What Are The Benefits of Adventure Therapy?

There are many forms of holistic treatment that are becoming increasingly popular among substance use disorder treatment programs. Among them is adventure therapy, a type of treatment that involves participation in outdoor activities, those that are designed to promote better socialization within the group, personal self-esteem, skill building, healthy communication and problem solving.

Adventure therapy improves mental health by reducing depression or anxiety symptoms, sometimes brought about by the act of being in nature and other times brought about by the activities in which individuals are engaged.

Similarly, programs that incorporate adventure therapy lead to improved physical health and social skills among the participants and better emotional resilience.

What are the Benefits of Adventure Therapy? Evidence-Based Findings

A lot of research has focused on the benefits of adventure therapy in overcoming substance abuse and mental health disorders. Research has focused on different demographics and different types of adventure therapy programs.

Short-Term Adventure Therapy

One pilot study researched the efficacy of a short-term adventure therapy program for those struggling with substance abuse. It looked at the impact of adventure therapy on self-esteem and self-efficacy in particular.

This program was utilized by mental health clinics who took individuals on a 5-day adventure therapy Program. The results indicated a statistically significant increase in self-esteem and self-efficacy proving that adventure therapy works as a complementary tool for addiction recovery and addiction counseling.

What are the Benefits of Adventure Therapy? Adventure therapy can benefit people by improving self-esteem and self-efficacy.

Adventure Therapy for Young Men

Other work focused on the use of adventure therapy in natural settings for young men dealing with substance abuse. This program was run by mental health professionals who offered a range of activities outdoors and allowed the clients within the group to pick and choose from those activities rather than forcing them to engage in one activity.

The findings from the feedback before and after the experience concluded that the young men had a positive experience and enjoyed the adventure activities much more than the prescribed traditional therapies.

What are the Benefits of Adventure Therapy? Adventure therapy can be particularly efficacious among young males struggling with substance abuse compared to traditional talk therapy in isolation, so a combination of talk therapy and wide-ranging adventure therapy activities can offer significant improvements.

Adventure Therapy as Part of Substance Abuse Care

More research looked specifically to stop the rate of overdose deaths, particularly from people who had already completed a substance abuse treatment program.

This work focused on the impact of adventure therapy as an addition to regular treatment for adults diagnosed with a substance use disorder. During the adventure therapy, participants engaged in bonding experiences with their peers, showed increased self-control, learned anxiety management strategies, and practiced mindfulness.

What are the Benefits of Adventure Therapy? Positive experiences in adventure therapy encourage people to continue with outdoor activities which has been shown to reduce the risk of relapse, and has a positive impact on treatment success.

A woman participates in adventure therapy. — Side view of happy tourist enjoying green forest woods and trees opening arms and outstretching with smile expression and serene wellbeing. Healthy nature lifestyle people outdoors leisure adventure

Camping Adventure Therapy

A therapeutic camping program took men and women on a 3-day camping trip while they were currently participating in a residential substance abuse program. The results were compared to another group of men and women who did not participate in the adventure therapy camping program but were part of the inpatient substance abuse program.

The results indicated significant improvement in the frequency of negative thoughts and cravings. A 10-month follow-up found that the relapse rate for those who participated in the camping adventure therapy program was only 31% compared to 58% for the group who did not participate.

What are the Benefits of Adventure Therapy? Participation in adventure therapy can reduce the risk of relapse up to 10 months after completing treatment, reduce the frequency of negative thoughts, and reduce alcohol cravings.

Sailing Adventure Therapy for Veterans

One Sailing Adventure Therapy study looked at the application of a sailing adventure therapy program for veterans with substance use disorders. The research focused on Veterans who were participating in a residential substance use disorder treatment program. It monitored not only the immediate effects of the sailing adventure program but also the rates of readmissions within 12 months, something that would indicate the relapse rate.

What are the Benefits of Adventure Therapy? This research found that sailing adventure therapy was able to enhance treatment response to substance use disorder treatment and increase psychological flexibility among veterans.

Finding Adventure Therapy with East Coast Recovery

At East Coast Recovery Center, we pride ourselves on integrating Boston’s beautiful landscape into weekly adventure therapy programs, giving our clients an opportunity to explore their emotions and practice mindfulness while participating in indoor and outdoor activities.

Whether participating in our Day Treatment programs or Partial Day programs, getting help for alcohol addiction, drug addiction, or dual diagnosis situations, you can reap the benefits of adventure therapy today.