Dr. Sabiha Alam Choudhury is currently working as the Head of Department of Psychology and Counselling at School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Assam Don Bosco University, Tapesia, India.

Her research areas are Positive Psychology, Counselling & Psychotherapy, and Marriage and Family Counselling.

Email: sabiha.choudhury[at]dbuniversity.ac.in , sabihachoudhury9[at]gmail.com

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Addressing Mental and Emotional Needs During Drug Recovery

Mental health drug addiction

People who are going through a recovery program for substance use issues tend to feel as if they are under extreme pressure. Staying on the path to recovery takes a tremendous amount of patience, emotional resilience as well as ongoing encouragement from positive relationships. In this article, we will discuss several factors that may impact the recovery process.

Stress 

There is a strong correlation between stress and addiction, and understanding this connection is important for the recovery process. People who experience severe stress early in life are more likely to experiment with illicit drugs at an early age and develop an addiction. Many people use drugs as a means to escape from intense stress.  Learning and using healthy methods to cope with stressful situations is vital for successful long-term recovery. 

Support from Family and Friends 

Many alcohol addiction programs instruct people on how to stop drinking with the Sinclair methods.  One of the reasons individuals may relapse, however, is their inability to establish trustful, supportive relationships in their social circle. It is impossible for a person to recover from drug addiction without proper support from their loved ones. Rebuilding broken relationships with family and friends is imperative for the success of the recovery process. For this, the addicted person needs to make amends for the harms that he or she may have caused in the past. 

The family of an addicted person will also be going through its own process of recovery. Re-building trust, as well as mutual respect may take months or years. So it is imperative that people with addiction and their family members are patient with each other during this time period

Support Group

According to various mental health and addiction experts, group therapy offers additional benefits that are simply not available in individual therapy sessions. Group settings enable people with addiction to support as well as challenge each other after taking the sinclair method for treating alcohol dependence. Group therapy offers a shared community for people to talk and support each other through the recovery process. There are many communities that organize these meeting for different types of addiction issues each week. Moreover, there are family support groups that provide emotional support to the family members of the individual who is experiencing addiction.

Physical Activity 

Drug abuse may take a serious toll on your body, mind, and emotional state. As a result, many recovery programs encourage the use of physical exercise as a part of the recovery process. Individuals who are engaged in physical activities release natural endorphins which relax the mind and make them feel good, thereby reducing stress. 

Along with improving physical health, bodily exercise is great for building self-esteem.  Exercising daily for thirty minutes will have a significant positive impact on a person’s overall health and well-being. Meditation is another important activity that may help people in therapy to stay focused during the recovery process. 

Spiritual Healing 

People who are going through the recovery process sometimes say that their spirituality is vital for maintaining their sobriety. Regular attendances at churches, community services, and prayer groups may help individuals who believe they need a higher power to assist them through the drug recovery process. If you are among them, contact your local church, congregation or other spiritual services. 

Image by Лечение Наркомании from Pixabay

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Credit- What is Psychology (WIP). Published by- Dr. Sabiha : www.drsabiha.blogspot.com