Did you know that about 9.4% of the entire American population use illicit drugs? That equates to about 24.6 million people aged 12 and above.
It’s a sad fact, but the good news is that many folks are now starting to take steps for their rehabilitation.
If you need to get rid of your addiction, substance abuse counseling is your best bet. You need to get into a step-by-step program that will allow you to eventually have a cleaner life. In this guide, you’ll learn how a substance abuse counselor can change your life for the better.
Read on and find out more today.
1. Counseling Heals Attachment Disorders
For the first five years of your life, you form aa lifelong trust and security in the relationships you form. If you’re neglected or abused by your parents, you tend to adopt coping mechanisms. That way, you’ll feel a sense of security and belonging.
As an adult, you’ll most likely develop a sense of dependence on drugs and alcohol to cope. It’s often the reason why quitting these substances is so difficult. But if you get an alcohol treatment program, you’ll have a better understanding of your childhood insecurities that drive your dependency on drugs or alcohol.
2. Counseling Helps Change Unhealthy Responses to Stress
Most counselors use cognitive behavioral therapy. It’s a type of short-term therapy aimed at helping you identify your misguided and self-destructive responses to specific situations. It also helps in knowing the people and thoughts that prompt you to use these coping mechanisms.
Once you know these, you’ll now have the means of learning new, healthier responses to stress. That means you’ll get an arsenal of effective coping strategies to replace your addictive behaviors. It will prevent you from giving in to your cravings since you’ll have a different response.
3. Counseling Improves Family Dynamics
To have a more successful recovery, you’ll need family counseling. One of the most common contributing factors to addiction development is a dysfunction within the family. Regardless of whether it’s the main cause, a loved one’s addiction will impact the entire family.
When you go for family counseling, you and your family will learn how to communicate with each other. It helps you voice out any important issues that everyone needs to solve. With more open communication, your family will begin to heal and rebuild whatever trust you lost with everyone.
4. Counseling Gives a Safe Space for Sharing
When in recovery, it’s important to go for group therapy. It will allow everyone to share their experiences as well as their frustrations and fears. You can do it without any fear of judgment since you’re in a safe, controlled environment.
Your counselor acts as a supportive outlet for you to express your emotions. That way, you and all other participants can glean a deeper understanding of your issues that relate to your addiction. It also gives you a sense that you’re all in this together, as well as camaraderie and connection.
5. Counseling Helps in Treating Dual Diagnosis
It’s a common situation for a drug or alcohol to have an accompanying mental health disorder. The usual mental conditions that you’ll find include anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. You won’t get a genuinely sustainable recovery if you don’t treat these co-occurring mental illnesses.
With therapy, you’ll get proper help with a dual diagnosis. You’ll get the counseling necessary to change your destructive behaviors while receiving the right medication for your underlying mental disorders. It will ensure that the root of all your problems gets properly addressed.
6. Counseling Prevents Relapses
Recovering addicts often experience relapses and think that their therapy failed. But the truth is that even after a long time, you can still feel the compulsion to turn back. Situations like emotional pressures, stress, and social cues can make you go back despite all your efforts.
But the good news is that relapse prevention counseling exists. This will help in learning the warning signs before relapse happens. With that, you’ll know the right coping strategies to help deal with the strong emotions associated with these relapses.
To make it easier for you to avoid relapsing, this program helps you build better support networks. Even when you do a small slip, getting some counsel will help prevent it from becoming a long-term relapse. That way, you won’t have to feel guilty since you can get intense urges out of nowhere.
Some of the warning signs of relapse include:
- Faltering self-confidence
- Depression
- Fear of the future
- Lack of plans
- Isolating from other people
Counseling will aid in recognizing these warning signs without other people’s help. That way, you can put a stop to it before the relapse starts.
7. Counseling Has Access to Non-traditional Therapies
These therapies can help to improve traditional psychotherapy methods. These treatments can improve talk therapy and can address recovery using a fresh angle. This will give you a more optimized treatment experience.
Some of these therapies can include massage therapy, recreational therapy, and animal therapy. Depending on what you’re comfortable with, these methods are available upon request. Don’t hesitate to get as many treatments as you can.
Get Substance Abuse Counseling Today!
Anyone that needs to overcome a drug addiction disorder will need therapy. If you have mental health disorders like anxiety or depression, you should get counseling since it’s often the main cause of substance abuse. In most cases, you’ll get cognitive behavioral therapy since it helps address various mental problems.
When choosing a program, don’t get discouraged if it takes too long. It will often involve picking methods exclusive to some facilities or locations. If you aren’t sure how to get the right substance abuse counseling treatments, ask a trusted loved one who experienced the same hardships.
Otherwise, you can try talking to a medical professional. If all else fails, check addiction recovery websites for more details. That’s why we encourage you to read more of our guides to get more information.