Spending time with a licensed therapist is central to a successful recovery from addiction. Here are just a few reasons why:
Addiction is more than physical.
When treating any drug addiction, including alcohol addiction, it’s vital to remember that addiction is never purely physical. Addicted individuals develop an emotional and psychological attachment to the substances they abuse as well. Working individually with a psychotherapist can help you unravel your addiction and get to the root of what led to the onset of addiction in the first place.
Learn how to deal with triggers.
On a similar note, a psychotherapist can also help you unravel your addiction and determine which triggers have been contributing to your use—be they stress, anger, guilt, depression, anxiety, social habits, or otherwise. Addressing your triggers during addiction recovery is vital because these triggers will be what causes you to relapse if you let your guard down at any point. Working one-on-one with a psychotherapist, you can develop techniques for battling your specific triggers so that you can reduce your risk of falling into relapse.
Release deep-seated emotions.
Meeting with a psychotherapist grants you the opportunity to release your emotions in a safe and healthy environment. Your psychotherapist will act as a third party listener, allowing you to express deep-seated feelings without worry of how doing so might affect your relationship with a loved one. With your psychotherapist, you can also explore past experiences to determine how various emotions have developed over time. Over time, you’ll gain self empowerment and leave with feelings of self-worth and belonging.
Receive guidance.
Many individuals who are battling addiction need an added measure of guidance at this delicate time. A psychotherapist will provide authoritative guidance as needed to those who are in need of external guidance.
Learn how to cope.
Individuals in recovery will learn useful techniques for coping with the challenges that come during recovery—whether you need to heal an impaired relationship, overcome feelings of low self-esteem, or learn how to manage the challenges of putting life back together after addiction. Coping techniques are especially important for those who are concurrently battling a mental illness such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, or an eating disorder.
Change your behavior.
Exploratory psychology can help you uncover links between past experiences and present behavior. So if some experience from your past has been fueling your addiction, a psychotherapist can help you change your behavior in recovery by pinpointing the past experience and helping you overcome it. This type of exploratory therapy is always used with care in addiction recovery treatment, as recalling past experiences can at times be very painful and traumatic for those overcoming addiction.