When someone realizes he needs help for substance abuse treatment, he doesn’t think at first that it will take several components of therapy to get him back on track. Few people, however, can just stop using on their own by simply going to 12-step meetings. For most people, it takes a combination of therapies to put a person’s life back in order.
Accepting the Need for Help
Nobody and no-one can help you get sober until you decide that you’re ready. When families ask treatment professionals how they can get someone admitted into a treatment facility, the answer is—they can’t. Only the person who is abusing drugs or alcohol can get himself started on outpatient or inpatient substance abuse treatment.
What about all those people who say they’ve been forced into treatment by a judge? Even then, it’s a choice that the person has made. Jail is also a choice, and some people choose that. If you’ve been arrested for driving while intoxicated, for example, and the judge says that he’s going to send you to jail for thirty days unless you go into treatment, you can take either option. So what will it be—Door One or Door Two?
Motivations and Motivational Interviewing
Some people are motivated to go into treatment by the benefits they will gain from doing so. If you’re going at the behest of a judge, then freedom might be your motivator. If you and your spouse have discussed reasons why you should get help, you might promise yourself something new—a wardrobe, a vacation, a car—as your reward when you make it six months without using drugs or alcohol.
Motivational Interviewing refers to therapeutic sessions that take place between you and your substance abuse counselor. The counselor will ask you questions that lead you to recognize all the areas in your life that are affected negatively by your substance of choice. The purpose is to get you motivated to take a proactive role in your recovery.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Your treatment counselor will utilize cognitive behavior therapy to help you figure things out. This kind of therapy helps you to recognize the behaviors that are harmful, figure out why you do them, and substitute positive behaviors in their place.
Maybe you and your significant other constantly sabotage your relationship with arguments, or maybe your bills are out of control. CBT can help you recognize negative aspects of your life so you can put them to rights.
Emotional Evaluation
About half of those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol also suffer from some kind of emotional or mood disorder. Sometimes it can be improved with a medication. Today’s medication therapies utilize drugs that balance the biochemical makeup of the brain, so they don’t “drug” you into good behavior.
Sometimes, an underlying emotional disorder or a diagnosis like attention deficit disorder can be the reason that a person uses drugs or alcohol in the first place. He just doesn’t feel right, and he self-medicates with illegal drugs or illegally-obtained prescription drugs in order to correct the way he feels.
Movement Therapies
Some people close themselves off from their inner feelings and from their relationships with others when they’re addicted. That’s why exercise classes, including yoga, dance, Pilates, or other movement classes can help open a person back up. If you get yourself moving physically, you can open yourself back up emotionally.
Family and Individual Counseling
Many people who need substance abuse treatment try to hide it from their friends and family. They think they can work on the problem by themselves. Addiction is a family disease, however. If you’ve recognized the need for treatment, you probably realize that you’ve had a negative impact on others. Participating in individual family session and group family sessions can make a big difference.
Your local inpatient substance abuse treatment center can help you decide just which combination of therapies is right for you. Just by making a phone call and asking your initial questions, you will learn that help is out there. Do it now.
