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how individual therapy can support recovery from addiction

Trying to manage substance abuse can be a major challenge. Here’s why adding talk therapy to your addiction treatment plan is a good idea.

Trying to manage substance abuse can be a major challenge for many people. Addiction treatment and recovery often require a multitude of care options that vary depending on your needs. For example, individual therapy provides you with a unique care modality that can help you overcome your dependence on drugs for good.

WHAT ADDICTION PROBLEMS TRIGGER BECAUSE OF CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS

A problem known as co-occurring disorders often complicates addiction treatment. These issues develop when a person with addiction also has an issue with their mental health. Unfortunately, people who suffer from a dependency on substances often have a much higher rate of mental health concerns than those who do not. Sometimes, these issues can be very substantial and problematic.

For example, a handful of studies found that people with co-occurring disorders suffered from alcohol addiction at a rate of about 14.1-16.5 percent. By comparison, about 26 percent of all people with other types of drug addictions had a co-occurring disorder related to their mood. A further 28 percent suffered from an anxiety disorder, 18 percent from an antisocial personality disorder, and 7 percent from a personality-related disorder such as schizophrenia.

Breaking this information down further, it was found that about 20 percent of the population with a substance abuse disorder had one or more co-occurring complications. These findings are very troubling because co-occurring disorders make therapy more challenging for everyone involved. For example, someone with depression may use an upper like cocaine to feel temporarily happy about their lives.

Once the cocaine wears off, though, they’ll be left with more feelings of depression and even disappointment. The cocaine only temporarily relieved their symptoms but did not manage the core problem behind their depression. As a result, they fall deeper and deeper into cocaine use, which causes them further anxiety and complicates their care. This tough cycle is one from which many people never escape without help.

HOW INDIVIDUAL THERAPY WORKS

There is no denying that group therapy – such as family counseling and large sobriety meetings – help with addiction treatment. In this setting, people can learn more about themselves, interact with others who have addictions, and learn how to cope with their problems. However, individual therapy is just as important – if not more critical – than group therapy for those who suffer from addiction.

Individual therapy works by sitting you down with a therapist who examines the psychological underpinnings of your addiction. This individual will question why you suffer from addiction, help you better understand your co-occurring disorders, and work you through a multitude of treatment modalities. The treatment method utilized will vary depending on the individual and their problems.

For example, psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapies help by changing behaviors and thoughts that contribute to your addiction. You will work with your therapist to learn more about these feelings and how they make your addiction so hard to escape. This method is the classic method of psychological treatment that most people have probably tried at some point in their lives.

However, other treatments exist for this problem, such as cognitive therapy and humanistic therapies. Cognitive therapy works by identifying the behaviors that cause you to abuse substances. Often, addiction is a cycle of actions that reinforce each other and cause you to continue abusing drugs. High-quality CBT or DBT can identify these behaviors and teach you how to redirect your thoughts from them.

Humanistic therapies are different because they focus heavily on the client and treats them as equal to the therapist. Rather than being treated as if the therapist were some guru or authority on your suffering, humanistic therapies provide addiction treatment fine-tuned to your needs. You’ll learn more about yourself and get emphatic and personal enthusiasm from your care specialist. This type of individual therapy often focuses on beneficially rebuilding your destroyed self-esteem.

WHY INDIVIDUAL THERAPY IS SO IMPORTANT

Individual therapy provides a multitude of benefits that make it stand out from other types of addiction treatment options. Just a few benefits you get from this care method include how it can:

  • Manage depression and anxiety
  • Decrease PTSD symptoms
  • Teach coping mechanisms for addiction triggers
  • Break negative social patterns that trigger drug abuse
  • Identify core influences on addiction and abuse
  • Redirect your behaviors in positive ways
  • Reinforce good behaviors and addiction avoidance

All of these benefits make this a care option that you should seriously consider. Thankfully, most addiction centers provide some type of individual treatment that can help you overcome addiction, including one-on-one therapy sessions and even adventure care methods.

WHO CAN HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM

If you’re suffering from substance abuse and you need individual therapy for your addiction treatment, please contact us at The Ajna Center to learn more. We are a drug rehab program located in San Diego that provides high-quality treatment for people who need it. Let us help you overcome your addiction and regain the happy life that you once had before drugs robbed you of joy.