One of the major appeals of using illicit substances is the high that people get from them. It’s that high that those who suffer from addiction are constantly chasing. For someone in recovery, trying to recreate that high without turning to drugs can be difficult. It’s unfortunately what leads so many people to relapse. The good news is that there are ways that you can achieve the same high you might have gotten while using those illicit substances naturally, without needing to turn to drugs or alcohol to achieve it. Here, we will teach you how to get a natural high.
What Exactly Is A High?
In order to understand how to get a natural high, it’s important to first understand the science behind getting high. When people “get high” their bodies and brains are experiencing euphoric feelings because of the drugs that they took.
People that get high often forget about all their troubles for a period of time and feel relaxed and stress-free. Depending on the drugs that people take, individuals getting high can feel very calm and relaxed or feel revved up and like they can take on the world. While experiencing such feelings might seem enjoyable and fun in the short term, in the long term they cause people to become dependent on substances and even addicted to them.
How Do Drugs Produce Euphoric Feelings and Sensations?
Drugs usually produce euphoric feelings and sensations because of the way that they interact with the brain. Such drugs attach themselves to the neurons of the brain, changing the way the neurons behave and act. This includes how the neurons send and receive information as well as how they exchange signals with the neurotransmitters.
With drugs that are particularly addictive, such as opioids, the brain actually overactivates. This causes the brain to fail to receive the proper message signals. Such a failure in message signaling causes the brain to experience a euphoric rush.
Over time, the brain will become so reliant on these drugs to feel any sort of pleasure though that it becomes difficult to reproduce those feelings without the use of the substances. Before one knows it, an individual has become dependent on drugs to feel happy. Dependency will then likely turn into addiction.
What’s A Natural High?
A natural high is exactly what it sounds like. A natural high allows you to achieve all the feelings and sensations that you would feel when taking drugs but without all the negatives such as addiction, overdose, or any of the health risks associated with drug abuse. By achieving a natural high, you can obtain those feelings and sensations on-demand in a healthy manner without any of the risks involved in taking illicit substances.
The best way to achieve a natural high is to perform an activity that will increase the amount of dopamine that goes to the brain. After all, when using drugs to get high, they produce an increase of dopamine in the brain.
What’s the Difference Between a Natural High and a Drug-Induced High?
Depending on the substance used to achieve the high, there might not be a direct comparison between the two highs. That being said, there are some significant differences that are worth noting when it comes to a natural high vs a drug-induced high.
Below are some of the key differences between the two types of highs.
Clarity and Functionality
One of the side-effects of a drug-induced high is the limited brain functionality while you are high on drugs. Similar to with alcohol, when you are high on drugs, your cognitive functions tend to suffer. Therefore, you may feel slow and lethargic or have trouble remembering things that happened while you were high.
When you achieve a natural high though, you still achieve the same euphoric sensations and feelings, however you are fully cognizant of what is going on and you can remember everything. Plus, your cognitive functionality remains sharp, allowing you to go about your life and do everything that you need to do.
Health Problems
Drugs of abuse that people use to get high, such as opioids, come with them very significant side effects that can result in major health problems, an overdose, or even death. In addition to the possibility of an overdose and death, abusing drugs can result in other long-lasting mental and physical health issues that can be debilitating.
One issue in particular that can arise is something called anhedonia. Anhedonia is a condition in which you are no longer able to feel joy. This is caused by the short-circuiting of the brain as a result of repeated drug use.
How Can I Achieve A Natural High?
There are many things that you can do in your daily life to achieve a natural high. Most of them don’t even require you to go out of your way to do so. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular, and easiest ways to get high the natural way.
Meditation
Meditation might be the easiest and least intrusive way to achieve a natural high during the day. Mediating can be done anywhere. You can do it at a red light, at your desk, or anywhere that allows you to take some time to close your eyes and focus on your breathing.
The whole point of meditation is to slow the body and mind down, which can release endorphins into the brain. This allows you to get that natural high feeling and make you feel better.
Meditation is especially beneficial during times of high stress or anxiety. This is because you don’t have to do much and it doesn’t take a lot of time out of your day. Additionally, you don’t have to drive anywhere or go to a special place in order to do it.
Laughing
You might be thinking, “how can laughing get me high?” Well, when you laugh, it triggers your brain’s feel-good hormones and releases them throughout the body. Laughing can make you feel better almost instantly. In fact, the results are quicker than they would be with drugs or alcohol.
Exercise
While exercising might not seem like the most fun thing in the world to do, it has many benefits. Not only does it help from an overall health and well-being perspective, but it is also one of the most effective ways to increase the feel-good hormones in the body and achieve a natural high. The two best types of exercise you can do in order to achieve a natural high are cardiovascular and aerobic workouts. These can include:
- Swimming
- Walking
- Running
- Yoga
- Boxing
- Biking
Thrilling Activities
For the adrenaline junkies out there, doing thrilling activities to get the heart pumping can produce a euphoria rivaled by even the strongest of drugs. Things like skydiving, bungee jumping, skydiving, or anything else that produces large amounts of adrenaline can help produce a natural high that can last for a long time. It is worth noting though that with these types of activities comes the added risk of injury or death.
Neurofeedback
When it comes to ways to achieve a natural high, neurofeedback is one of the newer methods. Neurofeedback works to help calm overactive brainwaves and triggers the release of endorphins. It can help those who suffer from high stress and anxiety to help calm down the brain so that they can better focus and go about their daily lives. In addition to those suffering from anxiety, stress, and depression, neurofeedback has also been proven to be effective for those suffering from trauma such as PTSD.
Intimacy
Being intimate with a loved one can produce a similar high to that of drugs. Touching and intimacy in a positive manner can release endorphins into the brain and help reduce stress and anxiety.
Want To Know More About How To Get a Natural High Without Drugs?
While there are some great ways out there to achieve a natural high, none of that can be effectively achieved without first getting clean and sober. Going to a treatment center for substance addiction can not only help you get clean and sober, but it can also help teach you valuable ways in which you can achieve getting naturally high instead of turning to drugs or alcohol.
If you or someone you know is suffering from substance abuse or addiction, it’s important to get help right away. Contact us here at Harmony Ridge Recovery Center today to learn more about our treatment options and how you can use them to one day live a happy, healthy, sober, and a natural high life.
