Home Blogs Yoga for Treating Alcoholism

Yoga for Treating Alcoholism

I started drinking when I was 18. And believe or not, simultaneously, I used to work out at regular intervals but I also continued my drink-a-day habit. That was until I made a firm commitment to try Yoga to get rid of the habit and not just another regular routine workout session.

Then things started to happen. And, as time passed, I saw my body and mind start to grow stronger, the thought of drinking began to make me sick; in fact, it no longer made any sense. But, paradoxically, I continued to drink, all the same. Let's say, I was hooked. But I also came to realize that if I could endure the pain of the twists and turns in my body, then I could deal with the pain of not having a drink every evening.

Yoga, I discovered over time, treats the biology and the psychology of the addict. All addicts are terribly out of control, I must say. I was. We have knee-jerk panic reactions and tempers. The will and determination Yoga demands, in turn also helps people like us regain control over our bodies and minds.

Surprisingly, even after all these years, there's no one practice or set of practices I'd recommend as Yoga for alcoholism. I'd rather say, take up a whole package, the way I did, with my fellow alcoholics: Asanas, breathing exercises, cleansing techniques, vegetarianism, relaxation and meditation.

Get into the groove slowly but keep increasing both the intensity and tenure of your sessions. Yoga is all about mind-body co-ordination and control. Over time, it started to show me results. I automatically stopped reaching for the next drink, until slowly I kept putting off the idea of returning home early to hit the bottle.

Will you believe it; I'm on the wagon since six years? Six whole years! Now, don't even try asking me out.

• RSS Feeds -
• All posts
• All comments