Substance use disorders are notoriously difficult to manage. Luckily, you do not need to deal with them on your own, as there are numerous rehab Cambridge OH options that can make the entire process much easier. One of the best options in Cambridge is our very own Harmony Ridge Recovery Center West Virginia. Depending on your particular situation, you can opt for medical detox, medication-assisted treatment, inpatient and outpatient rehab programs, as well as partial hospitalization programs. Throughout the course of these programs, you will have access to numerous treatment modalities that can help you become sober. In this article, we are going to detail all the options at your disposal. Continue reading →
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!
Due to various types of approaches to treating addiction, looking for the right rehab Point Pleasant WV centers have on offer can seem confusing. Fortunately, there are quality rehabs in WV to choose from that are also easy to find online. This guide will show you exactly what to look for in a treatment center and more. Continue reading →
The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). In some ways gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude in addiction recovery helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. The actual definition of gratitude is a positive acknowledgement of a benefit that an individual has received. Gratitude allows us to recognize the good in our lives. Focusing and appreciating the good constantly reminds us about great things all around us. And many times we realize that the sources of good are very close by.
How is gratitude in addiction recovery connected?
Those suffering from substance abuse or addiction tend to show signs of depression, and are self-centered, thinking of their own needs. With gratitude comes a less selfish attitude and more satisfaction in their needs being met and they can focus their attention on others. Gratitude in recovery is a choice, but unfortunately, not one that comes naturally to everyone in addiction treatment. The thing about the disease of addiction is that it resides in our brain. Many times throughout recovery addicts will find themselves battling their old thoughts and ways of living, and searching for gratitude can become a difficult task at times.
Once an addict begins working on cultivating gratitude in addiction recovery, they tend to develop a better mindset overall and have a much more positive perspective on life. Addiction recovery is a long and winding journey. There are moments when the recovery process will seem like a stroll in the park, at other times it will feel like a daunting expedition. This is why it is important to incorporate practices into your life that will help you along the way.
Viewing life through a lens of gratitude can benefit your life in a variety of ways. Even scientific studies have shown that gratitude in addiction recovery has many positive effects.
Here are some big ways gratitude can benefit your life in recovery and beyond.
Positive people tend to have less stress.
Gratitude boosts physical health.
Gratitude helps foster good relationships.
How do you cultivate gratitude in addiction recovery?
If people feel grateful, it is going to benefit them in many ways. But with that being said, it isn’t always easy to muster up a genuine attitude of gratitude. However, there are steps that you can take in order to grow gratitude in recovery.
Keep a gratitude journal!
Journaling can be a great way to keep the little things in mind. By writing down what you are grateful for on a daily basis, it creates a positive habit of looking for the good things. If you are faced with a troubling day, having something to reflect back on can help keep things in perspective. Try to pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings. Reflect on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you. Think big and small, and remember there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for!
Be grateful for sobriety!
Just getting sober is a massive accomplishment. Be thankful for your sobriety and be proud of yourself for obtaining it. Your life is on the up and up and there is no turning back! If we are grateful for being sober, it is more likely we will stay that way. We will focus more on being thankful for those that helped us and less on the negatives. It has to do with motivation.
By being grateful we will continue to work toward our goals in recovery, attending meetings and being engaged with those that still struggle. It is when we take our sobriety for granted that we start getting into trouble. Each day is a gift and each day sober is a new chance to appreciate those things and people in our lives that bless us.
Write a thank-you note, even if it’s to yourself!
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
-Oprah Winfrey
Gratitude in drug addiction recovery begins with you. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.
Keep positive people in your circle of influence!
“Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.”
-Karl Marx
People tend to be influenced by the people they spend time with. Surrounding yourself with positive people can help you maintain a positive outlook and view things in a similar light. Being around positive role models can also help you grow. Gratitude comes more naturally when you can see the bright side of situations. FInding gratitude in drug addiction recovery allows thankfulness to guide your recovery journey. If someone is a positive influence on your life, it will make all the difference when you’re exploring yourself and growing into the person you aspire to be.
Don’t compare your life to others!
“A flower does not think about competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.”
-Zen Shin
Another way to look at gratitude is from an opposite perspective, that people are unhappy because they want the things they do not have while failing to recognize all that they do have. Those that aren’t grateful for their own lives find themselves comparing their lives to those of others. When you find yourself with envy because you are comparing your circumstances to another’s, try to find something to be grateful for. In most cases, people deal with things you cannot see, so you should focus on your own struggles and triumphs.
Think about others first!
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”
-C.S. Lewis
Self absorption can be a huge problem for people in recovery. When people are addicted to alcohol or drugs, they will spend most of the time only thinking about their own needs. When these individuals become sober, they may continue to be preoccupied with themselves. Self-absorption makes life difficult but when people feel grateful they have less reason to be so selfish. They feel satisfied that their own needs are being met so they can now focus at least some of their attention on the needs of other people.
Are you ready to find gratitude in addiction recovery?
By incorporating the above tips to bring gratitude into your daily life, you are setting yourself up for a long and healthy life in recovery. Addiction recovery is about more than simply avoiding substances. With a grateful mindset, you have the opportunity to lead a happy and fulfilling life free from addiction. However, if you are having trouble finding things to be grateful for and are slipping towards relapse, be sure to reach out to someone you trust as soon as possible. Generating gratitude is a process similar to recovery – it can be threatened by negativity, resentment, and self-pity. It’s easy to regress back into old patterns when things don’t go your way. Do not be afraid to ask for help. In the meantime, make sure that you take a moment to ‘stop and smell the roses.’ Are you or your loved one struggling with gratitude in recovery? We’re here to talk.
Every rehab center has a strict policy regarding the items you can and cannot bring. When packing for rehab, you should check with your chosen rehab Morgantown WV center about the allowed items. As for the necessities, most of the rehab facilities recommend more or less the same list of essentials. This comprehensive guide is here to help you curate your packing list and get ready for rehab with ease. Continue reading →
Without a doubt, substance abuse is a very prevalent challenge of our times. Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) affect different demographics with comparable frequency, and swiftly lead to health complications and even overdose deaths. Prescription drugs, illicit drugs, and even legal substances can kindle addiction, often inescapable without treatment. Still, you may not know what to expect during substance abuse treatment in WV, and uncertainty might discourage you. Continue reading →
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.
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.
If you’re in any way invested in the field of addiction and addiction treatment, you’ve likely seen this correlation. Identifying as LGBTQ and experiencing a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) seem closely connected, as statistics show. In a time when SUD trends among general populations in the US already show a worrying trajectory, this correlation simply cannot be ignored. Thankfully, addiction treatment in Parkersburg for the LGBTQ community is not falling behind; addiction treatment providers have taken note. Continue reading →
For many, social media use during rehabilitation may feel like a very useful crutch. In some cases, and in some regards, it very much can be. Getting to socialize with one’s peers, showcase progress, and rebuild self-esteem might help one recover. However, social media impacts addiction recovery in WV and beyond in many different ways – some distinctly negative. Continue reading →
For many of us, our dietary habits seem insignificant and don’t really preoccupy us all that much. After settling into some rather healthy nutritional habits, we tend to leave it at that – if at that. This might work in general, everyday life settings, but in the context of addiction eating healthy is absolutely vital. An abundance of substances can directly impact appetite and nutritional intake, which in turn affects mental and physical health. Thus, a healthy diet can help during addiction programs in West Virginia and beyond. Continue reading →
