Therapy and the development of coping skills are an important part of treating addiction. However, therapeutic treatment is only on part of the puzzle. For treatment to be effective, the problem of addiction must be addressed from a variety of angles, including every mental, physical, and spiritual aspect of the disease. That is not to say that therapy isn’t necessary to treat addiction. It is extremely important, but other forms of treatment are also necessary. Successfully treating addiction requires approaching and addressing all underlying causes of the problem. If we address only substance use without addressing causes and underlying concerns that may have exacerbated one’s addiction, it is unlikely that an individual will be able to maintain sobriety. The National Institute on Drug Abuse explains, “Behavioral therapies vary in their focus and may involve addressing a patient’s motivation to change, providing incentives for abstinence, building skills to resist drug use, replacing drug-using activities with constructive and rewarding activities, improving problem-solving skills, and facilitating better interpersonal relationships. Also, participation in group therapy and other peer support programs during and following treatment can help maintain abstinence.” Many men and women entering into treatment have mental health concerns that therapy can treat to improve the likelihood of maintaining sobriety after treatment has ended. The importance of the spiritual component of addiction is often under-recognized by men and women first entering into treatment. They may believe that detoxification is enough, or that they only need mental health treatment in order to overcome addiction. However, addiction is a complex disease that affect the mind, body, and spirit. We cannot only treat one aspect of the disease at the expense of the others. Detoxification addresses the physical component and therapy addresses the mental component, but for the spiritual component, we need to adhere to a recovery program that stresses spiritual fitness and provides suggestions for spiritually-based practices that can help us maintain abstinence. Once we are able to become more fit mentally, physically, and spiritually, and maintain that fitness, we are much more likely to remain happy, joyous, and free in our sobriety.
Your story doesn’t have to be one of pain and suffering as a result of addiction. You can make the courageous decision to seek help now and embark upon the rewarding journey of recovery. Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment center in the heart of beautiful Laguna Beach, is staffed with experienced professionals dedicated to helping clients develop all the tools necessary to achieve and maintain lasting sobriety. For information about individualized treatment options, please call today: (877) 279-1777
