If you’re scared of leaving your dog or other pets behind when you go to rehab, there’s some good news: You’ll almost certainly be able to find pet-friendly rehabs that will allow you to come along with your pet during your treatment. In fact, if you have the opportunity, you should bring your pet, and they might help you win the battle against drugs quickly.
How Do Pets Help Addicts in Recovery?
Pets can help addicts and alcoholics be successful in treatment while attending pet-friendly rehabs in a variety of ways, from physical healing to emotional support, according to researchers. The following are ways in which pets aid in recovery.
- Pets Make Us Feel Good
While your pet lowers stress hormones, they also increase chemicals that make you feel good, such as dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin (also known as “the cuddle hormone”). These are the same chemicals that drugs like opioids create artificially, and if your brain learns to produce them on its own, you’ll be less reliant on artificial pleasures.
- Pets Help Alleviate Stress
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), people who interact with animals frequently have lower cortisol levels and blood pressure. You’re less likely to use chemicals for artificial relief when calm and relaxed.
- Pets Help Us Avoid Bad Behaviours
When your pet pal is waiting for you to feed them or take them for a walk, you’re less likely to get drunk or high. What if you end up in the hospital, in jail, or worse? Who is going to look after your best pal? It’s a different way of learning that actions have consequences, which can be muddled in addiction.
- Pets Teach Us Compassion
Being responsible for another living being – feeding and sheltering them and ensuring that their basic needs are met reduces the sense that everything revolves around you. Taking care of a pet diverts your attention away from your problems, allowing you to focus on other solutions.
- Pets Help Us Stick to Routines
Patients in rehab are frequently encouraged to practice regular routines to develop healthy habits. Taking care of a pet necessitates sticking to a routine, and these routines usually revolve around physical activities; you can burn off excess energy by going for walks and playing games with your pet.
- Pets Show Us Unconditional Love
A pet only asks for food, shelter, and a little attention – and sometimes not even that. Your pet will always love you and show it. You might want to seek that feeling from other natural sources once you’ve experienced what it’s like to be loved.
Mallard Lake Detox Center Offers the Best Pet-Friendly Rehabilitation.
While pet-friendly rehabs are becoming more common, they are not yet universal. We welcome animal companions to Mallard Lake Detox Center, Houston, TX, because we know that a pet’s positive relationship can be extremely beneficial. Human-animal bonds provide crucial support for recovery. Talk to our online team to learn more about how your pet can benefit from rehab.