Pets provide companionship, safety, and comfort. Many individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) experience fewer mental health symptoms if they spend quality time with pets. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure.” In addition, studies have found that “animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood.” Bright Mission Recovery understands the value of interacting with beloved pets and encourages clients to use these relationships to improve mental health and reduce the risk of relapse. Pets play a role in promoting resilience and building routines to support sobriety.
Health Benefits of Owning Pets
Individuals with SUD may have co-occurring health issues or be at an increased risk of experiencing preventable diseases. Being active and focusing on positive activities like spending time with pets reduces the risks and helps people build healthier lives.
Most individuals with pets have positive experiences. Some of the most common health benefits of owning pets include:
- Increased physical activity
- Reduced social isolation
- Lower stress levels and improved stress management
Pets improve overall health and wellness by promoting healthy activity and social engagement. Social support is vital for ongoing sobriety. However, some individuals struggle to connect with peers during treatment and aftercare. Pets offer unconditional love, and individuals with social anxiety or depressive episodes can rely on their relationship with their pets to help them grow and become more comfortable engaging with peers.
How Do Pets Play a Role in Reducing the Risk of Relapse?
People with pets generally have a routine and are more structured in their daily lives. For example, a dog owner needs to walk, feed, water, and play with their dog throughout the day. Building a healthy lifestyle is more manageable if people already have a daily routine. Pets help Individuals with SUD avoid relapse by giving them something positive to focus on and specific activities to complete throughout the day to reduce boredom. Treatment programs can provide clients with the resources and tools to incorporate sober activities into their already-established daily routines.
Pets help individuals in treatment avoid relapse by doing the following:
- Providing emotional support
- Reducing symptoms of anxiety or depression
- Increasing motivation
- Providing a sense of purpose
Individuals like to feel needed and appreciated. Pets give people a reason to keep moving forward with their healing journey. People find many different ways to feel motivated by their relationships with pets. For example, some individuals may feel motivated to maintain sobriety to provide their pets with a safe and comfortable space to live and play.
Pets Play a Role in Improving Mood and Emotion Regulation
Spending time with pets may positively impact a person’s mood by making them more mindful and self-aware. Pets also impact various hormone levels associated with stress. Spending time with animals impacts cortisol levels, reducing negative moods. Individuals in treatment for alcohol or drug abuse may find it more challenging to manage negativity. Being around pets can help them improve their mood and emotion regulation.
Playing with pets promotes calm and relaxation. People who focus on enjoyable tasks like spending time with a beloved pet are often less likely to feel emotionally overwhelmed. Many people consider spending time with pets part of their self-care routine. Taking time each day to relax and share happy moments with pets can significantly improve mental health.
How Do Pets Play a Role in Treatment at Bright Mission Recovery?
The addiction and mental health professionals at Bright Mission Recovery encourage clients to take advantage of pets as a form of support during outpatient treatment or aftercare. Individuals in rehabilitation can incorporate their pets into new healthy routines and use the time spent with pets to work on reinforcing positive behaviors.
Clients may rely on pets to provide additional love, accountability, and motivation during early treatment. Experts at Bright Mission Recovery understand the health benefits of incorporating family, friends, and beloved pets into the treatment process. The care team may give clients information on resources for creating a sober lifestyle that accommodates pets and their needs.
Preparing for the Transition to Aftercare
Pets may help people prepare for the transition into aftercare by providing a sense of safety and calm. A comfortable and nurturing home environment is essential to long-term sobriety, and many pet owners prioritize a healthy living space to ensure their pet’s safety.
Some of the ways pets help people transition more smoothly into aftercare include:
- Providing a sense of routine and responsibility
- Offering a critical social connection
- Providing nonjudgmental support
- Reducing the risk of relapse
Pets can profoundly improve a person’s life and ability to overcome adversity. Bright Mission Recovery provides clients and their loved ones with information about how pet ownership may improve treatment outcomes and how to safely incorporate pet care into rehabilitation.
Pets give people joy, companionship, and fulfillment. Many individuals recovering from substance abuse benefit from having beloved pets to spend time with and gain comfort from during treatment and continuing care. The relationship between a pet and its owner is beautiful and can reduce stress or feelings of loneliness. Pets also provide purpose, motivation, and structure to people’s lives. Being responsible for a pet adds a layer of responsibility many people use to increase accountability and overcome challenging moments in treatment. Bright Mission Recovery encourages clients to practice self-care and create healthy routines that involve their pets. To learn more about our programs and services, call our office today at (747) 444-3284