Meditation for addiction recovery: a guide to staying in control
Discover how meditation can support addiction recovery.
Meditation is a powerful tool for people navigating addiction recovery. While it’s not a replacement for professional treatment, many people find that regular meditation helps them manage cravings, reduce stress and build emotional resilience during their recovery journey.
Whether you’re at the start of your recovery or looking for extra support along the way, incorporating meditation into your day-to-day life can offer both short-term relief and long-term benefits. It’s a simple, accessible practice that can fit around your needs – whether that’s a few minutes of quiet breathing in the morning or a guided meditation before bed.
Types of meditation for addiction recovery
There are many different ways to meditate, and the best type is often the one that feels most comfortable and accessible to you.
Here are some simple approaches that can help you stay grounded, manage cravings and build emotional resilience throughout your recovery.
Mindfulness meditation
This involves sitting quietly and focusing on the present moment. The aim is to notice your thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations without judgement – simply observing what you’re thinking and how you feel.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Step 1: Find a quiet space where you feel comfortable. Sit or lie down and close your eyes
- Step 2: Bring your attention to your breath, noticing its natural rhythm
- Step 3: If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your breathing
- Step 4: Without engaging or judging, simply observe how your body feels and what thoughts are passing through your mind
- Step 5: Try this for 2 to 5 minutes to begin with, and gradually build up over time
Guided meditation
Guided meditation involves listening to someone else, either in person, on a recording or through a video, as they lead you through a relaxing scenario or focus.
These meditations often include calming visualisations, breathing techniques or gentle prompts to help you stay grounded and present. They can be particularly helpful for bringing your attention back to the current moment when cravings or difficult emotions arise.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Step 1: Choose a guided meditation that suits your needs. This could be a video, podcast or app focused on relaxation, grounding or controlling cravings, or helping you work through difficult emotions like anxiety, low mood or frustration, which often arise during addiction recovery
- Step 2: Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit or lie down. Use headphones if it helps you feel more immersed
- Step 3: Start the meditation, close your eyes and allow yourself to be guided through the practice
- Step 4: Follow any prompts – you may be asked to visualise a calming scene, focus on your breath or repeat affirmations
- Step 5: When the meditation ends, take a few moments to reflect on your thoughts and feelings before returning to your day
Breathing meditation
Breathing meditation is a simple yet effective way to calm the mind and body.A study published by Scientific Reports showed that by focusing on slow, steady breaths, you can regulate your nervous system, reduce stress and manage cravings or anxiety as they arise.
It’s a grounding practice that can be done almost anywhere, making it a helpful tool to return to throughout the day.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Step 1: Sit or lie down somewhere you feel comfortable, and close your eyes
- Step 2: Take a deep breath in through your nose and count for 4 seconds
- Step 3: Hold your breath for a moment (around 4 seconds, or whatever feels natural)
- Step 4: Continue this breathing pattern for 2 to 5 minutes, gently returning your focus to the breath if your mind wanders
Moving meditation
Moving meditation combines gentle movement with mindfulness, helping you focus on the present while promoting relaxation and body awareness.
Practices like yoga, tai chi, or even mindful walking can be used to increase physical and mental balance. This can be especially helpful for releasing any built-up tension or feelings of restlessness that may arise during recovery.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Step 1: Choose a movement practice that feels comfortable for you, such as yoga, stretching or walking
- Step 2: Find a quiet space where you can move freely, whether that’s indoors or outdoors
- Step 3: Start by taking a few deep breaths to centre yourself
- Step 4: As you move, stay present with each motion, paying attention to how your body feels and what thoughts arise
- Step 5: If you can, move for 5 to 10 minutes, focusing on the rhythm of your movements and breath
Benefits of meditation in recovery
Meditation offers a variety of benefits that can significantly support people in addiction recovery.
As well as finding calm, it’s about developing skills to cope with the challenges of recovery in a healthy, mindful way.
Stress reduction
Meditation has been proven to lower the stress hormone, cortisol, and reduce overall anxiety levels. Regular meditation can trigger a relaxation response, helping people manage stress without turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms.
A study in the JAMA Psychiatry journal showed that mindfulness meditation can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress, helping people feel more grounded and centred during recovery.
Improved emotional regulation
One key challenge in addiction recovery is managing intense emotions and triggers. Meditation, particularly mindfulness-based practices, helps increase self-awareness, self-compassion and emotional regulation.
By creating space for stillness and reflection, meditation can help people become more aware of their thoughts and feelings, without becoming overwhelmed by them. Over time, this increased self-awareness can lead to improved emotional regulation, building greater emotional balance and resilience that are crucial for recovery.
By regularly tuning in to your feelings during meditation, you’ll be able to recognise future triggers early, managing them without turning to substances or unhelpful behaviours for relief.
Managing cravings
When you practise mindfulness, you learn to observe your thoughts and feelings without assigning any meaning to them, or acting on them. This awareness gives you the ability to recognise a craving when it arises, but without the need to give into it.
Research from Psychology of Addictive Behaviours showed that mindfulness techniques can help reduce cravings and the urge to use substances or engage in unhealthy behaviours, giving people in recovery more control over their journey.
Accessing guided meditation resources
If you’re new to meditation or looking for some extra support, there are plenty of accessible resources to help you get started – many of which are tailored for people in recovery.
Priory’s free guided meditations are a great place to begin. You’ll find calming, easy-to-follow videos designed to help with relaxation, grounding and emotional balance.
There are also a number of other free and low-cost tools available that focus specifically on addiction recovery:
- Calm – one of the most popular wellbeing apps, Calm offers guided meditations focused on stress reduction, emotional balance and sleep
- Headspace – known for its accessible approach to mindfulness, Headspace includes meditations to help manage cravings, improve sleep and reduce stress – all important aspects of recovery
- Boho Beautiful Meditation podcast – presented on Spotify and YouTube, this offers a variety of calming, easy-to-follow guided meditations, including sessions focused on healing and emotional release
Whether it’s through an app, podcast or video, guided meditation offers an easy and practical way to create space for calm and manage difficult moments.
Integrating meditation into daily life
Starting a meditation practice doesn’t mean overhauling your existing routine or committing to long sessions every day. It’s all about finding small, realistic ways to bring moments of calm into your day, and making those moments work for you.
Here are some simple tips to help you build a regular meditation practice that supports your recovery journey:
- Start small – begin with just a few minutes each day. Even 2 to 5 minutes of focused breathing can make a difference. As it becomes more familiar, you can gradually increase the time, if it feels right
- Pick a regular time – a great way to form a habit is to choose a consistent time, such as first thing in the morning or before bed. This can help make meditation part of your daily rhythm
- Use reminders – set an alarm, use an app reminder, or link meditation to another daily habit (like brushing your teeth) so it becomes part of your natural routine
- Mix it up to find what’s right for you – if seated meditation isn’t working one day, try a walking meditation or a body scan instead. Keep exploring what feels good for you, as different practices may work better on different days and when you’re in different moods
- Be flexible and kind to yourself – some days may feel easier than others, and that’s OK. The key to meditation is consistency, not perfection
Remember that building a new habit takes time, especially during recovery. But by introducing meditation in a way that suits your lifestyle, it can become a supportive and grounding part of your healing journey.
FAQs
Is meditation a replacement for addiction treatment?
No, meditation isn’t a replacement for addiction treatment. It’s a complementary tool but doesn’t substitute professional support. It can work alongside therapy, medication and support groups to help strengthen your recovery.
Can I meditate anywhere, or do I need special equipment?
You don’t need anything special to start meditating. Whether you’re sitting, lying down or gently moving, you can practise wherever you feel comfortable. This may be at home, outdoors or even on your lunch break. Some people find headphones or a quiet space helpful, but they aren’t essential.
Is it normal to struggle with meditation at first?
Yes – some people find it difficult to focus when they first start meditating. However, it becomes easier over time, with practice.
Do I have to clear my mind completely to meditate properly?
No – meditation isn’t about having no thoughts at all. It’s about noticing your thoughts without getting caught up in them.
Can meditation help with feelings of guilt, shame or low self-esteem in recovery?
Yes – meditation can support emotional healing by helping you observe negative thoughts without judgement and build a kinder, more compassionate relationship with yourself.