Introduction
Over the last couple of decades, NIDA has collected much data on drug addiction. On the basis of the data, they have outlined many principles of addiction treatment.
These principles aim to improve the odds of successful substance abuse treatment, lowering the risk of relapses, and helping the person start a new life.
The principles include:
- Addiction is a multifaceted problem that can be treated.
- Treatment should be directed towards the individual and not towards the type of addiction they are doing.
- Medication can be an important part of the treatment, especially while suppressing withdrawal symptoms.
- Mental health therapy and counseling are an important part of addiction treatment.
The final principle is important. While most people are aware of all the above principles, most people do not know the final principle and its importance.
This article will emphasize the final principle and try to find its importance.
Understanding Mental Health Therapy & Counseling
When we talk about addiction, we immediately jump into a debate whether addiction is responsible for deteriorating mental health or the deteriorating mental health is responsible for addiction.
Either way, both possibilities stand true.
Hence, it is important to understand the relationship between mental health and addiction.
The first step towards addiction treatment is medical detox. The medical detox is not the original addiction treatment; it is just the preparation to enter the real addiction treatment process.
Once the medical detox is completed, the treatment is followed by several therapies and counseling sessions. These therapies can take days, weeks, months, and even years, depending on the addiction’s severity. If you are on the lookout for a Psychologists near me in Sydney, New Vision Psychology have trusted professional to help you with treatment.
While there are many therapies, one therapy stands out from the rest, Mental Health Therapy.
Mental health therapy is done to revamp your mental health condition and create a mental health foundation needed for addiction recovery.
Mental health therapy includes:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
- Existential Therapy.
- Family Therapy.
- Art Therapy.
Before you can go with any therapy, ensure that you have done proper research on them. Or, simply you can contact us for more information.
Why Do You Need Mental Therapy & Counseling?
An addiction or substance abuse is more than just physical dependence. Even if you have completed your medical detox program, you are at risk for relapses if your mental fortitude is lacking.
Certain physiological and social factors can act like triggers resulting in relapses.
Things like –
- Environmental cues.
- Visiting your neighborhood.
- Social networks.
– can create a strong ongoing urge to use substances again!
Mental health therapy and counseling help you escape those cravings and learn to manage your life after recovery.
There are different mental health therapies used to treat addiction. No one method is considered better than the other. It is on your need that a particular mental health therapy is tailor-made to suit your needs and requirements.
Benefits Of Mental Therapy & Counseling
Recovering from substance abuse is not solely an issue of your physical dependence; it is somewhere or another related to your mental health as well.
Mental health therapy provides additional help to treat your addiction and boost its recovery process.
Here is why mental health therapy and counseling are important in drug addiction recovery.
1. Identify Underlying Problems To Substance Use
Addiction treatment programs simply treat your addiction and not deal with the root cause. In such cases, even if you have recovered completely, there are always possibilities of relapses.
But with mental health therapy and counseling, you can actually get at the bottom of your addiction problem. You can deal with the problems that are actually the real cause of your addiction.
2. Provide Direct Support For Recovery
For anyone suffering from addiction, the recovery process can be a daunting process. For some people, medical detox can be a nightmare, especially when there is no one to support your recovery.
Mental health therapy is done to show that even if no one is there standing in your support, the counselor is there to support you. At the time of addiction recovery, even a small amount of support can bring good results.
3. Offer New Behavioral Strategies For Recovery
Counseling sessions are not there for only talking and sharing your problems. There is a reason. At counseling sessions, patients are provided with the right tools and instruments to maintain their sobriety after completing the treatment.
The tools most involve behavioral therapies and education in addition and its relapses.
4. Reduces The Chances Of Relapses
One of the major goals of mental health therapy and counseling is to help you reduce relapses. The Counseling session is all about finding sustainable ways to remain active in the recovery program.
5. Give A New Perspective To See Addiction Problem
Drug addiction counseling gives you a new perspective. This helps the person suffering from addiction see the current scenario more positively.
The counselor helps the patients change these harmful patterns by using different therapies and approaches.
6. Help You Build Broken Relationships
Drug abuse can often harm and destroy your relationship with your loved ones. Counselors can take a step forward to help you fix these relationships.
In addition, they can offer valuable advice on creating new and healthy relationships.
7. Cope-Up With Different Coping Mechanism
Finally, mental health therapy and counseling help you learn different addiction coping mechanisms.
Addiction recovery comes with different triggers and relapses. Your counselor can identify that for you and help you with a different coping mechanism to avoid triggers.
Get Help Today!
The information we have provided in this article is not intended to be exhaustive. But rather a comprehensive starting point.
This article sheds light on the importance of mental health and why it is important to have mental health therapy in your addiction treatment program.
Depending on your needs, you might go through different mental health therapy. But the end goal of these therapies and counseling is the same – ‘To treat your addiction completely’.