Tag Archives: Addiction Therapy

opiates and opioids in the same picture

Opiates and Opioids—What’s the difference?

In the world of medicine, both opiates and opioids have a significant place. A general (and any other type of) surgery, as well as every field that touches the subject of the physiology of pain, relies a lot on these substances. But, since they target the brain on a molecular level, they became a quite common guest in conversations about mental health and addictions. In order to be a  part of those conversations and understand them to your benefit, you need to know the difference between these two terms (and it’s not just a few letters). Harmony Ridge Recovery Center WV explains everything. Continue reading →

A woman holding a black cat

Learn How Bonding With Animals Can Help Your Recovery in Parkersburg WV

As any animal lover will tell you, spending time with animals is good for you. It is not just an opinion either – multiple scientific studies have proven that spending quality time together is beneficial for both humans and animals. In fact, animals are sometimes used in therapy for conditions such as anxiety and depression. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that if you struggle with addiction, bonding with animals can help your recovery in Parkersburg WV too. Many drug and alcohol treatment centers in West Virginia offer animal-assisted therapy as a part of their program or work with non-profits that do. If you are feeling anxious about rehab, consider spending some time with a furry (or feathery or scaly) friend – it could make a big difference in your recovery!

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The Value Of Community In Managing Your Recovery Process

We often hear of the sheer significance of community support in rehabilitation. In the same way, we recognize that peer pressure and influence can lead one to addiction; we understand that peer support can help liberate one from it. The value of community in rehab is widely accepted, especially among addiction treatment professionals. From group counseling and 12-step programs to other aftercare programs, we at Harmony Ridge Recovery have applied this principle ourselves. Continue reading →

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Rehab Options Near Marietta OH

Even if you’ve never been to rehab yourself, you probably have an idea of how it goes. Maybe you’ve seen the AA meetings in TV shows or heard about the discomfort of detox from someone who’s already been through it. But here’s the thing – rehab looks different for different people at different times and in different rehab centers in West Virginia. While it’s never easy, it doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, unpleasant, or ineffective. There are plenty of options when it comes to rehab Marietta OH; you just have to find what works for you.

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Traits of Reliable Rehab Center Near Fairmont WV

The first step toward recovery – admitting that you need help – is always the hardest one. But once you have asked for help and have people in your corner, things are supposed to get easier. Whether they actually do, however, depends on the help you’re receiving. Oftentimes, the wrong kind of assistance is worse than no assistance at all. That is why it’s important to choose the right rehab center near Fairmont WV when you decide to go into treatment. You should only put your faith in the best rehabs in WV. But how will you recognize which facilities are reliable and trustworthy? And how will you know which treatment centers to avoid? There are some signs you should look out for.

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Benefits of Group Therapy for Addiction

Enlisting the help of a substance addiction treatment program is a significant step toward recovery, one that entails considerable strength. The thought of coming face to face with your demons and transforming your lifestyle in extraordinary ways may bring about various emotions, including hope, anxiety, and possibly fear. One of the most anxiety-provoking perspectives of substance addiction treatment for most is the therapy process. It’s natural to feel some resistance to the possibility of exposing your soul to a foreigner during counseling or individual therapy. Even more intimidating is the idea of addiction group therapy for addiction, which is an essential part of most substance addiction treatment programs. While both group and individual therapy forms are intended to help patients gain insight, learn coping skills, and how to work through challenging problems, addiction group therapy has several benefits that complement individual therapy.

Benefits of Group Therapy for Addiction

What is Group Therapy for Addiction?

Group therapy for addiction is therapy that involves two or more individuals at the same time – in addition to the therapist – rather than one person in recovery working one-on-one with a therapist. Participants in a therapy group take turns talking about their struggles, feelings, experiences, and goals. Therapy groups may be tailored to a specific recovery topic, such as how to recognize and avoid triggers, or they may be general, such as how to handle difficult family, peer, work, or other interpersonal relationships.

Benefits of Group Therapy for Addiction

Recovering from drug addiction can make you feel isolated and alienated. In group therapy, you’ll connect with people who have gone through experiences similar to yours and are in addiction recovery. You may feel safer sharing your thoughts and feelings with peers who understand. If you’re considering group therapy for addiction, consider these other major benefits.

Broad Range of Feedback

It seems like we should know ourselves better than anyone else but that’s almost never true. Our self-images are always distorted and we mostly understand ourselves through interacting with other people. In that respect, group therapy is a rare opportunity to understand yourself better. In some ways, it’s even better than individual therapy. In individual therapy, you have to rely on the feedback of your therapist, which you may disagree with. After all, therapists have their own biases and blind spots too. You may resist your therapist’s suggestions for what seem like rational reasons. However, in group therapy, you can get a greater variety of feedback. If several group members agree that you’re behaving irrationally in some way, you may be more likely to take that feedback seriously.

Allows Your Therapist to See How You Interact with Others

One major drawback of individual therapy is that most of the time, you are the therapist’s only source of information about your life. Most people don’t go into a session with the aim of deliberately deceiving their therapists but we all see the world through our own filters. We describe other people’s actions as we see them and not necessarily as they are. However, in group therapy, we are interacting with others in real time. Your parent or spouse may not be part of the group but the way you interact with group members can give the therapist insight into how you interact with other people in your life.

Helps You Improve Your Communication Skills

Most of us assume we are good communicators but few of us actually are. Most of the time, we don’t listen well and we have no idea whether someone else has actually listened to us or understood what we said. Poor communication skills have consequences for every area of our lives, including our careers, personal lives, and random interactions. Interpersonal conflict is the biggest source of stress for most people. Group therapy improves your communication skills because you are all engaged in the project of listening and understanding. If you haven’t understood someone correctly, someone else will likely jump in. Not only will you sharpen your listening and empathy skills, but you will also see how others misinterpret what you say and you will gradually learn to communicate more clearly. This is not an opportunity we normally get in our daily interactions.

A Sense of Belonging

Individuals suffering from alcohol or substance use disorders usually become isolated from friends, family, and the world in general. Their substance use strains their relationships and could even cause irreversible damage. Addiction group therapy allows these people to experience a feeling of connection and belonging that was missing from their lives. The recognition that they’re not alone in this struggle helps to ease their feelings of isolation, which will allow for healing and positive transformation to occur.

Unique Aspects of Group Therapy

The group therapy process allows members to benefit from their communications with other group members, along with the interaction and input of the therapist. During individual therapy, members might question if the therapist has ever walked in their shoes and can understand what they are truly going through.

In addiction group therapy, patients will have at least one thing in common with their peers amongst the group: substance or alcohol use disorder. Another unique element of addiction group therapy is that the group itself represents a small duplicate of each other’s lives in the world outside of treatment. In other words, each individual’s strengths and weaknesses are exhibited over time in the group setting.

For example, if a group member gets defensive in response to constructive input, that struggle will resurface during the addiction group therapy process. This provides an excellent opportunity for group members to work on challenges in a secure setting. And as always, they are working with the help and support of their peers.

What to Expect During Group Therapy for Addiction

Group therapy sessions may be open or closed. Open meaning brand-new members can join at any time, or closed means the group members remain the same from start to finish.

Open groups can be continuous, with no specific beginning or end date, while closed groups are generally composed for a predestined number of weeks or months. Outpatient therapy groups are regularly closed groups, while inpatient and residential group sessions are usually open groups.

Therapy groups can be led by a singular therapist or co-led by two therapists. The therapists must be licensed and have experience doing addiction group therapy. The role of the therapist will be to set and augment group therapy guidelines and rules, lead the group discussions, and ensure the atmosphere is healthy and productive for all members.

The group therapist will ask questions, encourage cooperation, give feedback when needed, and observe how members interact within the group. The principal goal is to help all members benefit in a way that leads them closer to achieving their individual therapy goals.

Get Help Today

If you or a loved one suffers from substance abuse, now is the time to get them back to a healthy lifestyle. Our treatment specialists here at Harmony Ridge Recovery Center have the tools and experience to help end addiction for good.

Whether it’s your first time in treatment or you just need some questions answered, contact us today for a free consultation.

Silhouettes of a spoon and fork cut out in sugar.

Why Do Recovering Alcoholics Crave Sugar?

Freedom from addiction is a hard journey. When one first quits a substance, withdrawal symptoms and substance cravings come as the first challenge to overcome. Even past this initial hurdle, individuals do experience cravings throughout and even after rehab. Still, these cravings are typically for the substance itself, not others. Then why do recovering alcoholics crave sugar as well as alcohol, or instead of it? Continue reading →

Developing a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle During Your Recovery in WV

Prolonged use of substances will negatively impact your health – both mental and physical. One of the most common side effects of drugs and alcohol is on the heart and the cardiovascular system. Drugs can raise or lower your blood pressure to dangerous degrees, send your heart into overdrive, and even cause a heart attack. Repeatedly putting your heart under that kind of stress can cause permanent damage. This is why the best drug and alcohol treatment centers in West Virginia never focus on psychotherapy alone; instead, rehab should help heal your body as well as your mind. Developing a heart-healthy lifestyle during your recovery in WV is an important part of that as it can prevent further damage to the heart, help you avoid heart disease, and ultimately prolong your life.

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How to Choose Between Recovery Centers in West Virginia?

Choosing the right addiction center in West Virginia for yourself or your family member is one of the few life-changing decisions you will ever have to make. Fortunately, rehabs in WV offer a range of substance abuse treatments and services that meet the highest standards of medical and psychological support. Here we talk about criteria to take into consideration to help you choose between recovery centers in West Virginia Continue reading →

Addiction and Suicide

Addiction and suicide present a very complex relationship. Experiencing suicidal thoughts have the power to lead and increase the risk of addiction. Similarly, addiction has the potential to increase the risk of suicide. Substance abuse and suicide also have a tricky dynamic involved with depression. It’s important to note before reading this article that there is hope, you are not alone, and numerous suicidal treatment centers are looking to deliver support and care.

What Is Substance Addiction?

Substance addiction, also known as drug addiction or a substance use disorder, is a disease that affects an individual’s behavior and brain. This is because substance addiction causes people to not be able to control their use of legal or illegal drugs. 

When an individual is addicted to a substance, he or she might continue to engage in substance abuse despite the harm it may cause. Addiction can begin with the experimental use of recreational drugs in a social situation. For some individuals, from that first encounter, drug use becomes more frequent. Other individuals, especially those engaging in opioid use, might even start abusing substances because they received medications from friends or relatives who have been prescribed the medications. 

The actual risk of substance abuse and addiction varies depending on the drug and how addictive it is. It also varies depending on how susceptible to developing a substance addiction a person is. There are some drugs, such as opioid painkillers, that quickly cause addiction and are, in turn, riskier to use altogether. 

What is Drug Dependency?

As time goes by, you might find that you desire and need higher doses of drugs to feel high.

Once this occurs, individuals engaging in substance abuse might discover that they need drugs to even feel sane. As such people’s drug use continues to increase, it might become progressively more challenging for them to go without the use of drugs. 

When a person attempts to stop drug use altogether, that can cause severe drug cravings and make the person physically sick. When a person experiences cravings for a drug when minimizing or discontinuing use of it, that person is experiencing withdrawal symptoms. This means that that person is dependent on that drug. 

Once individuals develop drug dependency, substance addiction isn’t too far behind. This is why it’s crucial to enter into an addiction treatment center for help once one feels any sort of dependency or addiction.

What Are Signs That a Person Is Suicidal? 

There are numerous signs that a person is suicidal. Similarly to every individual that is different who contemplates suicide, the warning signs that people might display are different. There are, however, “classic” suicide warning signs that some individuals demonstrate before taking their own life. 

Some individuals disclose no suicidal warning signs publicly. In fact, an individual will rarely present a full range of the suicide warning signs listed here today. Many of the individuals that do display suicide warning signs though do not attempt or fall victim to the thief that is suicide. 

The Most Common Warning Signs That a Person May be Suicidal 

  • Abandoning hobbies and other sources of enjoyment
  • A sudden decrease in academic and work performance 
  • Expressing a feeling of being trapped or desire for death 
  • Isolation from friends and family
  • Heavy alcohol and drug use
  • Acting anxious or agitated 
  • Avoiding social situations
  • Reckless behavior 
  • Extreme irritability 
  • Hopelessness
  • Insomnia 

What Are Some Other Warning Signs?

Many individuals will give warning signs or signals of substance addiction and suicide plans. The best thing that you can do to prevent a loved one from committing suicide is to be aware of suicidal warning signs. Once you learn how to respond to such warning signs appropriately, such knowledge can indeed be very helpful. 

Other warning signs of suicide include:

  • Sudden personality changes and drastic mood swings
  • Loss of interest in day-by-day activities
  • Getting affairs in order, saying goodbye
  • Sleeping and eating pattern changes
  • Self-destructive behavior
  • A sudden sense of calm 
  • No hope for the future
  • Talking about suicide 
  • Self-hatred

If you spot any suicide warning signs in a loved one, you could be faced with the heavy decision of deciding if you should say anything or not. However, it’s fair to say that an individual that talks about suicide often or shows many suicide warning signs needs immediate assistance. Luckily, there are rehab facilities that treat addiction and suicide.  

You talking to the individual that is struggling with addiction and suicide will likely not make the situation worse. In fact, it instead will likely make the situation better. When you’re able to show that you care about a person’s struggle with addiction and suicide, it gives the person struggling the opportunity to open up to you and discuss his or her feelings. This, in turn, could actually prevent a person from committing suicide. 

 If a loved one confesses to you about his or her addiction and suicide thoughts, help enroll your loved one in professional treatment centers for suicidal patients. Also, provide your loved one with support and empathy. Let your loved one know that he or she is not alone and that you deeply care. 

How Can Substance Addiction Cause Suicidal Thoughts?

Substance addiction can cause suicidal thoughts in various ways. Addiction and suicide have an interconnected and close relationship along with depression. Over 90% of the individuals that fall victim to suicide struggle with depression, have an active substance abuse disorder, or both. 

When you think of substance abuse and suicide, it’s imperative to understand that the relationship between the two is dangerous. Both can trigger the appearance of the other. 

People that suffer from mental illness conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depression, and bipolar disorder often turn to alcohol, drugs, and gambling, along with numerous other high-risk activities as a way to alleviate their negative feelings or numb their pain. Unfortunately, though, substance addiction increases the duration and severity of depressive episodes. Thus, while one is gaining temporary relief, the likelihood of suicidal thoughts or ideation is increased. Furthermore, suicidal ideation is aggravated by the fact that addiction usually destroys or damages professional, financial, personal, and familial relationships. 

What Age Group Is Most Suicidal?

The age group that is the most suicidal is young people, ranging from around 10-34. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death amongst Americans. It is the second leading cause of death among Americans in the age range of 15-34 and the third leading cause of death among Americans in the age range of 10-14. 

Suicide is the intentional ending of one’s own life through one own’s actions. Suicide is considered to be one of the greatest health epidemics in the nation by numerous professionals in the medical field. In 2019, about 45,511 died from suicide in America. Suicide rehabilitation at treatment centers for suicidal patients is one of the main ways to combat this issue. 

Does Therapy Work for Suicidal Thoughts?

Therapy works tremendously for suicidal thoughts. Suicidal ideation and previous suicide attempts can take quite an emotional toll on an individual and the people close to him or her. It’s even possible that a person struggling with addiction and suicide can become so engrossed with suicidal thoughts that they’re no longer able to function on a day-by-day basis. 

Previous suicide attempts can leave permanent scars on the person struggling with substance abuse and suicide, along with crippling injuries such as organ failure and brain injuries. Thus, the sooner an individual that suffers from addiction and suicide enters suicide rehabilitation, the better. Not only can suicide rehabilitation and addiction treatment save a life, but they can also assist people in moving past dark times in their lives. 

For individuals who are struggling with suicidal ideation, a suicide treatment facility that offers inpatient treatment can be helpful.  Through this type of treatment method, individuals that are struggling with suicidal ideation will be able to:

  • Receive the type of therapies needed to get to the root of what is causing their suicidal thoughts
  • Undergo treatment for the presence of their substance abuse problems
  • Receive any medication they might need

What Are the Effects of Suicide and Suicidal Thoughts?

The long-term effects of suicidal thoughts can present to be extremely catastrophic for all parties that are involved. They might include the following:

  • Damage to all organ systems
  • Brain damage and death 
  • Severe injury
  • Seizures 
  • Coma 

The Effects on Suicide Survivors

There has been recent research that has indicated that for each successful suicide attempt, there are about 6-8 loved ones who are left behind. They are called suicide survivors and they are often consumed by several conflicting emotions such as:

  • Grief over losing someone they care about
  • Anger 
  • Guilt 

Other Effects

  • Intense feelings that they could have prevented the loss of their loved ones
  • Complicated grieving
  • Deep depression 
  • Extreme guilt 
  • Shame
  • Anger

Who Can I Contact if I Have Suicidal Thoughts?

If you are having suicidal thoughts, you can contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 800-273-8255. They are available for you for free, all hours of the day and night. There are so many organizations that are dedicated to suicide prevention. Countless resources are here to help. It’s paramount that you also enter into one of the many suicidal treatment centers. 

What Does a Therapist Do if a Patient Is Suicidal?

The initial first step that a therapist will do if a patient is suicidal is to talk with him or her and listen carefully as the patient tells his or her story. There might be a test performed to evaluate how suicidal the individual might be. Depending on the suicide treatment facility, the individual might be asked to fill out paperwork surrounding suicide. 

Therapy will be able to fully get to the root of the problem at suicidal treatment centers. One of the most effective forms of therapy there is family therapy. This is because oftentimes suicidal individuals resort to isolation. This therapy though will further remind individuals that they are not alone. Families might also be able to provide the therapist with some insight on the cause of the individual’s suicidal attempts, and what could change to make their lives better. 

Once the family provides the necessary support at treatment centers for suicidal patients, they will be able to help that person from sliding back into an isolated mode. Typically, the family is asked to agree upon working with the individual to transform the family dynamics into one of mutual encouragement, light, support, and hope.  Furthermore, for the individual struggling with suicidal ideation, the therapist, and the family act as a solid team to improve relationships and lives. 

Beat Suicide Ideation at a Suicide Treatment Facility 

It’s important to remember that you are a whole person, not just a collection of symptoms, issues, and problems. By attending suicide rehabilitation, you are able to focus on becoming the best version of yourself again. It’s possible to be a person that’s free from addiction and that’s able to cope when life matters. Call now to hear more about addiction and suicide rehabilitation.

References:

https://recovery.org/drug-treatment/suicidal-thoughts/

https://www.aamft.org/Consumer_Updates/suicidal_thoughts.aspx#:~:text=Initially%2C%20the%20therapist%20will%20talk,suicide%20without%20first%20seeking%20help.