Abusing drugs or alcohol often stems from trying to medicate unresolved problems. The person reaches for something to soothe their pain or ease traumatic emotions. However, their only way to cope can eventually become an addiction. Recovering from their addictive habit involves learning better coping skills.
Tactics that steer a person in the right direction help them form healthy habits. Individualized treatment programs work best to target a person’s personality and situations.
Developing Healthy Coping Skills
There are many new lessons for a person going through treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. They begin to learn what causes addiction and how it changed their life. The most valuable lesson come with the person learning more about themselves.
Therapy gives them a chance to understand how their thoughts, behaviors, and actions led to substance use. Changing these patterns can be challenging, but not impossible. Rehab is the beginning, but it does not guarantee the person will remain sober.
Recognizing triggers that may lead to relapse is crucial. Developing healthy coping strategies can lead to a successful recovery. A person learns healthy ways to express their needs and rejects old destructive habits.
Proper Coping Skills for Addiction Recovery
Attempting to cope with a negative aspect of life is a predominant characteristic of drug or alcohol addiction. Feeling overwhelmed by a troubled marriage or job loss increases stress levels. Their use of substances to self-medicate can quickly become an addiction.
Once addiction takes over, it prevents the person from dealing with situations properly. Removing unhealthy coping mechanisms puts a person in the driver seat of their life. This is crucial to keep a person from returning to the addiction of choice when life gets rough again.
Lessons for coping during substance abuse treatment should include:
- Objectively viewing stressors
- Problem-solving
- Managing cravings and negative, self-defeating thoughts
- Discipline and self-control
- Accepting oneself and others
- Asking for support
- Connecting with healthy relationships
Why Coping Skills Matter
Avoiding a return to drug or alcohol use is a primary reason a person needs healthier ways to cope. Addiction wired their brain to reach for controlled substances. Now, they need new and healthier ways to deal with what life throws at them. This is a crucial part of relapse prevention to help them stay sober.
Better ways of coping offer a unique way to learn triggers. The person who acknowledges problems and triggers can move past those issues without using. They become liberated to live a fulfilling and substance-free life.
Woodlands Recovery Centers Can Help You!
Come to Woodlands Recovery Centers to get help with developing healthier ways to cope. It is our mission to help you overcome and be free from the struggles of addiction. We offer peaceful surroundings that prepare you for real-world challenges to your commitment to sobriety.
Our holistic approach and evidenced-based addiction therapy services include:
- Art therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Experiential therapy
- Nutritional therapy
Don’t wait any longer and let addiction continue to control your life. Start anew with coping skills that help you defeat the crutch of drugs or alcohol. We are just one phone call away. Contact Woodlands Recovery Centers at 855-752-3377 to begin your road to recovery.
