If you’ve experienced addiction in your life, or you have a loved one who you’ve seen go through addiction, then you can understand the mental and emotional impact that it can have on you. Being in recovery for an addiction to a substance, such as opioid use disorder, is a journey that takes time with the help of the right support. One of the most effective types of support is counseling.
Counseling refers to talking with a licensed health care professional. They can help you through the mental, emotional, and spiritual challenges that come from experiencing addiction. Counseling can help even if you’ve been in recovery for a considerable amount of time. It can help you work through those difficult emotions, thoughts, and memories, providing you with benefits that can improve your overall quality of life for years to come.
5 lasting benefits of seeing a counselor if you have experienced addiction
Counseling goes beyond the current challenges you’re having. The goal is to help you gain insights and tools that can help you in the future, even after your addiction treatment has been completed. A licensed counselor can help you with the following:
- Changing how you think about drugs — By changing the way you think about the substance, such as opioids, you can adjust your behaviors relating to it as well. A counselor can help you change the thought patterns you have when you think or see the substance. By changing your thoughts about it, you can see it in a different way that makes it easier to fight the craving.
- Learning your triggers — It can be hard to fight your cravings. However, the desire may come from a specific situation, person, or place that can cause, or “trigger,” your cravings as a response to how it makes you feel. A counselor can help you pinpoint your triggers and then learn to manage those triggers if you’re faced with them. For example, if your way of dealing with a family argument used to be opioids, you can learn coping mechanisms that can help the next time a family conflict comes up.
- Developing coping strategies — Branching off the point about triggers, a main goal of counseling is to learn coping skills. A licensed counselor can help you through times of stress, sadness, or anger. By learning how to get through those difficult emotions and thoughts, you can gain confidence. You can feel strong in your ability to decline substances as a possible coping mechanism. A counselor can help you learn the right coping strategies. Possible options include breathing exercises, journaling, or calling a friend.
- Setting plans and goals — Counseling can help you reach your long-term goals. You can work with your counselor to discuss what you hope to accomplish in the future. This can mean anything from not using opioids again for a certain amount of time to starting a new career. By discussing your goals with a counselor, you can come up with a plan for your goals. Then, they can motivate you through each step.
- Practicing self-compassion — We’re all our own worst critics. It can be difficult to be kind to yourself when you keep facing challenges from an addiction. A counselor can help you learn how to give yourself a break and be proud of each step of progress, no matter how small. They can help you learn to be more positive with strategies like self-talk. For instance, when you go a week without use, you can tell yourself, “I’m being strong.”
Groups includes counseling as a central part of opioid use disorder treatment
Counseling is a powerful tool for people experiencing addiction. It’s most effective when paired with other options, such as medication.
At Groups, we help you through opioid use disorder with a combination of medication, life-goal assistance, and counseling. You’ll start with Suboxone, a prescription to help reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Then, you’ll join weekly group sessions. These sessions involve counseling in a safe, nonjudgmental environment, which allows you to open up about the different points in your recovery journey.
We’re here to show you what you’re capable of. We also want to help you stay motivated to work toward the future that you want.
Give our Recovery Support Specialists a call today for more information or to begin your recovery. If Groups doesn’t offer treatment in your state, you can locate other treatment options here.
