the Red Oak Recovery<sup>®</sup> wordmark in color

Adventure Therapy Program

At Red Oak Recovery®, we offer experiential and adventure therapy in Asheville, NC, that provides visceral opportunities for our clients to integrate the intellectual and emotional aspects of the therapeutic process with active learning.

a young man hikes a trail in an adventure therapy programWhen most people think of addiction treatment, they imagine sitting in a room talking to a therapist or in a circle with a group of people. While talk therapy is an integral part of treatment at Red Oak Recovery®, it is by no means the only part of our addiction therapy treatment. We also provide a range of adventure therapy options as part of our unique experiential therapy program.

At Red Oak Recovery®, we’re committed to providing the best possible treatment for the men in our programs. With a range of holistic experiential therapy options, including adventure therapy, we give our residents the tools they need to recover from substance abuse.

Don’t let your substance use disorder prevent you from achieving your goals and dreams. Contact Red Oak Recovery® today at 828.382.9699 to learn how our adventure therapy program for addiction treatment and other young men’s therapy programs can support your recovery.

Why Does Red Oak Recovery® Provide Adventure Therapy?

Experiences are conduits of transformation. They offer openings for personal exploration, empowerment, and growth, both internally and externally, leading to a more profound sense of self and how we can positively interconnect with each other and our environment. At Red Oak Recovery®, we offer experiential and adventure therapy in Asheville, NC, that provides visceral opportunities for our clients to integrate the intellectual and emotional aspects of the therapeutic process with active learning.

The value of this type of therapy is that it allows our clients to engage with their innate resilience, ability, and resourcefulness, which are often challenged or lost in substance use. By tapping into these experiences, our clients begin re-engaging with and strengthening these inner aspects. Simultaneously, they’re experiencing the joys of a sensory-rich, expansive, healthy life.

The variety of experiences we offer through our adventure therapy program ranges significantly, and we often tailor the treatment options to clients’ interests and needs. In addition to our regular Gestalt therapy groups each week, our community members are offered opportunities to engage with experiences such as:

  • Mixed martial arts
  • Yoga and mindfulness
  • Acupuncture
  • Life skills classes
  • Music therapy
  • Expressive arts
  • Gardening and horticulture
  • Volunteering and service work
an infographic that reads: "HOW EFFECTIVE IS ADVENTURE THERAPY? IN A RECENT STUDY ON THE EFFICACY OF ADVENTURE THERAPY OCCURRING IN AUSTRALIA, RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT THERE WAS A 13% OVERALL IMPROVEMENT. THE RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT ABOUT 60% OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED IMPROVEMENT IN RESILIENCE, BEHAVIORAL AND EMOTIONAL FUNCTIONING, SELF-ESTEEM, AND FAMILY FUNCTIONING. IN ADDITION, THEIR SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND PRONENESS TO SUICIDE ALSO LESSENED. WHEN THE RESEARCHERS FOLLOWED UP A SHORT TIME LATER, THE RESULTS INDICATED A 3% LOSS, INDICATING AN OVERALL IMPROVEMENT IN THE RETENTION OF THEIR SHORT TERM GOALS. MOST BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SPECIALISTS RESERVE THE USE OF ADVENTURE THERAPY FOR TEENS AND ADOLESCENTS. HOWEVER, AT RED OAK RECOVERY, WE BELIEVE THIS TREATMENT CAN BE EFFECTIVE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES IN RECOVERY. IF YOU'RE READY TO USE ADVENTURE THERAPY TO MANAGE YOUR TRAUMA, MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS, OR SUBSTANCE USE, PLEASE CONTACT RED OAK RECOVERY TODAY AT 866.457.759. RED OAK RECOVERY SOURCE: SCIENCEDIRECT.COM/SCIENCE/ARTICLE/PII/S0149718915300094"

Outdoor Adventure Therapy

We also offer a range of outdoor adventure therapy approaches, all set in some of the most beautiful places in Western North Carolina. The mountains, trees, waters, and rocks are great teachers during such trips. They invite clients to delve deeper into their humility, focus, awareness, and endurance. We also offer a culminating (capstone) experience involving four days of solo camping for our clients who are ready and choose to take it on. Within this long silence and deep introspection, our clients experience a unique journey, solidifying goals and leading to new profound insights and understandings.

Some of the adventure therapy experiences we offer at Red Oak Recovery® include:

  • Day hiking
  • Canoeing
  • Fly-fishing
  • Rock climbing
  • Ziplining
  • Whitewater rafting
  • Ropes courses
  • Solo camping experience
Our entire Red Oak Recovery® team is rooted in the teachings of experiences like those we offer. We are passionate about our clients’ engagement with this exciting and endlessly dynamic path toward recovery. The potential benefits of the experiential therapy program at Red Oak Recovery® are limitless.
infographic that reads "the effect of adventure therapy on stress levels during a recent study on the effect of adventure therapy on stress and coping skills researchers found that the average stress level before treatment was about 24.5 on a scale of 0-40 after treatment the average stress level of participants was 11 indicating a reduction by over 13 points participants reported using a variety of coping strategies including hiking listening to cheerful music gardening and expressing gratitude one of the leasing factors in substance use disorders is stress levels people may turn to drugs of alcohol to help them manage their stress or if they feel overwhelmed by the pressures of the world through adventure therapy the team at red oak recovery teaches our clients how to manage their stress in healthier ways this treatment allows them to develop coping skills they can use outside of treatment source: https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1052&context=socwork_facpub"

Can Adventure Therapy Assist in Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

We recognize that drug and alcohol addictions often find their roots in mental health concerns or traumatic experiences. Research suggests that among adults over the age of 18, nearly 9.5 million Americans had both a substance use disorder and a mental health condition in 2019. Because of the holistic nature of our treatment programs, we take the time to address both conditions during the time our clients spend at our center.

Fortunately, adventure therapy is an excellent treatment option for both mental health concerns and addiction. For instance, some research suggests that those suffering from depression see a significant reduction in their symptoms through adventure therapy. Additionally, sunshine and fresh air can lessen a person’s anxiety, giving relief from conditions such as PTSD and anxiety.

At Red Oak Recovery®, we offer support for a range of co-occurring conditions, including:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Disordered eating
  • Bipolar disorder
  • PTSD

If you have any questions regarding the efficacy of adventure therapy in treating co-occurring disorders, please reach out to Red Oak Recovery® today at 828.382.9699. We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.

What Other Therapies Are Available?

We’ll assess the client’s needs during the initial intake process. Then, our master’s-level clinicians will develop a treatment plan that we’ll tailor to the challenges that they’re facing. Every client at Red Oak Recovery® has access to holistic and evidence-based treatment options.

Holistic Therapy Options

Holistic treatments are therapeutic options that address addiction’s impact on an individual’s mental, physical, and spiritual health. Addiction affects every aspect of our client’s lives, so it’s essential to provide healing to each facet. Holistic treatments address this damage, offering the best possible chance for long-term recovery.

Adventure therapy is one holistic treatment option we provide. However, we also offer treatment options such as nutritional, experiential, and wilderness therapy. We are one of the few treatment centers in North Carolina that can provide these effective therapeutic options.

Evidence-Based Therapy Options

Evidence-based treatment options are at the heart of what we do at Red Oak Recovery®. Experts in substance use disorder treatment have studied these treatments extensively, and they have proof that these treatments are effective. Utilizing these treatments allows our residents to have the tools they need to stay sober outside of our men’s treatment center. We provide a wide array of evidence-based therapy options, including:

  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy
  • Dialectical behavior therapy
  • Family therapy
  • Group therapy
  • Psychotherapy
  • Behavioral therapy

A combination of evidence-based and holistic therapies is critical for the long-term recovery of our clients. Developing an individualized treatment plan for each client makes Red Oak Recovery® an influential men’s treatment program.

Contact Red Oak Recovery® to Start Adventure Therapy

At Red Oak Recovery®, we’re proud to provide exceptional addiction treatment for men between 18 and 30. With adventure therapy and other excellent treatment options, we give the men we treat the tools they need to attain the recovery they’ve always wanted. Adventure therapy gives our residents the tools they need to maintain their sobriety outside of our programs as they learn how to have fun and handle their triggers without returning to use.

Adventure therapy can be an integral part of your addiction treatment, giving you the support you need throughout the initial part of your recovery. Are you ready to put an end to your substance use disorder? If so, Red Oak Recovery® is here to help. Please contact our treatment center today at 828.382.9699 or through the Red Oak online contact form for more information about our services and how adventure therapy plays into our program.