From an outside perspective, addiction can be difficult to watch and filled with many questions: Why do addicts abuse drugs? Why do they continue to abuse drugs knowing how unhealthy it can be? Why do they so firmly push the help of friends and family away?
From an inside perspective, an addict suffers and struggles with intense stress or feelings and begins feeling trapped. The trigger for this stress might be work, a troubled relationship, a death in the family, or other internal toils. In light of this, outsiders must be understanding of the causes and pain but also encourage therapy.
Therapy acts as a crucial portion of an addict’s recovery and sobriety and assesses the source of the problem. It identifies patterns, pinpoints valuable people to rely on, and provides the tools needed to achieve sobriety. Though addicts may be hesitant to receive professional or group help, therapy addresses setbacks, provides support, and proper outlets.
Aiding Addicts in Overcoming Addiction
Addicts have many reasons to fear and resist therapy: they want to avoid burdening others, fear to open to others, or in denial of their problems. Perhaps the idea of sharing their feelings and experiences with strangers creates anxiety or feel ashamed of themselves. Furthermore, they could be desperately hiding their problems from close friends and family to avoid being discovered entirely.
Despite the emotional difficulty of revealing an addiction, addicts can find far more help in confessing their problems. When choosing to enroll in therapy, addicts can discover the causes and contributors to their addiction. Additionally, they can also identify the people, places, and objects that both encourage and discourage their addiction and cravings. In doing so, they may discover and learn patterns in their behavior and identify addiction replacement or transference.
Because addiction can stem from many problems—stress at work, family, financial status, cultural background, and trauma—therapy helps addicts discover these problems ways to combat them.
Customizing the Right Treatment for You
Though all addicts should consider treatment of some kind to recover, therapy is not a one-size-fits-all situation. 
Addicts can choose from many different methods of therapy based on their own needs and comfort zones. In some cases, addicts may seek and benefit greater from multiple kinds of therapy based on effectiveness and specific problems. Various therapy methods include:
- Psychodynamic and Psychoanalysis: Explore motives and inner struggles.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Assist addicts to accept and adopt lifestyle changes.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Assists addicts in handling their stress and emotions.
- Interpersonal Therapy: Emphasizes on relationships with family, friends, and other loved ones.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Emphasizes on refining thought processes and behavior.
Addressing the Ultimate Problem
On the surface, many see therapy as a way to cure addiction, but it encompasses far more than simply recovery.
Rather, therapy provides addicts with a toolbox to handle future situations that trigger addiction, improve behavior, and relationships. Moreover, therapy acts as a dual diagnosis not only for addiction but its underlying causes and how to handle them.
In addition, therapy not only improves psychological, emotional, and social complications but helps create a proper support system moving forward. For addicts who still feel uncomfortable after therapy, they may also consider outpatient therapy for further assistance. Though seeking therapy intimidates many addicts, it not only helps them in their ongoing predicaments but equips them with the necessary tools to advance further.
If you or a loved one is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, contact a Discovery Place’s Treatment & Rehab alternative in Tennessee. You might be interested in Discovery Place’s own treatment center alternatives, such as our 30 Day Residential Addiction Alternative Recovery Program or our Long Term Alternative Recovery Program in Burns, Tennessee. Call us for a free consultation at 1-800-725-0922.
