When entering a substance abuse treatment program, it is normal for an individual, as well as their family, to have certain expectations. The main goal of treatment is to go through detox and achieve sobriety. However, many people neglect to realize just how important the continuing treatment process truly is.
Though achieving sobriety is something worth celebrating, treatment involves much more than just getting clean. Treatment will help individuals to work through various underlying problems that led them to use substances in the first place. Additionally, they will need to learn reliable coping skills and have access to different support systems to help them maintain lasting sobriety.
What to Expect From Treatment
After a thorough assessment and evaluation, your healthcare team will develop an individualized treatment plan for you. Commonly, this will involve a combination of both individual and group therapy interventions. Individual therapy will help you to process connections between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Group therapy, on the other hand, will often provide some much-needed additions to your healing process. Social support plays a key role in motivating treatment engagement for those in addiction recovery. Being amidst a group of individuals who are also working to achieve sobriety will help you feel less alone in your journey. In other words, you will learn that others are also working to heal from the consequences of their substance use and need support to do so.
People You Will Meet in Recovery
Group therapy groups are meant to place you in a room with individuals who are going through the same things as you are. Often, the most effective group therapy groups are small and intimate. At Lighthouse Recovery Texas, you will never be in a group with more than eight people. The smaller groups are, the more effective and comfortable they will be for all participants.
Throughout treatment and recovery, you will have the opportunity to make connections with many people, not just those in your group therapy sessions. You may find that a sober living home will be a good residential option for you. Sober living homes offer a great space for you to be held accountable by your peers as you work to manage your sobriety independently.
Considering just how much rebuilding you need to do, starting with others in the same boat can be very helpful. When you are able to work with each other and come to realizations about your addictions, it will build confidence, knowledge, and friendships.
Relationships Outside of Treatment
Treatment is only the beginning of the process. It does not stop when an inpatient program ends. In fact, group therapy will continue once you have come to the point of making the attempt to “rejoin” society. Because of this, you may start to consider reaching out to people you may have previously pushed aside due to your substance abuse, such as family members and friends. However, mending fences with these people may be more difficult than you think.
One of the goals of group therapy is to teach you how to relate to people. The best part is that group therapy encourages you to relate to strangers who have no expectations. Similarly, those in group therapy are looking to you for the same validation. By developing a relationship with these individuals, will be better able to navigate challenging relationships with family and friends.
Another benefit of group therapy is that you now have a group of people who have gone through the healing process alongside you. That shared bond is vital, especially so you have people to reach out to when you are feeling down or discouraged.
Forging Lasting Relationships
Substance use brings a keen sense of loneliness. It takes us away from those we love and puts all of our time and energy into substance-seeking and substance-using behaviors. Treatment gives us the ability to shed the loneliness and relearn how to be friends, confidantes, and better people overall.
When our families and friends see us and realize that we are genuinely making amends for past behavior, there is a feeling of renewal. We are not so much returning to our previous lives as we are starting from zero with people we know and love. Plus, we are doing it with the knowledge that we are backed by a successful program and by a group of people who are reconnecting with their own lives.
Commonly, many people in recovery will keep in touch with the peers they met during treatment. Meeting up and partaking in activities together, even years after treatment, can provide catharsis. Even when we have reconnected with family and friends, there is often stress that arises as we continue our recovery journey. In these moments, especially when we find ourselves between therapy appointments, feeling bad about an argument, or just having a down day, we can reach out to these pals.
As humans, we forge bonds to help validate our feelings. We are storytellers by nature and those stories come out in group therapy and are continued well after we leave. People give us hope, and for those in recovery, that hope starts when we first enter the rehab process.
For people living with substance use disorder, feelings of loneliness and isolation are common. This is because addiction causes individuals to focus all of their time and energy on their substance use. When these people enter a substance abuse program, they are introduced to others who are also going through the treatment process. This means they can surround themselves with those who need the same healthy companionship as they work to rebuild their lives. At Lighthouse Recovery Texas, we forge connections and help people fix relationships broken by addiction. We believe in the power of group therapy, which is why we cap our groups at no more than eight participants. Still, group therapy is just one component of recovery that is required to effectively recover from substance use. To learn more about our treatment programs and options, give us a call today at (214) 396-0259.
