Drug addiction recovery can be a complex process. You can become both physically and emotionally addicted to the drugs. Withdrawals can cause severe physical symptoms and emotional discomfort. Seeking professional help makes the process somewhat more bearable because you don't have to worry about your health being in danger when you're supervised medically. Once the physical dependency phase has passed, the real work of sorting out the cause of your addition begins. Here are some important aspects your treatment might entail.
Treating Co-Existing Medical Conditions
You may struggle with addiction because of a disorder that makes daily life difficult. For instance, when you have a bipolar condition, OCD, severe anxiety, or depression, you may not think clearly or rationally and it's hard to gain control of your thoughts and actions. When you undergo addiction treatment, your medical professionals can diagnose conditions like these if they are present and provide treatment for them along with your addiction. This might involve the use of medications or therapies that control the disorder so the disorder no longer contributes to your compulsion to drink.
Another situation you might have is an injury or medical problem that causes a lot of pain. Your pain may have led to your addiction to drugs. You may not be able to stop the drugs completely or your pain would be out of control. This type of addiction recovery requires specialized care so you become less dependent on the drugs but are still able to take them if necessary. Your treatment team may also try alternative forms of pain relief so you can come off of the drugs completely.
Treating Emotional Problems
Addiction often starts out as self-treatment for emotional issues or as a way to escape unpleasant life circumstances. If you drink to block grief over the death of a loved one or to block memories of abuse, your addiction counselor will help you work through those issues so they no longer drive you to escape your feelings through drug use.
In this way, addiction treatment is extremely personalized so you get the one-on-one help that will benefit you the most. Emotional issues are often difficult to resolve alone, but a counselor can help you process your feelings and teach you ways of dealing with anger, depression, regret, and grief so they don't consume your life.
Addiction treatment takes many forms. You may opt for a residential treatment that provides you the opportunity to have individual counseling and group sessions every day. This could be the type of help and support you need to give up drugs, but if that is not an option for you, then you can seek help in the form of outpatient counseling. Contact a service, like Comfort Recovery LLC, for more help.
