way to stay motivated. Remember to celebrate your fitness goals along the way.
  • Find a fitness partner. At 10 Acre Ranch, we encourage our male clients to connect with one another, so why not get to know one of your recovery buddies a little better while going for a run together!

Exercise to Support Your Sobriety
Imagine taking care of your physical, mental and spiritual health all before noon. That’s what you’ll experience at the ranch. We offer our male clients a variety of recovery activities that support lasting sobriety. To learn more about our men’s drug rehab or request recreation and activity information, call us today: 877-228-4679.

16 Signs of Burnout

photo of an employee having strong headache tired from laptop work

The American Psychological Association’s David Ballard, PsyD describes job burnout as “an extended period of time where someone experiences exhaustion and a lack of interest in things, resulting in a decline in their job performance.”

Burnout can have serious emotional and physical health consequences, including an increased risk of substance use disorder. In fact, more and more professionals admit to self-medicating or using drugs and alcohol to cope with the increasingly growing stress of the workplace. This is a dangerous path, however, and one that can quickly lead to addiction.

Recognizing the signs of burnout is your best step to avoid it – and this is extremely important if you’re already in recovery. If left untreated, burnout can result in relapse and destroy your hard-won sobriety. It can also wreak havoc on your happiness, relationships and job performance.

In order to catch and combat burnout early, it’s important to know what to look out for and realize when it’s time to seek professional help. Some red flags include:

• Hard time paying attention or concentrating
• Irritability and lack of patience, both at the workplace and at home
• Increased conflicts at home
• Fatigue and lack of energy
• Low self-esteem and lack of confidence
• Skipping social obligations
• Feelings of guilt caused by uncompleted work
• Emotional exhaustion
• Loss of interest in once enjoyed activities
• Anxiety and depression
• Problem falling and staying asleep
• Increased frustration, cynicism and other negative feelings
• Eating too much or too little
• Poor immunity or getting sick often
• Frequent headaches
• Digestive issues

Helping You Find Healthy Ways to Cope 
At 10 Acre Ranch, our Intensive Outpatient Programs (also known as IOPs) give our clients the opportunity to work alongside other men to manage stress and solidify their sober-living skills and reduce the chances of short or long-term relapse. IOPs are designed for individuals who are preparing to re-enter employment, family life, school, and other responsibilities. To learn more, call today: 877-228-4679.

Study: Smoking Pot Hurts Your Heart

a photo of a lady with marijuana addiction smoking pot

Smoking pot can do damage to your heart, according to a recent study from the American College of Cardiology. Researchers examined medical records of known pot smokers and found a significant increase in the risk for the following heart conditions:

  • Stroke
  • Heart failure
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Sudden cardiac death

They also found that these patients had other unhealthy heart factors — namely obesity, high blood pressure, alcohol use and cigarette smoking. Still, marijuana use was independently associated with a 26 percent jump in the risk of stroke and 10 percent increase in the risk of having heart failure.

While the link isn’t 100 percent clear, researchers do suggest, however, that it has something to do with how pot interacts with the functioning of your heart. More specifically, the cells in your heart muscle are said to have cannabis receptors that impact the heart muscle‘s ability to contract, according to previous studies.

Other short and long-term effects linked with smoking pot include:

  • Short-term memory problems
  • Significant drop in IQ and cognitive abilities
  • Problems with coordination (impairing safe driving or playing sports)
  • Sexual problems (erectile dysfunction)
  • Potential development of opiate abuse
  • Relationship problems
  • Financial difficulties
  • Greater chances of being unemployed or not getting good jobs

We Help You Better Understand the Disease of Addiction
Education is the cornerstone of addiction recovery, both in terms of the harmful side effects of drugs and alcohol and the disease of addiction itself. At 10 Acre Ranch, we believe that the more a client knows the science behind addiction, the more equipped he is to confront his behavior and retrain his brain. Since addiction requires a variety of interventional and behavioral modifications, we provide men at our drug and alcohol treatment center with addiction discussion groups, lectures, workshops, literature, and other resources. To learn more about our rehab, call us today: 877-228-4679.

Learning to Be Grateful in Recovery

photo of a very happy woman

At 10 Acre Ranch, we’ve seen firsthand how having an attitude of gratitude can help make recovery easier and relapse less likely. Learning to be grateful for the gifts you have been given can help increase your self-esteem, boost your outlook and remind you why you are working so hard for a sober life. Indeed, studies have found a slew of health benefits linked to gratitude, including:

  • Less anxiety and depression
  • Enhanced sleep
  • Improved self-care
  • Fewer toxic emotions, like anger, resentment or regret
  • More resilience
  • Stronger willpower
  • Better relationships
  • Greater ability to handle trauma

Cultivating Gratitude With Recovery Activities
It’s not always easy to have gratitude – but luckily it’s a recovery skill that can be learned. It just may take a little practice and persistence. At 10 Acre Ranch, our clients participate in numerous activities designed to show you that there’s a full life beyond addiction – and that’s definitely something to be thankful for.

  • Gratitude lists: Writing down the people or things for which you are thankful is a great activity to help you stay focused on your recovery.
  • Nature walks. Taking the time to appreciate the beauty of nature can help decrease depression and improve your well-being.
  • Meditation. This can be the perfect time to give thanks for all of the small gifts in life. You may even want to refer to your gratitude list.
  • 12-step meetings: “Have an attitude of gratitude” is a common recovery slogan within the 12-step model and one that can help you prevent relapse.

More About Our Recovery Activity Options
At 10 Acre Ranch, we provide a range of recovery strategies designed to appeal to many different male personality types. Contact us to learn more about our offerings and how they can help teach you or someone you love to become empowered, self-sufficient, self-aware and grateful for a chance at a sober life. Call today: 877-228-4679.