Abandoning a substance abuse habit is a courageous accomplishment. However, detox alone doesn’t promise success in recovery. Therapy for addiction is effective, but it must be readily available and custom to the individual. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the right treatment must also take into account medical, social, psychological, legal, and vocational issues that come along with addiction.
How Therapy for Addiction Helps
Therapy has been shown to help people diminish substance abuse. As treatment reduces drug use, it also reduces social and healthcare costs. For every dollar spent on therapy for addiction, $4 to $7 are saved in costs related to drug crimes.
The value of addiction therapy services goes beyond financial benefit, however. Therapy teaches people how to find fulfillment in their lives while managing their emotions and engaging in healthy behaviors.
Drugs provide individuals with instant gratification. However, therapy can take longer to work. The typical 30-day standard for a rehab program may not be long enough for some people to achieve success in recovery. A 90 or 120-day program may be more effective for some people.
What Types of Therapy for Addiction Exist?
Some types of therapy for addiction are more effective than others. However, the efficacy of a particular treatment method depends on the patient. Different people benefit from distinct forms of therapy.
What worked for them one month may not be as successful the following month. Therefore, the professionals supervising the therapy must monitor the therapy and adjust it as necessary to cater to their needs.
Some types of therapy are behavioral. Behavioral therapy helps people become aware of their thoughts and resulting actions. Individuals will start to recognize the emotional or physical triggers that lead to drug use. This allows them to avoid the triggers or change their reaction.
Counseling may take place in an individual, group, or family setting. Behavioral therapy and other methodologies may occur alongside counseling. A counseling session may also involve support from peers or professionals.
People often mislabel holistic therapy as alternative or mystical. However, it just means that the professionals conducting the therapy treat the whole person. This is crucial for helping people function without turning to drugs.
Therapy that’s aimed at the mind, body, and lifestyle may teach relaxation techniques and life skills. It often addresses nutrition and physical ailments as well as psychological distress.
Risk Factors for Relapse
It’s not uncommon to relapse even after completing a treatment program. People who return to using drugs after rehab shouldn’t consider themselves failures. Relapse is often a sign that therapy for addiction must continue.
Some risk factors for relapse include the following:
- Leaving treatment prematurely
- Not getting aftercare treatment
- Failure to treat co-occurring mental disorders
- History of trauma
- Strong cravings
- High levels of stress
An effective therapy program must address these factors. At Grace Recovery, we provide a wide variety of treatment options that are tailored to the individual in program formats such as:
We treat the whole person and stay by their side from detox to aftercare. If you’re ready to start therapy for addiction, call us at 866-296-5407 to learn more.
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