Mountainside treatment center for addiction introduces Fitbit, culinary wellness programs

Mountainside, a treatment center for substance abuse, has announced it is offering a Fitbit program and culinary wellness program as new interventions to help strengthen the body and support relapse prevention, according to a press release.

The Fitbit program was implemented as a way for clinicians at the center to monitor sleep-wake cycles and recommend solutions for insomnia other than cognitive behavioral therapy.

“Every client has the option to receive a Fitbit device, as we really view this as an opportunity to resolve some major problems that stem from sleep deprivation,” Marie Lanier, MSW, program development coordinator at Mountainside in Canaan, Connecticut, stated in the release. “Based on the data received from the Fitbit devices, our clinicians are then able to propose various interventions to help reduce insomnia. A few recommended interventions include yoga, meditation, acupuncture, and breathing work.”

The culinary wellness program was introduced to improve treatment progress, and also includes food-based workshops, such as “Kneading Recovery,” a therapeutic bread-making group to help patients with severe depression.

“Recovering individuals have usually damaged vital organs during the course of their drug or alcohol abuse, and good nutrition helps restore health,” Jason Chartier, culinary director at Mountainside, stated in a press release. “Proper nutrition is imperative for these individuals to feel better; nutrients give the body energy and strengthen the immune system while helping to build and repair damaged organs and tissues.”