GUEST POST BY CAROLINE BLACK
Most of us recovering from addiction are open to the idea of accessing extra help. Regardless of whether we need constant or occasional help, having access to innovative resources and tools can only be a good thing.
If you need help with your recovery, technology might be able to provide the solution you need to stay focused and well. Here are five tech tools that can help you with your recovery.
Ascent is a peer-coaching application. Signing up for the program means you can access support 24 hours a day, seven days per week from people who have experienced the same issues you are working through.
The goal of the app is to help those recovering from substance abuse achieve long-term success and avoid relapse. Every participant in the program receives a completely customized plan designed by a personal coach and members of the support team. Your personal program will address the obstacles you face as an individual and give you the tools you need to help you stay sober. Since the app is available on your smartphone, you can access help anytime you need it. [Cost: $35 per month]
Muse is a brain-sensing headband, created to help you establish or elevate your meditation practice. As you meditate wearing Muse, it generates real-time feedback about what’s happening in your brain while you meditate. Along with the free app that you load on your smart phone, Muse can help you create a regular and effective meditation practice by encouraging you to meditate more frequently and more deeply.
In addition to helping with stress, depression and anxiety, mindfulness and meditation have been shown to aid in recovery from addiction. If you need help calming your thoughts and focusing your mind, then the Muse headband might be the perfect tool for you. [Regular Cost: $249 one-time purchase]
Workit Health is an online program that helps people with addictions of all kinds. It claims to have an 80 percent success rate helping people kick addictions of all kinds, including drinking, drugs, sex and love, work, food, gambling, caffeine and smoking.
The online program is designed to last 12 weeks and has six sections: kickstart, body, mind, heart, spirit and tribe. You receive dedicated, one-on-one support from an expert coach who has come through the same type of addiction you are currently battling.
You can sign up anonymously, and you can even plan a program that helps you with multiple addictions at one time. A number of employers offer Workit Health as a benefit, or you can sign up as an individual and pay the monthly fee yourself. [Cost: $187 per month]
Bellabeat is a sleep, activity and reproductive health monitor that helps women better understand their bodies. Termed “smart jewelry,” it helps you cope with stress by monitoring your vital signs and suggesting breathing and relaxation techniques when your body is stressed.
While not specifically designed for people with addictions, it can be a useful tool for those in recovery because stress has been a proven factor in many cases of relapse. You can access the tracker’s data on your smartphone. The more you wear Bellabeat, the more the app learns about and adapts to your patterns. Before long, the app will able to anticipate patterns in your life that cause stress and help you to create new exercises to mitigate the amount of stress from those situations.[Cost: $119 to $199 one-time purchase]
Addicaid is a recovery program that combines technology, social support and behavioral science to empower people to take charge of their recovery. The app-based program combines a variety of successful treatment techniques into a single program and then divides participants into groups based on individual needs. Each person has daily tasks to complete. Daily tasks can include tracking meetings attended, urges to relapse and coping skills. The daily tasks are grouped into weekly phases such as personal assessment, immediate needs, disaster management, recovery maintenance and more.
The app offers support and accountability for people by creating a custom solution based on individual needs rather than the one-size-fits-all approach pitched by many recovery plans. [Cost: Free]
As many of us have learned, finding recovery isn’t the end of the journey; it’s only the beginning. Staying sober and healthy requires constant vigilance. It’s okay to ask for help when you need it, and these tech tools are an excellent place to start, if and when you need extra support.
Note: Addiction and recovery are intensely personal issues that you might want to keep separate and private from other aspects of your life. If you’re concerned about using technology and the internet for your recovery, you might consider accessing your recovery tools using a proxy software service. These services encrypt your data, so you can access your recovery tools anywhere without fear that someone could intercept your private information.
Caroline Black is a writer with previous experience in the health care industry. She has personal experience of working with loved ones on their recovery and her experience paired with her passion for technology, created a natural segue for her to write about the ways changing technologies impact our health and wellness decisions. Caroline is particularly interested in how we can incorporate mindfulness into our health care programs and is an advocate of using new technologies to aid recovery and promote healthy living. She regularly contributes to eHealthInformer.com where she shares wellness, health, fitness and healthy lifestyle advice.
Really Helpful blog, thanks for sharing your experiences in this content Black