Pet owners know that they provide various benefits to their pet parents. From decreasing loneliness, increased camaraderie, a sense of purpose, and emotional support, and in some studies, pets have shown the ability to aid in treatment and recovery for addicts.
Over 21 million Americans suffer from some form of addiction, with only 11% of those affected seeking the treatment they need. Unfortunately, that means that over 18 million people suffer from some type of addiction and don’t have the necessary treatment or therapy to help them.
And often, once treated, people with addiction struggle with relapse and prevention strategies to prevent another episode.
Benefits Of Pet Ownership
Pet ownership has various benefits, especially the benefits of dog ownership, including improved mental health and well-being. Between providing emotional support and helping establish a routine for owners as they go through rehabilitation.
By creating a relationship with your pet through all the stages of your recovery, people in treatment for addiction have a better foundation to avoid the triggers of addiction and to develop healthier activities to prevent relapse.
That said, pets provide additional benefits for people in treatment and recovery.
Pets Reduce Stress
Pets become excited when you enter a room or return home, and experiencing that joy helps alleviate negative moods and feelings. In addition, their unfiltered love and joy help the body and brain release powerful neurochemicals that regulate moods.
Pets Establish Routines
Avoiding downtime and boredom can be a struggle for people in recovery. Pets help create daily routines, establishing discipline and regular habits that help you stick to a schedule, helping alleviate cravings that originate from boredom.
Pets Provide Emotional Comfort
There’s a reason people bond with pets. Animals can create emotional connections with people and provide emotional support as a result. People become so connected with their pets that they are referred to as a “dog mom” or “cat dad.”
Creating emotional comfort with their pets and owners helps pet owners with their emotional disturbances that may or may not contribute to triggers that lead to addiction in the first place.
Pets Teach Responsibility
One of the most significant aspects of recovery is to take responsibility for the actions and cravings of addiction.
Pet ownership teaches owners responsibility due to their dependence on the owner to care for them. By requiring owners to provide, feed, exercise, and care for them, they teach people in recovery the need for responsible decision-making and actions.
Pets Create Positive Social Contact
Whether through conversation topics or interactions at dog parks, pets create positive social interactions that help people in recovery to build a community centered away from the social triggers associated with their addiction.
Creating a wider social net through pets and their social interaction helps people in recovery develop new relationships and a new community that avoids the triggers that tempt the addict.
Pets Can Be A Source Of Exercise
Pets can be a source of exercise, providing various benefits, from improving overall fitness to aiding in sleep and elevating moods. Whether playing with your pets or taking your pet for a walk or run, pet owners are more fit than non-dog owners, especially dog owners.
Enhancing your rapport with your pet through exercise is another way that benefits you and your pet as you go through treatment. The stronger the bond between you and your pet, the greater your emotional commitment toward your pet, increasing the emotional support your pet will provide you through recovery.
Pets Can Help Build Self-Esteem
By creating routines and being dependent on their owners, pets can develop a sense of self-worth and accomplishment that help build self-esteem in people struggling with addiction and recovery.
With the benefits of pet ownership in recovery, finding a pet-friendly rehab center that allows you to bring your pet into your therapy and meetings helps establish a foundation for your care.
What’s more, by including your pet in your recovery process, you’re reducing any unnecessary concerns associated with leaving your pet for treatment.
The benefit of pet friendly rehab also eliminates the high costs associated with pet boarding and care during your therapy and healing, helping minimize some of the concerns related to seeking treatment.
Finally, the benefit of including your pet in your rehab and treatment is that you are creating an emotional support animal that will continue to aid your recovery long after you leave treatment.
By establishing routines and responsibility to care for your pet, as well as providing opportunities for exercise and other healthy activities, your pet is an excellent asset for a person in recovery.
