In a society that places so much pressure on each of us, drug addiction has become an increasingly common problem. The effects of drug addiction can be far reaching, having an impact on every aspect of life from work performance to family relationships.
Whether the addiction is for medicinal or recreational substances, finding a solution to the problem is essential for enabling the sufferer to find stability and begin to live life again.
While the physical addiction is often the focus of those looking to heal from drug addiction, counseling is an important part of this process.
Providing the support and insight needed to help patients overcome their problems today and remain addiction free into the future. There are several areas where counseling can prove decisive in helping patients build long-term solutions to addiction.
Positive Reinforcement
In the early period of addiction recovery, counselors often use positive reinforcement therapy to help addicts stay drug free. Here, the focus is on encouraging the patient to avoid drugs and instead embrace healthier behavior, with the patient enjoying a reward for positive results. If they regress, rewards are lost, and in some cases, punitive action is employed. This approach has proven very effective in helping patients break the cycle of addiction.
Behavioral Therapy
The aim of behavioral therapy is to help patients understand the situations and conditions that are most likely to influence them to take drugs, and then learn how to avoid them. In terms of the need to overcome drug addiction, this is a powerful approach focused on maintaining a drug free life. Once the patient can fully understand the influences that lead to addictive behavior and drug use, a counselor can then help the patient build coping mechanisms, ensuring that when faced with such situations in the future, they have drug-free ways of dealing with the problem.
Family Therapy
Drug addiction impacts every area of life, including family relationships, but those relationships, and the support that family provides, is also an essential part of rehabilitation. During counselling, sessions with family members involved helps to rebuild the support the addict needs. Not only that, but it gives family members an opportunity to tackle the impact of the addiction on themselves as well as their relationship with the patient. During this treatment, each member may see the counselor in on-to-one sessions as well as together in a group, with the goal of repairing these close, important relationships and build a support network that will ultimately help maintain a drug free life for the patient.
If you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction, we can help set you on the path to recovery.
Mental health therapy for people addicted to drugs and other substances – Long Island, New York.
