Substance Abuse Therapist: Get the Help You Need to Overcome Addictions

A substance abuse therapist provides assistance to people need help to overcome addiction. The counselor help prompt discussions that will unearth deep rooted feelings that may contribute to the problem. Sometimes people use alcohol and drugs to numb themselves from the pain experienced from trauma in their lives.

Although people typically feel that they can quit using drugs and alcohol on their own, the reality is that it is extremely difficult to quit and stay off drugs without help. In most cases, seeking the help of a substance abuse therapist is the first step to becoming clean and sober. A person who asks for assistance from a counselor is making a real commitment to achieving sobriety. It is also important to keep appointments and participate in group sessions that are recommended by the counselor. Openly discussing your feelings and seeking support from others can effectively help people who are struggling with addiction.

People who struggle with addiction must learn the skills necessary to turn away from alcohol and drugs when they are surrounded by these substances. They must also learn how to make decisions that will help keep them from being placed in situations that can have a negative impact on their sobriety. The counselor can provide helpful methods to help people who have been addicted to drugs and alcohol live normal lives in a world that contains these addictive substances.

Making the transition to living without drugs can be a stressful and difficult undertaking. A counselor can support people who are involved in this undertaking, and counselors are well aware of the physical and psychological changes that people go through. The counselor can help people who are trying to get off drugs to prepare for these changes and challenges.

A substance abuse therapist can also recommend family therapy sessions, because oftentimes the entire family is impacted when a family member uses drugs or alcohol. These sessions are important, because they can heal wounds created by the problem. The sessions also give the person who has been taking the drugs and alcohol a chance to heal old wounds.

Because the challenge of staying off drugs and alcohol is a lifelong endeavor, it is necessary that people continue to see their counselor even when they feel that they are clean and sober. People who have had issues using drugs and alcohol must constantly seek the support of others who can provide them with stability, especially when the patient is experiencing stress or feelings of discontent.

A counselor can help the patient recognize triggers that may result in a set-back. When the patient is prepared for these triggers, he or she can do at better job at finding other ways to handle these stressors rather than using drugs or alcohol.

Contacting a counselor can help save a person's life, but the counseling is more effective when the person really wants help and will make a commitment to treatment. The patient is more likely to stick with treatment if he or she is ready to be clean and sober for life. A substance abuse therapist can only support that desire.