Ways Therapy Can Help Someone With A Substance Use Disorder

1. Ways Therapy Can Help Someone With A Substance Use Disorder Someone with a substance use disorder, or addiction, can’t always see the problems it’s causing in their life—or even realize they have an issue at all. If you have a loved one who is struggling with substance abuse, you might be wondering how to help them get clean and sober. One important step in helping someone recover from addiction understands what’s going on in their head during the process. This post details five ways experts in substance use disorder Lexingtonky can help someone with a substance use disorder. It Helps People Recognize Their Patterns One of the first benefits that therapy Lexington ky can provide is insight into one’s substance use. Many individuals with substance use disorders can identify triggers for their addiction, but may not be able to recognize patterns in their behaviors. For example, an individual may realize they feel most comfortable when under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, but often do not consider how much time they spend searching for substances before using them. Behavioral therapy helps people learn to recognize their addictive behavior patterns and gain insight into how these patterns affect their life. It also shows individuals how external cues trigger certain behaviors which they once thought were under their control. It Allows People To Be Accountable For Their Choices Working with a therapist in substance use disorder Lexington ky can help someone who is struggling with a substance use disorder become accountable for their actions. By exploring their thoughts and feelings, they understand why they are making certain choices about using alcohol or drugs. This provides them with more insight into themselves, which allows them to be honest with themselves about what they want out of life. Being honest about that encourages them to make positive changes in their lives that will help them reach their goals. It Gives People An Opportunity To Learn About Themselves When someone comes to therapy for help with a substance use disorder, they are usually quite aware of their addiction and know that there are things that need to change. However, identifying what those changes are can be difficult for many people. By working with a therapist, people can gain insights into themselves and how they interact with others—insights that could ultimately help them achieve sobriety. It Shows People How Substance Abuse Is Affecting Their Lives As someone with a substance use disorder, you might not be able to see things clearly or objectively. You might feel like your life is under control and everything is fine, even though it isn’t. However, when you see yourself through your therapist’s eyes—or better yet, through your loved ones’ eyes—you start to realize how substance abuse has affected your life.

2. It Helps People Find Their True Selves Sometimes substance abuse can cause us to lose sight of which we are and what we want in life. We might think that substance abuse is helping us cope with certain issues in our lives or that it makes us feel more accepted or cool within our peer groups; however, these aren’t healthy reasons for using substances. It Facilitates Change In Thought Processes And Behaviors Many substance use disorders are accompanied by unhealthy thought processes and behaviors that stem from substance-induced changes in brain chemistry. For example, if you’re abusing cocaine, it will likely elevate your levels of dopamine, which gives you feelings of euphoria. Once your drug use wears off, however, your dopamine levels will plummet—leaving you with mood swings and cravings. By identifying thoughts and behaviors that don’t work for you (and creating new ones that do), therapy can help reinforce these positive patterns.