Addiction, Treatment and Recovery

Yoga. Massage. Acupuncture. Biofeedback. Meditation. Physical exercise. They may seem unusual treatment tools for persons addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs – but they are tools used with increasing frequency and effectiveness at the nation’s leading addiction treatment hospital, the Betty Ford Center, located in Rancho Mirage, California.

Activities such as yoga, massage, acupuncture, biofeedback, meditation and physical exercise are components of the basic treatment program at the Center and, according to Dr. Scott Davis, Addiction Medicine Physician at BFC, they are effective adjuncts in treating the disease of addiction.

“Biofeedback is especially helpful for our patients,” says Dr. Davis, “particularly for patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Their anxiety is often rooted in their chemical dependency.”

Dr. Davis says through working with a biofeedback machine, patients learn the lesson of “mind over matter” — in particular, relaxation techniques and the ability to both reduce anxiety levels and improve their sleep habits. Patients are trained to slow down their heart rate and better control their respiration rate. They thereby learn to reduce their anxiety level and increase their ability to relax through their own self-control.

According to Dr. Nancy Waite-O’Brien, Vice President of Clinical Services at the Betty Ford Center, “Techniques such as biofeedback and meditation have been used for years in treating persons with the disease of alcohol and/or drug addiction. What we’re seeing now, however, is that these modalities are being incorporated more formally into treatment programs. They are really invaluable in decreasing anxiety levels, increasing relaxation levels, improving sleep – and also for pain management.”

In residential halls at the Center, there are early-morning and evening meditation groups. CDs are used to help facilitate the meditation process.

Trained staff members conduct yoga sessions for patients at the Ira and Cini Robb Physical Fitness Center. Massage is also offered on a case-by-case basis to patients with pain management issues, as is acupuncture. The latter technique has been used for thousands of years, Dr. Davis points out, tracing its roots back to ancient China. “We know it can be very effective in treating pain and reducing anxiety,” he says. “We don’t yet have a formal program involving acupuncture, but we do have staff who are expert practitioners, and we’ve had excellent results thus far.”

Both Dr. Davis and Dr. Waite-O’Brien note that all patients at the Center have a physical exercise specialist on their individual treatment team, and are actively encouraged to be physically active. Specific time is set aside for patients to use the Center’s extensive indoor physical fitness facilities. The sunny year-round climate and many on-campus walking trails allow for year-round outdoor exercise.

Patients attend a myriad of lectures at the Betty Ford Center, and learn about stress, as well as a host of other addiction- and recovery-related topics. They also have the opportunity to join specialized groups. The patient’s treatment team assigns him or her to an appropriate group (or to appropriate groups), which cover areas such as abuse and/or trauma.

According to Dr. Davis, the “Living Safely” group has been especially valuable. It is primarily for women who have been victims of domestic violence.

At the end of the day, says Dr. Waite-O’Brien, “Treatment for addiction is not a static concept. It’s ever-evolving, and at the Betty Ford Center we’re committed to state-of-the-art treatment. From what we’re seeing now, techniques that promote stress management are of tangible, long-lasting benefit to our patients. So, going forward, I expect you’re going to see even more patients devoting even more time to these treatment modalities.”

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1. Betty Ford Center Tests Back Use of Buprenorphine for Detox