Giving up addictions isn’t easy by any means, and not everyone can handle that task on their own. Even if you want to rid yourself of an addiction, being reliant on the substance can make it far too difficult to give up without someone to help you do it.
It’s not as simple as just walking away from it, and with some drugs, the body needs more of the drug to prevent sickness. Withdrawal symptoms can be a lot to deal with, which is why people often seek drug rehab to help with their addiction.
Treatment counselors
As mentioned before, simply getting rid of addiction can be very difficult without someone else to help you do it. However, not everyone is ready or equipped to help someone else out of an addiction, as it can be very demanding or stressful. A drug addiction treatment counselor is there to help you overcome your need or reliance on the harmful substance, and they do it using a number of different methods.
Counselors are there to guide the patient, as well as listen and help the patient achieve the result they’re looking for. Overcoming addiction is more than just leaving the substance behind, but understanding why and what is happening. Counselors are there to provide emotional support and recommend other treatments, like group exercises with others who are experiencing the same addictions.
It’s not just emotional support, as treatment counselors may also conduct substance abuse evaluations to make sure patients are remaining abstinent; which can make it easier for patients to avoid drug use.
Therapies
While seeing a counselor, they may apply a certain type of therapy to help you to overcome your addiction. Drug treatment can come in many forms, but as far as therapy is concerned there are just a few types:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
The counselor may decide that CBT is the way forward for the treatment, and it can help the patient to understand why they feel the way they do, as well as ways to avoid it in the future. What triggers the need for abuse? How can those triggers be avoided or diverted?
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
DBT is a type of talking therapy that puts more focus on acceptance and understanding. Instead of identifying triggers, DBT builds confidence and encouragement in the way of positive changes.
Mindfulness.
Another therapy that helps the patient to identify triggers, while also helping the patient to be more aware of their feelings overall. Mindfulness helps to control the motions and remain relaxed instead of embracing or engaging with triggers.
The type of therapy chosen may be up to the counselor based on your experience with the addiction. A major part of recovering from substance abuse is wanting to give it up. If the patient isn’t interested in recovering, then programs like partial hospitalization or outpatient programs aren’t going to be successful, and more often than not, the patient will return to substance abuse not long after.