Visit These Fort Myers Beaches | Addiction Treatment – The Sea Is Good For The Soul

Recovering from addiction through drug rehab treatment in Fort Myers is a long-term process. The process continues well after a person completes their formal treatment. During recovery, individuals must put the strategies they learned in rehab to work. They practice the coping strategies needed to ward off relapse. If you are leaving rehab soon, you’ll need to fill up your time with healthy activities that support your lie of sobriety. Visiting Fort Myers’s beautiful beaches is just one way to support your recovery and improve your overall well-being.

Fort Myers is a sunshine-filled setting that’s home to stunning beaches. It’s also located near Captiva and Sanibel’s barrier islands, which attract vacationers from near and far. During your rehab counseling sessions, your therapist likely discussed the importance of filling your time with healthful activities. The great thing about visiting the area’s public beaches is that the sand, surf, and sunshine are free to enjoy.

As you plan your sober life, you’ll want to set aside time for enjoying the outdoors. The beaches offer a wide range of activities that you can enjoy, including swimming, walking on the sand, relaxing in the sunshine, and more. Because the area offers many beaches, each with something different to offer, you can explore them all to find the ones that suit you best.

Benefits of Being in Nature

Nature offers people who are recovering from addiction a wide array of benefits. Sunshine and fresh air can benefit people’s mental and physical health. Having lived with an addiction, a person’s psychological and physical health can suffer greatly. It’s essential to embrace a lifestyle that supports healthy living, including getting out into nature.

Getting out into nature can help people reduce their stress and get their minds off their negative emotions or cravings. Scientific studies have suggested that spending time in nature lowers cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol, as you may know, is the stress hormone. A mere 20 minutes in nature can reduce the body’s cortisol levels. That’s important because stress is a significant trigger for abusing alcohol and drugs.

By heading to the beaches of Fort Myers, you can experience a wide range of benefits. Many people who spend time in nature experience a boost in natural energy and mood improvements. If you’re feeling down, the key is to get back out into nature and allow it to improve your mood. Chances are the sunshine, vitamin D, and gorgeous beach scenery can enhance your well-being.

Benefits of Walking on Sand

Whether you’re walking in the shallows, on the warm beach sand, or pavement, you can benefit from walking. Walking is a basic yet highly beneficial form of exercise. Like other forms of exercise, walking can cause the body to release feel-good endorphins. These endorphins flood the brain, causing it to experience a natural high, the kind of high nature intended for us to experience.

Of course, walking also offers a myriad of health benefits for people. Although walking is an underrated form of exercise, it can strengthen the heart. A habit of walking can provide ongoing cardio benefits that may reduce your risks of cardiovascular disease. According to research, walking for 30 minutes each day can reduce cardiovascular disease risk by as much as 20%. Walking on sand has the added benefit of providing more resistance, and that can lead to a heightened cardio workout.

People who walk habitually can also boost natural energy, improved immune system function, and enhanced muscle tone. Of course, there’s the added benefit of calorie burning if you’re trying to lose weight. Whether you’re hoping to experience better weight management or improve your mood, you’ll find that walking in the sand helps substantially with these goals.

As you get into a beach walking routine, you might also bring along a device for listening to music or an audiobook. However, if you’re trying to immerse yourself in nature, you could just as easily leave your electronic devices at home and enjoy the sounds of the waves and the seagulls.

Benefits of Swimming

If you’re trying to significantly improve your physical fitness level, choose to swim regularly. The tranquil waters off the Fort Myers coast are warm and beautiful. Swimming in the sea can provide a workout for your entire body, not just your legs or arms. Swimming helps you tone each muscle while building up your strength and endurance.

Other benefits of swimming include its positive impact on cardio health, help with weight management, and support for an immune system function. Swimming also benefits mental health. Aquatic workouts can boost mood, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. It’s a great way to manage stress on an ongoing basis. Many people love to swim because it provides an effective workout, but it can be soothing and relaxing at the same time.

Naturally, when swimming in any of Florida’s waters, you’ll want to avoid areas that are deemed unsafe for swimming. At the beaches of Fort Myers, you can generally swim safely under the watchful eyes of lifeguards. You can also swim with a swim buddy for added security.

Benefits of Relaxing and Being in the Moment

During your addiction therapy, you probably learned how important it is to live in the moment. Many people who struggle with addiction have experienced trauma or stress. Focusing on the past can be a trigger for using drugs or alcohol. On the other hand, the stress that comes from worrying about the future can also be a trigger. Therapists encourage people to live in the moment as much as possible in order to give the brain a break from those worries.

It’s not always easy to forget about what stresses us, but that’s why it can be so uplifting to leave our home environment and get out into nature. When you get out into the sunshine and relax on the beach, you can shed some of the stress and give your mind the rest it needs to dispel some of that negativity. In this way, going to the beach is downright therapeutic–and it’s perfectly inexpensive, so it’s something everyone can enjoy when they need to improve their mood.

Fortunately, Fort Myers is home to many beautiful stretches of coastline. Whether you’re searching for a quiet beach where you can enjoy some solitude during your morning walk or whether it feels useful to you to be among people all enjoying the sunshine and sea breezes, you can benefit by spending time at the beach.

Beaches Near Fort Myers

Take time to discover the most popular beaches around Fort Myers. Spending time at the beach can benefit your recovery and improve your health. These are some of the beaches you’ll want to check out over time:

Lynn Hall Beach Park

One of the most popular attractions of Fort Myers, Lynn Hall Beach is beloved by visitors of all ages. It has something for everyone–great swimming, beach volleyball, and soft white sand. Adding to its popularity, this beach features public facilities and is near a wide range of cafes and restaurants.

950 Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

Newton Park of Fort Myers Beach

Fort Myers Beach is, itself, a must-visit beach, but within the area, you’ll find Newton Park, a historic beach location. This beach is noted for its beauty. In fact, it’s been a popular wedding location with its postcard-worthy setting. It’s the perfect place to come to relax and unwind with its relaxed vibe after a stressful day.

4650 Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

Crescent Beach Family Park

With its pure white sands and enchanting views of the Gulf, Crescent Beach Family Park is a welcoming beach for people of all ages. It features public restrooms, sand volleyball courts, picnic tables, and four access points close to parking. Although there are no concessions, the beach is near Times Square and its array of cafes and restaurants.

1100 Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

Bowditch Point Park

Located on the northern tip of Estero Island, Bowditch Point Park is often noted as one of the best beaches in Fort Myers. It’s known for its picture-perfect beach setting as well as the nearby preserve that features opportunities for bird watching. More quiet than other Fort Myers beaches, Bowditch Point Park is the perfect place to relax in the sunshine.

50 Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

Causeway Islands Park

Located near Fort Myers, the Causeway Islands Park is worth checking out. The ten acres that make up this beach are known for their beauty. Accessible by land and sea, the beach attracts many people who enjoy watersports like paddle boarding and kitesurfing. This is a great place to get out on the water if you enjoy kayaking.

19931 Sanibel Causeway, Sanibel, FL 33957

If you are recovering from addiction, don’t underestimate Florida’s beaches’ power. WhiteSands Alcohol and Drug Rehab has a network of addiction treatment centers around the state, including the Fort Myers area. Contact us today to start your recovery journey in a beautiful setting.

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.