It is a massive achievement to prevent the abuse of medication, alcohol, tobacco, and any other substance. Though you may have beat your initial desires, that doesn’t mean they are gone for good. Recovery is the start of a lengthy process where addiction and relapse are controlled. During this process, a person is encouraged to take on some form of therapy.
Most use therapy as a means of curbing their desires to use again and preventing any sort of future relapse. Cognitive therapy, parental counseling, psychotherapy, and other therapies are all extremely beneficial for anyone that has suffered from addiction in the past.
Benefits of Therapy
Dependency is more than just drug or alcohol dependence, there are severe side effects that can happen to a person. You are at high risk for relapse even during and after detox, especially when a person starts to experience withdrawal symptoms. Common side-effects a person experiences during withdrawal are most often due to:
- Stress
- Environmental issues
- Social issues (work, family, friends, etc.)
Such issues can cause a person to fall right back into their old habits without hesitation. Therapy allows you to get away from your cravings and understand what life can be like without drugs or alcohol. Therapy services can help treat drug addiction. The great thing about therapy is there is a wide range of different types; making it easier for individuals with specific needs able to find a therapy that works for them. Based on the person’s needs and past addictions, medical professionals can determine the right kind of therapy for them.
Types of Therapy for Recovering from Addiction
Although any substance-abuse recovery intervention program is favored to individual therapy, community counseling is usually used. Through group therapy, a former addict will be surrounded by people who have gone through the same issues they have, making it easier to feel less alone and more accepted for their past decisions.
12-step programs such as Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous are also common methods for addiction recovery therapy. However, even though these few methods for recovery therapy are the most frequently used, it doesn’t mean that they work for a particular recovering addict. Let’s discuss some of the other forms of therapy that could help a recovering addict beat their past addictions.
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy can help a person get a more personalized experience that allows them to have privatized communication with their therapist. This kind of therapy is often used for people that want to be more private about their struggles rather than share them with just anyone. This kind of therapy can also help a person find out why they abused substances, how they can fight their desires, and what they need to do to continually grow in their newfound sober life.
Residential Therapy
Residential therapy puts a person in a safe place that is free of substances. it removes them from locations where they may have abused substances in the past, removing any sort of environmental stimuli that could cause them to relapse during early recovery. Residential therapy can last for a few weeks or a few months, it all depends on a person’s budget. During this process, a person can learn better coping mechanisms and how to live a better life in sobriety.
This is a great short-term solution, but it can be difficult for a person to go back into normal life after living in such a substance-free environment. Going from an environment free of substances to one where they know they’ll be able to access them can be quite strenuous. Relapse is a very real issue that many former addicts struggle with after residential therapy, or any therapy for that matter. It’s important to find proper coping mechanisms and to make sure that they are properly reinforced after recovery.
Cognitive-behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was developed for the avoidance of relapse in the care of cocaine-addicted persons. Individuals in CBT learn to identify and fix problem behavior, using a range of different techniques to avoid and resolve issues that are often linked to substance abuse.
A psychiatrist will help a person identify how to avoid these kinds of negative stimuli. A person can learn to replace negative thoughts with positive constructive thoughts and feelings that help keep them sober. These sorts of skills are developed over time so a person can successfully abstain from substance use in the future.
Motivational Interviewing
In motivational interviewing, therapists seek to empower a person and encourage them to maintain the drug or alcohol abstinence. They may use topics like love for family or motivation to work to help motivate a person into abstaining from their substance of choice.
One of the benefits of MI is that, while a psychiatrist helps them, rehab staff can establish their own incentive and change plans over the span of several months, which will allow them greater flexibility during the recovery process.
12-Step and Community Programs
Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is an international community-based network of opioid addiction-related persons. It is based on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), making it a 12-stage system that has a similar addictions treatment mechanism.
The goal of 12-Step Therapy for the facilitation of abstinence is to encourage people to heal through peer support programs with 12 measures.
How are Medications and Methods Used in the Diagnosis of Drug Addiction?
Medicines and equipment can be used to treat the symptoms of withdrawal, prevent recurrence and cure co-occurring disorders.
Withdrawal
During detoxification, medications and appliances may help to stop withdrawal symptoms. Detoxification is not addiction treatment itself, but the first step. This process helps a person rid their body of the harmful toxins from substances that would otherwise encourage them to use more. Without this step, a person cannot recover.
Prevention of Relapse
Therapy can help patients regain normal brain activity and reduce cravings with drugs. Opioid (heroin, recruitment pain relievers), tobacco (nicotine), alcohol, and all other kinds of addictions can be treated successfully. Although, an addiction is often not without a co-occurring disorder.
Co-occurring Conditions
When a person develops an addiction, they can start to develop a co-occurring mental health condition as well. Even before they develop a substance abuse disorder, a person may unknowingly struggle with one. What often happens is a person uses substances to suppress some unwanted feelings, leading to negative side-effects on their mental health further on down the line. The best way to fight against co-occurring conditions is through dual-diagnosis, which helps medical professionals diagnose substance abuse and mental health disorders. This makes it easier for medical professionals to find proper treatment methods for both of the disorders.
Drug-related disorders are serious, complicated, long-term and expensive conditions that can have a significant impact on a person’s life forever. If you or someone you know is struggling with this kind of condition, help them find a recovery center that is within their budget. Recovery is possible and through addiction recovery therapy, a person can have a greater chance of living a long, substance-free life.
