We are all aware of the physical toll drug addiction can have on a person’s body, but mental health can be severely impacted as well. This is why it is so important to choose a rehabilitation facility that can provide not just medical care for drug treatment, but mental health treatment as well. As you go through the recovery process, your mental status will be just as important as your physical well-being. Mental health can determine your likelihood of success at staying off drugs in the future. Here’s what you need to know.
Battling Psychological Addiction While many drugs induce physical cravings and withdrawal symptoms, this isn’t always the case. With some substances, the addiction is more psychologically based. This means that it is your mind that craves the drug, whether as a form of escape or to seek something to improve your mood. With the right medical care, your body can withstand the physical withdrawal but the mental aspect is often much more challenging, especially after you have left the rehab center.
Reframing Thought and Behavior Patterns
As you go through drug treatment for addiction, the rehab program you choose should also include a mental health treatment component. In many cases, certain events, situations or moods can entice you to use your drug of choice. These are commonly known as triggers. It is important to identify what these triggers are for you as they vary from person to person. Once you have figured out the scenarios that are most likely to lead to a relapse, you can work on strategies to combat them, like avoiding particular places or cutting certain individuals out of your friend circle.
Learning New Coping Mechanisms
Mental health treatment for drug addiction should also include therapy to help you work through any underlying emotional trauma or issues. While you can avoid trigger people or locations, it is much more difficult to avoid trigger moods. Instead, you’ll need to learn more effective ways to cope with negative feelings and emotions. A therapist or group counselor can help you with this aspect of mental health treatment, working with you to help you process your emotions in healthier ways, rather than resorting to drugs.
Looking to the Future
While in the throes of drug addiction, many people don’t think farther ahead than their next fix. As you progress in your drug treatment, you can start thinking more clearly about your future. When you are focused solely on your immediate situation, it can be difficult to find hope and enthusiasm for the future, but when you are more clearheaded, you’ll be better able to understand who you are as a person and what you want from your life. As your mental health improves throughout your treatment, you’ll likely find that you are much more excited about what the future may hold for you.
Take Back Control of Your Physical and Mental Health at Outreach Recovery
Treating the physical body is not enough when it comes to drug treatment; there also needs to be a mental health treatment component in order to maximize your chances of success in recovery. Here at Outreach Recovery, we specialize in drug and alcohol addiction. Our highly trained therapists and counselors will work closely with you to identify the triggers that drove you to drugs in the first place so we can help you get your life back on track.
We invite you to reach out to our team today to learn more about our addiction treatment services for yourself or a loved one struggling with addiction. Call now to make an appointment for a free consultation to discuss your needs.