Welcome to the “Recreational Therapy” as alternative therapy program overview provided by “Rehab South Florida” – South Florida’s leading, go-to rehabilitation center providing evidence-based treatments to addiction-inflicted individuals seeking help on their journey to sobriety. Here at our facility, patients are provided with a multitude of unique programs and therapeutic approaches that aid in the process of addiction recovery. One of the most popular programs we implement in to our overall rehabilitation program is “Recreational Therapy”.

As defined by the “American Therapeutic Recreation Association“, therapeutic recreation provides patients with a systematic schedule that utilizes the therapeutic benefits derived from the involvement in either recreational or activity-based interventions. Recreational therapy offers patients the opportunity to address personal development issues and addiction vices and will aid in the recovery of mental illness, disabilities, and addiction.

At “Rehab South Florida”, our centers success in being able to treat clients thru to recovery is due to our versatility in offered programs and our highly experienced, motivated, and result-driven clinical staff.

We believe that patients participating in recreational activities have an increased chance to succeed addiction as physical activities promote cognitive health, physical health, and easement of symptoms stemming from withdrawal.

When it comes to “functional capacity”, therapeutic recreational intervention has been proven to:

• Positively affect cognitive and motor development
• Improve social skill development
• Help patients in creating social interaction skills
• Affect mental/cognitive development
• Communication behavior improvement
• Provide vocational competence

Since a majority of patients that have suffered with addiction tend to be in poor physical health due to the debilitating facets caused by most drugs – our uniquely crafted “therapeutic recreation” program was designed with the intent of helping our patients to regain strength, mental health, and of course sobriety.

Recreational therapy is an excellent approach to restore, remediate, and rehabilitate the mental health and physical well-being of patients. Furthermore, such activities can reinstate one’s ability to regain independence in the real-world as problem-solving activities will be implemented in to the program so you can walk away with as many valuable life-lessons as possible.

Recreational Activities that Patient’s may participate in at Rehab South Florida

Therapeutic recreation is provided to patients at “Rehab South Florida” in an effort to provide purposeful recreational activities that will take advantage of leisure time to address the various needs and personal goals of those living with addiction. Patient needs may include physical rehabilitation, mental health, social skill-set improvement, and community involvement.

Simply put, our primary initiative is to teach individuals different ways to constructively enjoy their down-time and to improve their cognitive, physical, emotional and social skills.

These are all issues that we strive to help patients overcome through various forms of therapeutic activities that we believe will help YOU to beat addiction! Let’s cover some of the therapeutic activities that you may be involved in if/when you attend “Rehab South Florida”.

Below are various activities that you’ll be introduced to and educated on at “Rehab South Florida”.

List of Therapeutic Recreational Activities

Card & Board Games

The reason that caregiving facilities provide organized board and card games amongst patients is because playing such games, especially when on teams; will build-up certain skillsets that can be immensely beneficial to individuals suffering from addiction. Some of the traits that patients can work on thru playing card/board games include concentration, strategy development, and improving on social communication skills when playing on a team.

One surprising study that was conducted by the prestigious “Berkeley University” concluded that by playing card games, individuals that actively play card games benefit from an improved immune system as there’s an increased production of what’s known as “T cells” which your body will utilize to fight infection.

In addition to helping to improve memory and increasing brain activity/alertness – board games are a great therapeutic recreational activity to involve yourself in during your down-time.

Some individuals who have previous addiction issues have high chances of encountering a relapse. During times of boredom, individuals are most receptive to this. However, through the use of card games, individuals can fill the gap of time with an activity that will keep their mind clear of the thoughts of drug use with a fun-filled social activity that can be enjoyed with other patients and friends.

It’s a constructive activity and one that’s highly recommended by us here at “Rehab South Florida”.

Understanding the Usage and Benefits of the Internet

When suffering from addiction it can be easy to have the overwhelming feeling of being disconnected to society. Perhaps, you desire to learn a new skill set or want to be more socially involved. Maybe, you want to start reading the news so you learn more about what’s going on in your community and the world.

Regardless of what you’re longing for, the feeling of “disconnect” is one that can cause depression, isolation, and social anxiety which are side effects that certainly don’t contribute to ones path to sobriety. In fact, being disconnected with the rest of the world can lead to further drug abuse which we don’t want to see.

One activity that has proven to be therapeutic to addiction-inflicted individuals is the use, understanding, and learning of the internet and its benefits. When it comes to accessing the online realm of the internet – users have access to an unlimited supply of information that can help provide a therapeutic experience.

Conversing with friends, exchanging photos with loved ones, and staying connected with others is a strong tool that can be utilized to help ease the mental symptoms of withdrawal. Use of the internet to learn, self-educate, and communicate with loved ones is highly recommended if you’re having difficulty with maintaining sobriety and want a constructive activity that you can practice in your spare time.

Volunteering your Time to a worthy cause

Volunteering your time to a worthy cause is an excellent way to manage your down time as it provides the volunteer the opportunity to decrease mental stress while increasing physical activity, memory and social networking and communication skills. Because of these benefits, individuals who suffer or have suffered from addiction can tremendously benefit from contributing their time to local or nation-wide causes.

Simple activities such as visiting the elderly in your local nursing home, picking up trash in the community, or helping to provide emotional support to patients in rehabilitation centers are excellent ways to build self-esteem and motivation.

Rather than dwelling on the thoughts of addiction or drug use – use your time to help support others or to help your community. There are many local organizations (Goodwill for example) that are always seeking volunteer help and by offering your time you’ll receive a tremendous amount of self-satisfaction and the feeling of being accomplished.

Community & Social Outings

If addiction has taken over your will to get out and socialize than it’s time to make the effort to fight against this internal stride. Unfortunately, abusers of drugs or alcohol commonly maintain the same desire of wanting to stay home away from society and the public which can cause serious levels of internal stress, anxiety, and the feeling of neglect.

Constructively utilize your free time to get out of the house whether it’s for a walk in the park or a trip to your local grocery store. Simply getting out of the house, or, the “comfort zone” as I like to call it, will help to instill the feeling of independence, a great sense of freedom, and of course, reduced boredom.

Maintaining sobriety is much easier when your recovery is embedded with physical-related activities and getting out of the house is a great routine to embed in to your daily schedule.

Arts & Crafts Time

The suggestion that “arts and crafts” can be therapeutic for those suffering from addiction may seem like a juvenile recommendation. However, arts and craft project have proven to be effective in the easement of symptoms initiated from drug/alcohol abuse withdrawal and is certainly not an option that should be overlooked by those wanting to constructively fill their time of boredom.

Not too long ago, a clinical study conducted by the “George Washington University” determined that individuals suffering from mental anxiety or depression stemming from drug/alcohol use can benefit from arts and crafts activities. Such activities will provide individuals with improved health in addition to requiring less medication and will also result in less isolation away from friends and society.

At “Rehab South Florida”, patients have greatly benefits from “arts and crafts” activities in the sense that it requires participants to be creative, focused, and motivated. Furthermore, if done in group sessions, individuals will work alongside others which will help to develop social interaction and communication skills (skill sets that can be applied in the real world for career development).

Once your treatment at “Rehab South Florida” has commenced, there are many local art therapy groups and art classes that can be joined if desired. Participating in weekly organized groups can increase your self-esteem, social skills, and support network/friends.

Furthermore, it’s an excellent form of self-expression that may allow you to learn more about yourself and personal goals which is critical to overcoming addiction.

Exercising to regain physical strength and mental stimulation

Use or abuse of drugs or alcohol certainly makes an impact on one’s physical abilities and physical strength/health which is why exercise is highly recommended by “Rehab South Florida”. Exercising is important for quite literally, hundreds of reasons but the main benefits of being physically involved that we’re concerned about is that it’ll result in individuals being more mobile, flexible, balanced, and cognitively healthy.

Exercising is a great way to utilize free time as it can provide symptom relief and will help you to feel more energized and motivated overall. Many health benefits are attributed to the involvement of exercising and it’s a great recreational therapy activity that can provide instantly noticeable results.

Get in to shape, find friends or close ones to accompany you in workouts or visits to the gym and regain your health. Drug use can initiate debilitating symptoms to your physical health and exercise can help in the process of recovering your physical and mental strength.

Listening, playing, or creating music

As described by some, music is therapy for the soul and mind and the individuals that can benefit the most from the therapy provided through music are those who are currently recovering from addiction. First of all, music can be utilized as a form of behavioral therapy as science has proven that music, through its tones and melodies, can greatly impact the emotional and mental state of listeners.

We all have our preference in music however it’s highly encouraged that users seeking to reap the benefits of music therapy to aid in the recovery of addiction explore other genres of music.

There are many forms of music that can provide increased benefits compared to other genres and exposing yourself to different forms of music can result in you finding the genre that will provide you with the therapy you need.

For example, “Jazz” and “easy listening” are two music styles that are most used to derive therapeutic feelings as they commonly provide listeners with a sense of peace, solace, and comfort. Being able to experience such feelings of solace thru the simple listening of music is a powerful tool to have at your disposal and can contribute to the easement of symptoms related to withdrawals.

Furthermore, therapy from listening to music doesn’t need to stop there. Some individuals decide to take on an instrument and perhaps may even participate in lessons or take the self-taught route.

Learning an instrument for therapy compared to only listening to music will provide you with all of the benefits that music alone has to offer while also giving you a constructive hobby that you can work on during your free time.

Listening to and Understanding the News

Similar to the benefits previously discussed that one can receive from the use of the internet – reading, watching, and listening to the news is an excellent outlet to becoming informed and aware about what’s going on in your community and the world. Staying connected to your community and the world at large will provide you with a sense of an understanding of the world’s issues and activities which is great for cognitive stimulation, memory recall, and mood stabilization.

Being secluded from society, staying to yourself, and not socializing can cause one to become disconnected from society and living such a way is prominent among individuals who suffer (or had suffered) from addiction. To help establish a better understanding of what’s happening around you, and, so you can provide yourself some mental relief if you’re suffering from mental anxiety – watch the news, digest what’s going on and have the sense of being informed and up to date on current and rising issues.

Watching the news is a therapeutic recreational activity as news-watching typically tends to be a laxed activity while also being a means of education.

Having a pet to help provide comfort and company

Perhaps being one of the best therapeutic forms of treatment on this list – animal therapy is the art of providing yourself with companionship in order to provide comfort, peace, and love. Many times, recovering addicts will feel helpless and lonely as in some circumstances – drug abusers may have distanced themselves from friends and loved ones and rekindling relationships may not be so easy.

Animal therapy is highly effective in treating many health issues (such as PTSD) however having an animal around for company is extremely helpful for lonely individuals who believe that having companionship will help to cope with whatever symptoms they’re experiencing from withdrawal.

Whether it is a cat, a dog, or even a bird – finding comfort and experiencing “love” through bonding with an animal can provide notable benefits mainly of which is the easement of feeling lonesome.

Since animal therapy provides comfort in times of distress, withdrawals, and anxiety; considering the thought of adopting a pet is highly recommended as the likelihood of a relapse occurring decreases.

Intergenerational Meeting Sessions

As the name implies, “Intergenerational Programming” is a form of recreational therapy that helps younger individuals suffering from addiction or life difficulties by receiving advice from the elderly. The belief behind this form of therapy is that through the many years of living experience that the elderly have – they can affectively provide applicable and forward-thinking advice as to how you should view and treat life.

Through understanding the life experiences of the elderly, you’ll be able to learn about morals, life lessons, and actionable guidance that can help you to form a new perspective on life. Certainly, a great way to overcome addiction as you learn from those who have been around much longer which can provide valuable insight on some of life’s most striding hurdles.