When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I didn't know what I was going to do. After the devastation subsided, I decided to take a very standard, western approach to my healing. Although initial efforts were successful, my cancer recurred a few months later. I endured many additional months of treatment before I started focusing on myself. I decided it was time to incorporate complimentary alternative treatments into my healing regimen, including massage therapy. I can't even begin to tell you how much it changed my life. My healing became a process, instead of something I simply had to endure. I hope that the articles on my website can inspire you to stay open-minded about your own healthcare.
If you are trying to overcome an addiction to drugs, you will need a lot of support along the way. Even when you have been clean and sober for a while, you will still need support, and a big part of that support should likely be individual and group counseling. Here are some key things you should be aware of in relation to addiction and counseling.
Addiction Never Really Goes Away
You may have kicked your drug of choice to the curb, but drug addiction never really goes away. Your brain is now hardwired for that drug, and it can be very difficult to refuse it when others might be offering it to you. You will have many moments where you feel as though the drug is calling to you, and you cannot seem to function because your brain and body keep craving it. Years after people have stopped using, they still remember using, and they can still crave it during times of stress. An addiction is with you for life, but behavior modification and choices help you stay clean/sober. Drug addiction counseling can help you develop healthy behaviors and habits to avoid going back to your addiction.
Group Counseling Can Help You Make Better Friends
If the people you hung around with were users and abusers of the same drug or drugs as you were, you cannot continue to hang out with these friends. This is the fastest route back to using again. You will need to find other friends who will help you stay clear of drugs and not offer you the things you've quit. Some people find these friends in group therapy or counseling. Others find new friends through various clubs and activities that they enjoy. If there are certain activities that you would like to try or groups that you would like to join where drugs are not a social requirement for interaction, try these first before hanging out with old acquaintances.
Counseling Meetings Help You Understand Why You Started Using, and How to Stop
There is always an underlying cause for using drugs. You were lonely and you wanted to fit in. You fell in with the wrong crowd. Something really awful happened to you and you are trying to bury it deep inside, or you wanted to feel numb because of traumas in your past. You felt that you could not cope with things in the real world, or anxiety and depression ruled your head. You may find yourself feeling aimless unless you have drugs in your life. Whatever the reason, meeting with a counselor can help you find out what those reasons are. Once you know the reason or reasons behind your addiction, you will be able to find better means of dealing with these things besides turning to drugs.
If you are struggling to overcome an addiction to drugs, or if you are sober and want to stay that way, consider contacting someone who provides counseling services for drug addiction, such as Sharon O'Connell, MA.
Share21 June 2019
