Outdoor activities encourage sobriety and improve physical, mental and emotional health. 
Spring is inching closer in Flagstaff, which brings new opportunities for outdoor adventure therapy to serve a role in someone’s path to sobriety. Outdoor adventure therapy can be hugely beneficial for those struggling with addiction. Outdoor therapy molds new avenues for self-reflection that can boost cognitive function, minimize stress, improve self-esteem and most importantly diminish relapse triggers such as loneliness and boredom. Outdoor therapy serves as another tool to aide you on the road to recovery. It is important to remember that outdoor therapy by itself will not stop a substance abuse disorder, but the time in nature will create a healthier you and promote values that help you understand and manage addiction. Spending time outdoors benefits people in recovery.
Benefits of the Outdoors During Recovery
Recovery is a never-ending journey and requires a multifaceted approach that focuses on a person’s mental, physical and emotional health. Outdoor activity holistically benefits people in recovery by helping them reduce depression, improving their physical fitness, enriching their sleep, enhancing their cognitive function, increasing their opportunities to build relationships and decreasing their risk of relapse.
Outdoor activities provide people in recovery with new environments and challenges to process triggers that can cause relapse. Adventure activities create challenging situations that you must overcome. It is liberating to many people when they realize the physical feats they can accomplish without the use of substances. The point of outdoor therapy is to show people in recovery that they can get out and move. The exercise does not have to be extremely challenging; any outdoor activity can help mitigate the chance of relapse. A 2019 study by Leanne Martin at the University of Plymouth found that simple exposure to greenery reduced cravings, regardless of how strenuous the activity was.
In short, people in recovery should seek outdoor activities. Any activity will benefit you and help you find new outlets to deal with addiction.
Exercise with Nature
Outdoor adventure activities are an amazing alternative to working out in a gym and they can provide certain benefits indoor spaces can’t supply. Being outside is good for you. Outdoor exercise means someone is breathing fresh air and taking in vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D boosts immune system functions, making it an essential vitamin for those in recovery who often deal with compromised immune systems. Regular use of opioids and other substances destroy immune system function, which increases the likelihood of infections and other illnesses. A person in recovery who is getting outside will become healthier and their immune system will become stronger as a result.
Boredom is an omnipresent issue for those in recovery and is a frequent reason people relapse. Finding a new hobby can be a strong weapon to use in the battle against relapse and the outdoors is a great place to find new hobbies. Skiing, mountain biking, hiking, fishing and photography are all great ways to get outside. A person who goes outside and spends time with nature will begin feeling less anxious and less stressed. Reducing stress is the point of the outdoor experience. High stress situations create conditions for relapse. By going outside, a person can feel accomplished by completing a task without the use of substances. The outdoors is a powerful tool in recovery.
Creates New Outlets for Support
A support group of friends and family is essential for anyone dealing with addiction. Everyone needs someone to help them in their recovery journey. Addiction is frequently a strain on families and friends. Sometimes those closest to an addict believe that cutting them out of their lives is the only way to help them. When someone begins recovery, reestablishing broken relationships can be beneficial for that person. A great way to start mending fractured relationships is by going outside with the person in recovery. Walking, hiking, riding bikes or even fishing together can create new bonds of trust and establish avenues of accountability for the person in recovery. Outdoor activities are just another tool to reconnect with the people you love and find a way to build a new relationship in sobriety.
The benefits of spending time outside are proven and nature should be a factor in a person’s addiction treatment plan. Outdoor activities encourage sobriety and improve physical, mental and emotional health. A short walk, gardening or even a long rafting trip will get the person out of the house, into nature and help receive all of the benefits the outdoors provides. FBN
By Roy DuPrez
Roy DuPrez is the owner and founder of Back2Basics. Back2Basics is an adventure recovery program, up to six months, for young adult males ages 18-30 with substance abuse issues looking for a positive and meaningful life. In our program, clients are exposed to a weekly combination of both wilderness adventures and residential programming. For more information, visit back2basicsoutdooradventures.com, call 928-814-2220 or email rduprez@b2badventures.com.
