Whenever someone is new to recovery and are just starting out on the journey of sobriety, they try to mentally prepare themselves for the physical difficulties of getting clean – i.e., withdrawal symptoms. But too often, those same people are surprised to learn just how much of their addiction had nothing to do with physical dependence. Even when physical dependence has subsided, addicts and alcoholics are still at considerable risk of relapse if other psychological and social factors are not addressed. This is why counseling is such an absolutely necessary part of addiction treatment because it deals with those mental health issues that can contribute to the development or progression of a Substance Abuse Disorder.
What Kind of Therapy Is Offered at the Best Addiction Recovery Facilities in Boise, Idaho?
Because every situation is unique and every person checking into drug or alcohol rehab has different needs as an individual, there are many different types of therapy offered:
- Individual Therapy – One-on-one sessions with counselors are most helpful when there is a dual diagnosis of the Substance Abuse Disorder and another mental health condition, such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD.
How does individual therapy improve your life?
More than anything else, individual therapy gives you a safe, nonjudgmental place where you can talk about what’s going on in your life and how it makes you feel. Often, past trauma can be a factor in your addiction, and when you are able to learn how to process and move past negative emotions, you can relieve yourself of their burden and concentrate on your recovery.
- Group Therapy – This is the type of therapy favored by most counselors who specialize in addictive disorders. This is because people new to sobriety are more likely to be challenged and supported by their peers who are going through the same thing.
How does group therapy improve your life?
Regardless of their family situation, many people who struggle with alcoholism or drug addiction feel disconnected from the rest of society. They feel completely alone and misunderstood, and their addiction only exacerbates the problem. In a group setting, issues are brought up that are common to the experience of most – or even all – of everyone in attendance.
When you see that you are NOT alone and that others have been where you are and have felt how you feel, you will be able to draw strength and inspiration from that fellowship.
- Couples and Family Therapy – Addiction is a contradiction – it is a lonely disease that somehow affects everyone around the addict. For many people in recovery, their family is both their most powerful motivating force for and their biggest source of support.
How does family/couples therapy improve your life?
It’s virtually impossible to overestimate how important the support of your family and/or spouse/partner is during recovery from addiction. They can be your motivation and your support, encouraging you to stay in therapy even when you are feeling overwhelmed.
Just as important, couples/family therapy is a safe place to address problems within the relationship that were caused by your active addiction. Once addressed, you can begin to work on healing from the damage and hurt caused by your addicted behaviors, and that will go a long way to assuaging the unproductive shame and guilt that you’ve been carrying around.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – In CBT, the person learns how to identify their thoughts and moods – as well as the people, places, and things – that may trigger drug cravings that can lead to a relapse. Once a person makes that identification, they can take steps to avoid these triggers and learn how to replace negative, dysfunctional thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with positive, healthy ones.
How does cognitive behavioral therapy improve your life?
When you are able to recognize and stay away from the things that trigger an episode of drinking or drugging, you support your continued abstinence, and everything else builds on that sobriety.
But when you are able to substitute positive thought patterns, emotions, behaviors, and associations for the dysfunctional, self-destructive ones you entertained and engaged in during active addiction, you start to actually live a more joyful life, free of the constraints of your disease.
- Maintenance Therapy – Most experts in the field of addiction treatment consider it to be a chronic disease, just like hypertension or diabetes. This means that people with substance abuse disorders will ALWAYS be at risk for relapse because there is no cure for addiction.
And THAT means that they will have a long-term – possibly lifelong – need for addiction treatment, to maintain their sobriety. For some, that will simply mean periodic “tune-ups” with a counselor, for others, that means long-term outpatient drug rehab, and for still others, it may mean replacement therapy with buprenorphine or methadone.
How does maintenance therapy improve your life?
Maintenance therapy improves your life during recovery by giving you the extra support and relief that you need. Because you are addressing cravings and temptations proactively – whether it is with extra 12-Step meetings, drug rehab refresher classes, or anti-addiction medications, you stand a much better chance of effectively managing your disease and protecting yourself, your future, and your family.
If you live in the Boise, Idaho, area and you need that little bit of “extra help” to successfully combat your disease of addiction, contact Ashwood Recovery today. Ashwood supports your sober journey by combining multiple proven strategies – evidence-based protocols, 12-Step philosophies, and even a number of holistic options –in order to offer a solution that treats you as a WHOLE PERSON, not just a list of symptoms.