The Beauty of Recovering on the Treasure Coast

The Treasure Coast is one of the most beautiful places to enter addiction recovery. (Amethyst Recovery)

Amethyst Recovery offers a fair number of amenities in addition to the many benefits of our programs themselves. But there is one aspect of treatment at Amethyst that some prospective patients may at first overlook: our location. It may seem as if this is a secondary or even tertiary concern, and this is true in many ways. The most important aspect of addiction treatment is obviously the quality of care. That said, location does play a fairly prominent role in a patient’s recovery journey, and there are a great many things to be said for recovering on the Treasure Coast.

Our facility is located in Port St. Lucie, just minutes away from the ocean. This exposes our patients to the full beauty of the Treasure Coast, not to mention the thoroughly enjoyable atmosphere. Addiction recovery is a difficult time, especially for those who suffer from major withdrawal symptoms during the detoxification process. By putting our patients in a comfortable and soothing environment, we make this part of the recovery process a little bit easier for them. There are other benefits to the Treasure Coast environment as well, which we intend to discuss in further detail below.

Among our other points of discussion will be the benefits of extended care. Those who seek treatment at Amethyst Recovery will reap the benefits of a coastal environment, but the full beauty of the Treasure Coast can be experienced in its full glory when residing at one of our sober living facilities. We’ve discussed the benefits of extended care in the past, but our focus of discussion here will specifically pertain to sober living in Port St. Lucie. First, however, we’d like to provide you with a few facts about the Treasure Coast so that our prospective patients will know what to expect while they are here.

Some Background on the Treasure Coast

Many gorgeous aquatic features adorn the Treasure Coast. (Amethyst Recovery)

The Treasure Coast borders the Atlantic Ocean, but it also contains numerous smaller bodies of water such as rivers and lagoons. These smaller bodies are surrounded by gorgeous terrain. Moving further inland, the land is adorned with flatlands containing thick growths of palmettos and pine trees. On the other side are sandbars along with the occasional barrier islands. These help to keep the lagoons and other bodies somewhat isolated from the Atlantic.

Moving further inland, even more rivers and lakes dot the land around the Treasure Coast. Both the Indian River Lagoon system and the Intracoastal Waterway flow through the region, although only about 1.5% of Port St. Lucie in particular is comprised of water. Nonetheless, the prominence of water-based features in the surrounding area has given the Treasure Coast a reasonable humid climate. It is generally classified as subtropical, not reaching the levels of heat required to qualify as a truly tropical climate. As a result of this climate, the Treasure Coast is generally sunny and warm year-round.

Warm, but not too hot. The record high for summer in Port St. Lucie is only around 101°F, with typical summer weather not reaching far above the low 90s. The average high for the rest of the year tends to range from the mid-70s to low 80s, with average lows ranging between the low 50s and low 70s. It has occasionally reached the low 20s in the winter, but this has only been during record seasons. Rain also tends to be on the milder side, with the uncommon exception of torrential downpours during hurricane season. For the most part, Port St. Lucie doesn’t get too much more than 50 inches of rain per year, with the bulk of that occurring during the summer when some residents may feel a need to cool off.

You may wonder why we’re talking so much about the climate and geography of the Treasure Coast. After all, it doesn’t seem like the sort of thing that would play a major role in addiction recovery. But alas, one’s environment most certainly has an impact on their recovery. In the following section, we will outline some of the psychological benefits of seeking treatment in a climate such as that which is offered by the Treasure Coast, along with some of the specific treatment tools that we are able to utilize by treating patients in this region.

The Benefits of a Coastal Environment

Our warm yet mild climate is excellent for outside adventures such as equine therapy. (Amethyst Recovery)

We’ll actually address the specific benefits our programs are able to offer first, as they tie into the overall benefits of recovering on the Treasure Coast. Due to our environment, we are able to take our patients on weekend outings that include horse therapy, zip lining, and many water-based activities such as deep sea fishing and kayaking. If not for the benefits of our terrain and our warm climate, we would not be able to offer these experiences, which we feel build a sense of camaraderie between our patients while also showing them just how much fun sobriety can be.

Now, we’ve discussed the specific benefits of equine therapy before, but we would now like to talk about some of those water-based activities. Since the Treasure Coast contains many water-based features, these types of outings are easy to schedule. And as it turns out, they are incredibly therapeutic. Try to remember the last time you went to the beach on a sunny day and saw the shores filled with unhappy people. You probably can’t, and with good reason. According to Psychology Today, people are likely to measure their own subjective happiness as being greater when they are in coastal or marine settings. And while aquatic settings may cause greater happiness in the eyes of the patient, being surrounded by nature in general has a tendency to trigger parts of the brain that relate to positive emotion, self-awareness and empathy.

The climate of the Treasure Coast may also be a relevant factor. Studies have shown that higher temperatures can lift the spirits of those who suffer from depression, while a lack of sun can have a negative effect on those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder. Extreme heat and rain, however, can cause aggression. Fortunately for us, as noted above, the Treasure Coast is not frequently subjected to heavy rain or triple-digit temperatures. A person does have some control over whether or not they allow the weather to get to them, but those in early recovery will not have to deal with this struggle when seeking treatment at Amethyst.

We have stated in the past that there is no geographical cure for addiction or alcoholism. And we stand by this. The disease is the same no matter where you go. But when first entering recovery, it can be good to be somewhat separated from the larger world and its many temptations. It’s difficult to be too close to home, where we have built many bad habits into our routine. Amethyst Recovery is a safe place to deprogram these habits out of your routine while enjoying the climate and scenery of the Treasure Coast. And once the initial treatment phase has concluded, you may actually want to extend your care.

Sober Living: Extended Care in Port St. Lucie

Our facilities will give you the full Treasure Coast experience. (Amethyst Recovery)

There are many benefits to seeking extended care in our sober living facilities. When a patient has completed treatment, they will have developed many vital tools to help them maintain their recovery. But for the most part, they have not had much opportunity to put these tools into action while testing their ability to cope with the many possible triggers lurking around every corner. By completing a full continuum of care, they can take this step while still relying on benefits such as our patient monitoring program.

More than the benefits of extended care itself, those who seek temporary residence in our sober living facilities will also reap the benefits of the Treasure Coast as outlined above. But at this point, they will encounter more than just the psychological benefits of climate and surrounding geography. They will also get to experience the benefits of living in an area such as that of Port St. Lucie.

Part of sober living is the ability to create a new routine for oneself, as well as the drive to learn new life skills that may have fallen by the wayside while in active addiction. Our sober living facilities on the Treasure Coast are located within close proximity of many eateries, banks, places of religious worship, and other establishments that may factor into daily life. While staying at our facilities, residents will still have everything they need to establish a routine based upon both sobriety and self-sufficiency. Many of these establishments may also act as outlets where residents may learn to socialize with those who are not in recovery. In short, the Treasure Coast is a place where people can put aside their tendencies toward isolation and learn to lead more social and fulfilling lives.

The Treasure Coast offers many treatment opportunities that may not have been available to Amethyst in other locations. To reap the benefits of our location, contact us today for more information on treatment and extended care. Once you have enjoyed the benefit of sobriety in such a beautiful setting, it will be difficult to imagine returning to a life of addiction.