Cooking Classes as an Alternative Alcohol Treatment?

Cooking Classes as an Alternative Alcohol Treatment?

If you're in the midst of your recovery from alcohol addiction (or even if you're just beginning) it can be difficult to find the right path for you. There are plenty of programs and groups but addiction recovery is a personal journey. It's different for everyone.

If you have been unimpressed by Alcoholics Anonymous, various support groups, or even clinical treatment, there might be another option for you.

Alternative alcohol treatment has become more popular over the past few years. More people are discovering that traditional treatment isn't for them. Some find that traditional treatment isn't enough.

Keep reading to learn more about why cooking classes might be a valuable alternative alcohol treatment for you or a loved one.

Why Choose an Alternative Alcohol Treatment?

There are plenty of traditional options for recovering alcoholics. They have been tried and tested over the years to be effective at curbing alcoholism and promoting healthy recovery.

There are individual and group therapies with licensed counsellors. There are medical forms of intervention that can make alcohol consumption less appealing. There are even support groups for alcohol addicts to come together. They discuss their problems and sponsor others on their quest towards sobriety.

The most popular of these is Alcoholics Anonymous. This relies on a 12-step program. It brings the alcohol addict from their current position to a place where they are sober and thriving.

Not everyone benefits from these treatments though. Some people are uncomfortable with the intimacy of personal and group therapy. Some feel as though the "higher power" aspect of Alcoholics Anonymous interferes with their personal life journies.

In this case, finding alternative alcohol treatments can be helpful. Shopping around to find the right treatment for you can be the difference between a life of happy and healthy sobriety and a constant struggle to maintain good health.

What Are the Benefits of Cooking Classes for Sobriety?

One of the best ways to curb alcohol addiction is not allowing it to have space in your mind during your downtime. As the old saying goes: "Idle hands are the devil's playthings", or in other words, when you're bored and unoccupied you may get yourself into trouble.

Cooking classes provide a valuable distraction and one that can influence you to choose better options. These cooking groups are often set up by counselling and addiction centers. They're focused around the recovery process even though you're not participating in the same kinds of programs.

Let's break the benefits down so you can see if swapping your recovery over to cooking classes makes sense for you.

Stress Relief

When stressed, addicts often return to their substances of choice. It can be harder to maintain sobriety in a stressful environment.

Cooking can be a great way to relieve stress, and cooking in a supportive environment where the only real goal is to learn can be relaxing.

In group cooking classes the only thing that you really need to focus on is your own growth and the food in front of you. There's no danger of judgment or failure and you get to learn a new skill.

Cooking is a popular hobby as it allows space for creativity and cognitive flexibility while keeping you in motion.

In cooking, there are no wrong answers, only different ones.

Learning Healthy Habits

Recovering alcoholics are used to not treating their bodies as well as they should. Addiction can make people care less about their overall health, causing them to make poor choices with food as well as alcohol.

When you take a cooking class you're going to be learning how to incorporate nutritious foods into your diet. Good health is essential for a successful recovery, and fruits and vegetables are important additions to your meals if you want that good health to last.

A Social Environment

Cooking can be solitary. For those who prefer the social aspect of recovery programs, you can also try out some teamwork or casual socializing in your cooking class.

Addiction is isolating. Many recovering alcoholics have shrunk their social network during the span of their addictions. Some addicts find that the only places to adequately socialize with other adults are bars or other triggering spaces. This further isolates the alcohol addict as they lose their venues for socialization.

Cooking classes give you a safe place to socialize (either with friends or with other alcoholics) in a space that doesn't include alcohol.

Independence and Confidence

Recovering alcoholics may struggle with independence. Depending on the way that they responded to their addiction, they may not be in the habit of making their own healthy foods. They may instead choose fast food options.

Being in alcohol recovery programs can also make recovering alcoholics feel dependent. They rely on their counselors and groups.

Learning something new and applying it can foster that independence that is so sorely needed by the recovering addict. Making something with your own hands can instil a sense of pride that may have been previously taken away.

This can turn into healthy self-esteem and confidence that will make the recovering addict stronger and more capable of self-control.

Life Skills

The best thing about a cooking class is that it teaches you something new. Cooking is an essential life skill, and learning life skills may be the key to helping you avoid relapse in the future.

Relapse is considered a part of recovery, and there's nothing shameful about it, but avoiding that relapse through healthy mental stimulation and skill-building can make the path of recovery easier. Having a skill set that can keep you on your feet and independent will curb the urge to drink.

Ready to get started?

While traditional methods of recovery are helpful for many recovering alcoholics, some may want alternative alcohol treatment as a supplement. Cooking classes may be the right choice for a recovering addict that thrives in a social environment and finds satisfaction from learning new skills.

Learn healthy habits and a sense of pride while on your recovery journey and make a few delicious meals along the way.

For more information on how to succeed on your recovery journey, visit our site and grab your place on today's free quit drinking webinar.