One of the critical components of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction that may be overlooked by people considering treatment is counseling. The top programs in the country include it for a reason: undoing the damage from addiction requires understanding what personal situations exacerbate it and collecting “tools” to equip yourself for a life of health and wellness following a treatment program. Today let’s look at five big benefits a program with counseling can have on your addiction recovery.
Recovery from drug addiction is not solely an issue of breaking the physical dependence on a substance. Counseling provides additional benefits to make a recovery more successful by identifying situations which may contribute to the substance use, giving direct support for addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders, allowing for peer support, introducing new behavior strategies for recovery, and reducing the risk of relapse. When searching for a treatment facility for drug addiction, it’s recommended to identify the individual, group, and family counseling services available.
If you or a loved one need help, call our admissions team today at 561-841-1033.One resistance to accepting counseling for addiction is the focus on the physical dependence of drug addiction only. But, as we know, addiction is much more than physical dependence. It encompasses all aspects of our health and well-being and a program with a counseling element is essential is helping someone with substance use disorders move into and through recovery with more success
Five Big Benefits of Counseling in Drug Addiction
- Counseling can identify situations contributing to substance use.
- Counseling can provide direct support for addiction.
- Counseling can provide peer support for addiction.
- Counseling can offer new behavior strategies for recovery.
- Counseling can reduce the risk of relapse.
Counseling can identify situations contributing to substance abuse.
Identifying the incidents, events, and moments that contribute to ongoing substance use is one benefit of counseling in a treatment program for drug addiction. You may not have made the connection on your own about how certain relationship dynamics exacerbate addiction or have recognized the impact a particular experience in your life had on you. Counseling can help you address the core issues associated with a sense of disconnection or emptiness that may make you vulnerable to addiction.
Counseling can provide direct support for addiction and mental health issues.
For anyone with a dual diagnosis of drug addiction and a mental illness, one-on-one counseling is a way to navigate with assistance towards solutions for both. Strategies to help you begin recovery coincide with support for depression or any other mental health issue you’re affected by in treatment. As an addiction and a mental illness can affect one another, working on them simultaneously in a program designed to provide that kind of treatment is optimum.
Counseling can provide peer support for addiction.
Counseling in group settings can be a valuable way to connect with others during recovery. Sharing in these open settings becomes a learning process for all and provides opportunities to support others and be supported. Peer support can also come through fellowship with 12-Step programs as you continue to work towards recovery and build healthy relationships.
Counseling can offer new behavior strategies for recovery.
The tools provided during counseling to equip you to remain in recovery may involve behavior strategies to help you avoid former routines and people that threaten your sobriety. One of this approaches is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which helps someone in recovery identify unproductive ways of thinking and acting and replace them with more productive and healthy choices. CBT tends to be used as one element in a larger treatment program, and can be used for both addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders.
Counseling can reduce the risk of relapse.
One of the goals of counseling is helping someone with a substance use disorder find sustainable ways to remain active in recovery during and after a treatment program. One form of counseling that can contribute to a positive outcome is family counseling. By involving a spouse or partner and children in family counseling, the influence of loved ones can affect change, increase the likelihood someone will remain committed to their recovery, and focus on ways to help the family heal as a whole from the harm of addiction.
Hanley Center – A Path to Recovery
Hanley Center is a well-known care provider offering a range of treatment programs targeting the recovery from substance use, mental health issues, and beyond. Our primary mission is to provide a clear path to a life of healing and restoration. We offer renowned clinical care and have the compassion and professional expertise to guide you toward lasting recovery.
For information on our programs, call us today: 561-841-1033.
