Unsurprisingly there are a lot of benefits from relaxation during alcohol and drug detox. “The adrenal hormones, glucocorticoids, which increase the sensitivity of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurones to drugs, seem to be one of the biological substrates of the effects of stress on the propensity to develop drug intake (Piazza and Moal, 1998)”. “The cyclical nature of chronic drug use, involving periods of drug abstinence and subsequent relapse, highlights the presence of this disease throughout the lifetime of an individual” (Hyman , Malenka -2001).
In terms of economic and health care costs, drug abuse is among the top three health problems. “The stress response is mediated by a highly complex, integrated network that involves the central nervous system, the adrenal system, the immune system, and the cardiovascular system. Stress activates adaptive responses. It releases the neurotransmitter norephinephrine, which is involved with memory. This may be why people remember stressful events more clearly than they do non-stressful situations. Stress also increases the production of a hormone in the body known as corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). CRF is found throughout the brain and initiates our biological response to stressors. During all negative experiences, certain regions of the brain show increased levels of CRF. Interestingly, almost all drugs of abuse have also been found to increase a CRF level, which suggests a neurobiological connection between stress and drug abuse” (Hanson-2009).
All this jargon means that when you are stressed out your mind craves something to help relax you. For some people this can take the form of getting more sleep or finding time to exercise, and sometimes this thing can take the form of drugs and alcohol. So finding a residential treatment center in California that chooses relaxation as one of the key components of rehabilitation is essential. Through this period, one can learn how to incorporate time for the self in their future sober living.