Professional support is necessary for anyone who is struggling with addiction. Detox is the first step, but counseling and therapy can also be critical when it comes to lifelong sobriety. Combined with detox, a behavioral therapy program has the potential to improve recovery success rates. By changing behavior, individuals will be able to adopt healthy new habits that encourage recovery and freedom from addiction.
Why Behavior Matters to Addiction Recovery
All too often, addiction is seen as a physical ailment. It’s definitely true that addiction has physical side effects, but addiction is more complicated than that. Addiction can also stem from psychological and behavioral factors.
Imagine a person with an opioid addiction. This person uses these drugs every day to manage perceived pain, to relax, and to get to sleep. After treatment, the person is no longer dependent on opioid drugs, at least on a chemical level. However, their mental health and behavior might still depend on the drugs.
This is more than just a habit. It’s an ingrained behavior. If this behavior persists, then relapse is likely. Through a behavioral therapy program and treatment, individuals can change their perspective and work toward a healthier way of life for the long term.
Get a Positive Outlook on Life in a Behavioral Therapy Program
One of the goals of a behavioral therapy program is to help people feel more positive about all kinds of situations. It is common for people struggling with addiction to feel let down by life. They might always feel like the victim, and they might feel like no one understands them.
Instead of dwelling on this negativity, which only makes it harder to recover, therapy can focus on the positive. Clients might practice gratitude exercises and think about what they can be thankful for. They can also be mindful and monitor their own emotions. Sometimes, responses to situations get exaggerated, and that can lead to relapse.
Eliminating Black-and-White Thinking
It’s easy to fall into an all-or-nothing way of thinking when it comes to addiction recovery. In detox and rehab, people will be changing many things about their lives in a short period of time. Lifelong sobriety is the goal, but no one is perfect. Small slip-ups, especially when it comes to exercise, routine and food, aren’t a reason to call off the whole endeavor.
Giving People Motivation to Change Their Habits
In therapy, people will also have the opportunity to think seriously about why they want to end addiction once and for all. These answers are unique to every single person. On a larger scale, people might want to regain their health or live longer. However, if you dig deeper, you may find very specific answers that can motivate people on a more personal level.
Some people desperately want to avoid being a burden to their loved ones. Others want to be more involved in the lives of their children. Still more want to become singers or small business owners, and that dream can go a long way in motivating recovery.
Creating Coping Mechanisms and Healthy Alternatives
A behavioral therapy program can also help people create coping mechanisms that can benefit them in the future. To start, therapy might focus on the acronym HALT. This stands for hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. Learning to recognize and accept these conditions and learning how to cope with them can go a long way in relapse prevention.
Individuals can also explore some of the many alternative ways to cope with cravings. People can practice saying no or develop new hobbies like hiking and cooking. All of this preparation during therapy will increase the chance of lifelong sobriety out in the real world.
Types of Behavioral Therapy Programs
Behavioral therapies come in many varieties. Some options include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy program
- Family therapy program
- Yoga therapy program
- Psychotherapy program
Incorporating Behavioral Therapy at Serenity House Detox & Recovery
Behavioral therapies and drug detox services go hand-in-hand at Serenity House Detox & Recovery. In addition to medical care and ongoing support, all of the following will also be available to clients:
Together, the combination of detox and a behavioral therapy program can lead to lasting recovery. At Serenity House Detox & Recovery in Houston, Texas, you can find the support you need to fight addiction once and for all. Take back your life and call 866.516.8356.