The Benefits of Pets in Addiction Recovery

Pets can play a significant role in supporting people through addiction recovery. From providing comfort in the early stages of rehab to offering companionship during recovery, pet therapy is becoming increasingly popular for good reasons. This article will explore how pet therapy can enhance the chances of successful addiction recovery.

Pet Increase Chances of Successful Addiction Recovery

From easing distress in the early stages of alcohol or drug rehab through animal-assisted therapy programmes to being solid support for those who have entered addiction recovery, pets have a lot to offer to those struggling through addiction recovery. Through all stages of treatment and recovery, pet therapy is becoming more and more common, and for good reasons.

Benefits of Owning a Pet When in Addiction Recovery

After attending an addiction treatment centre and achieving sobriety, addiction recovery requires long-term maintenance and relapse prevention strategies. You will need as much support as possible, and pets offer benefits unique to the human-animal relationship.

1. Pets Provide Unconditional Love

Pets love unconditionally and are always there for you, ready to receive your care and attention. Pets never criticise or judge you, and this unconditional acceptance can help those in addiction recovery rebuild their self-esteem. It does not matter what mistakes you make during the day. They will be there to happily greet you when you get home. Pets provide a level of social support that makes you feel needed, wanted and loved. Humans can also provide unconditional love, but sometimes judgements slip, and often, in families struggling with addiction, this unconditional love spills over into enabling behaviour, which is not helpful for anyone. Pets cannot enable your addiction but can love you in spite of it.

2. Pets Help You Confront Your Problems

Pets can help you confront your behaviour and issues when you’re dealing with addiction recovery. They look to you and take their behavioural clues from you. If you’re angry and showing it, they’ll be cautious and fearful in dealing with you. This can be the signal you need to temper your behaviour and start considering the impact your addiction has on your loved ones and those around you.

3. Pets Help You Learn About Yourself

Animals, especially dogs and horses, exhibit total emotional honesty. They cannot hide their feelings and will show signs of fear, anger, happiness and relaxation. People can learn and benefit from experiencing this emotional honesty. After years of numbing emotions through drug and alcohol abuse, recognising and expressing emotions is a skill that has to be relearned.

4. Pets Help You Build Relationships with Other People

Entering addiction recovery almost always means letting go of old relationships and building new ones. People can easily form bonds with pets, often more easily than starting new relationships with people. Pets are great listeners. You can talk to them about anything and even practice difficult or nerve-racking conversations with them. Having a pet can get you out of the house to meet other pet owners at the dog park or pet store and can give you a topic for starting a conversation with someone new. While pets are great companions, in addiction recovery, forming and nurturing healthy and supportive relationships with other people is imperative. Pets can help you break the ice in your quest for new, sober friendships.

5. Dog Owners Exercise More

Research shows dog owners exercise more often, and exercise is an important aspect of addiction recovery. Your dog can be a great motivation to get out for a walk and reap all the physical and mental health benefits of daily exercise. Even if you are not going for a run with your dog every day, pets often get you outside in the fresh air and sunlight for at least a few minutes, and this alone can help improve your mood. Exercise releases natural dopamines into your system, and this can also decrease anxiety in a person who is undergoing a stressful time in their life. Taking a daily walk with a beloved pet can play a positive role in helping you complete your addiction recovery.

6. Pets Help Reduce Stress

Finding healthy ways to manage stress is an important aspect of preventing relapse, as stress is a major relapse trigger. Playing with and petting your furry friend can help lower oxytocin levels in the brain, which in turn helps you feel more relaxed and less stressed. The rhythmic stroking of an animal is calming, and pet therapy has also been shown to help keep blood pressure and stress levels lower in people who are in addiction recovery.

7. Pets Make You Smile and Ward Off Loneliness

8. Pets Encourage Responsibility

Pets are an added financial and emotional responsibility, which is something you should seriously consider before adopting one and bringing it home. When you are ready, however, having a pet can help you re-establish your feelings of self-worth and competence. Caring for another living thing will help you see outside yourself and your own needs. A pet’s livelihood depends on you and your good choices. Their reliance on you can help build feelings of trustworthiness as you become a responsible pet owner.

However, not everyone in addiction recovery will be ready or able to take on the responsibility of owning a pet. This does not mean you cannot experience the benefits that animals can bring to your life. There are many ways to get some pet therapy without having to bring one home.

Experience The Benefits of Pets in Your Addiction Recovery

By simply spending time with animals, you can get some of the same benefits of pet ownership. One of the best ways to do this is to volunteer at a local animal shelter.

By volunteering, you not only get to reap the benefits of experiencing animals’ playfulness and unconditional acceptance, but you can also feel good about supporting an organisation in your community. You will meet new people and also learn how to manage the responsibility of being a volunteer — others will be relying on you to show up when you say you are going to. Helping others is great for your recovery and will give you a sense of purpose. Volunteering at an animal shelter can also be a great way to transition to pet ownership when you are at the right stage of your addiction recovery.

Engaging with friends’ pets or even seeking out specialised animal-assisted therapy, such as equestrian therapy where you work with horses and their owners, are other ways you can bring animals and their love and healing into your life and addiction recovery.