There is often a lot of shame that comes with addiction. This can be especially true when an individual is addicted to huffing because it is often minimized by people who don’t understand how addictive and dangerous it can be. The good news is that, with the right help and support, healing from huffing is not only possible but probable.
The Dangers of “Huffing”
Many people have heard the term “huffing” but may not be familiar with what it exactly is. According to the clinical journal Paediatrics & Child Health, “Inhalant abuse, which is also known as volatile substance abuse, solvent abuse, sniffing, huffing, and bagging, is the deliberate inhalation of a volatile substance to achieve an altered mental state… It is also correlated with reduced family support or deviant family environments, poor school performance, poor self-esteem and suicidality, psychiatric conditions, other substance abuse, and substance-abusing family and peers.”
Huffing brings with it many warning signs, symptoms, and dangers. These are physical, cognitive, and emotional. The following are just a few of those signs and symptoms:
- Impaired judgment
- Trouble in social situations and settings
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Nausea and vomiting
- Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
- Poor skin, nails, and hair loss
- Cognitive dysfunction and short-term and long-term memory loss
- Delerium
- Anxiety and depression
- Withdrawal symptoms
- A greater potential for co-occurring disorders
- Potential for self-harm
- Suicidal ideations
If any, many, or all of these symptoms are present, it is highly recommended that professional help be sought as soon as possible. Doing so could mean the difference between short-term side effects and long-term consequences.
Healing From Huffing by Addressing Shame in Individual Therapy
One major side effect of huffing is shame. The good news is that shame can be addressed in many ways. These ways often include therapies and other holistic methods.
It is important to address addictions with a multi-angled approach that pulls from all areas of recovery. This includes experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy, holistic methods like yoga and meditation, and psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Healing From Huffing With Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT is one of the most commonly used psychotherapies today. The reason for this is that it has long been shown to be effective at treating a wide array of issues. This includes issues of addiction and mental illness.
CBT focuses on addressing how individuals negatively see themself and the world around them. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) refers to a class of interventions that share the basic premise that mental disorders and psychological distress are maintained by cognitive factors. The core premise of this treatment approach… holds that maladaptive cognitions contribute to the maintenance of emotional distress and behavioral problems.”
CBT can be particularly helpful in addressing shame, as it focuses on the underlying issues of shame and offers tools and techniques to address that shame once it manifests externally. This shame can also be mitigated and ultimately eliminated when an individual begins to interact positively with the world around them. This can happen with experiential therapies.
Healing From Huffing With Experiential Therapies
Experiential therapies are in essence what the name implies. They are therapies that focus on environmental activities and creative experiences rather than mere discussion. One highly effective experiential therapy is nature immersion therapy.
Nature immersion therapy has many benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Besides physical health improvements, nature exposure can bring about positive influence upon psychological constructs such as boredom, friendliness, well-being, and liveliness. However, across more than one hundred studies on nature/wildlife exposure, stress mitigation has been shown to be one of the most consistent and important psychological benefits.”
This “stress mitigation” is often correlated directly to shame mitigation as well. Other highly effective tools for healing from huffing and addressing shame lie in holistic means like yoga and meditation.
Healing From Huffing Holistically
Yoga and meditation have long been used as tools to quiet the mind and find a sense of inner peace. Initially, these tools were used strictly as religious or spiritual practices, but they have since been used to help people recover from addiction and mental illness.
Besides reducing shame, yoga also offers many other benefits. According to the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), “Yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.”
Healing Whole Mind-Body at Rancho Recovery
Here at Rancho Recovery, we understand the importance of whole mind-body recovery when it comes to addressing shame and healing from huffing. That is why we offer a myriad of modalities that focus on shame and addiction.
The iconic German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once asked and answered, “What do you regard as most humane? To spare someone shame.” Shame has no place in recovery. That is why, at Rancho Recovery, we aim to eliminate it.
When an individual is addicted to huffing, they often feel ashamed of being unable to stop. This is not their fault; it is simply the nature of the disease of addiction. This shame must be addressed if an individual is going to fully heal at the cellular level. This healing can happen via a number of means, methods, and modalities, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy, and holistic healing methods like yoga and meditation. If you feel like you or a loved one are struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the road to recovery. For more information about shame and addiction, contact Rancho Recovery at (877) 484-1447.