Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a disruptive element in anybody’s life. It alters your perceptions such that acquiring and using drugs and alcohol becomes the focus of everything. That shift is the main reason why therapy, including group therapy, is at the center of addiction treatment plans.
In a group therapy program, individuals struggling with substance abuse come together with a trained facilitator/moderator to discuss their problems and move towards solutions. Group therapy participation helps build bonds that are crucial to recovery.
At Fresh Start Recovery Center, we integrate group therapy into our treatment plans in a way that works for you. To learn more, contact our team today at 833.625.0398.
Role of Therapy in Addiction Treatment
Since substance abuse involves taking addicting drugs or drinking alcohol, you might think that all you must do is stop that behavior, and everything will be fine. There’s more to it than that.
Drugs and alcohol alter your brain chemistry. Your body begins to perceive that it needs drugs or alcohol in order to feel “normal.”
Detoxing from use is essential. But it would help if you also spent time unraveling these your thoughts and behaviors. In other words, you need to determine what brought you to this point. You do this work with a therapist experienced in addiction medicine, both individually and in group therapy.
Your therapist will discuss your current life, your family, and your upbringing. The goal is to help you understand yourself better and build new coping skills to address substance abuse stresses.
4 Reasons to Participate in Group Therapy
You may also wonder whether it’s necessary to open your soul and explore your problems with a roomful of strangers. In general, every individual has a different experience with addiction. So, treatment plans, especially in therapy, are built around your concerns.
There are good reasons to participate in a group therapy program, including:
- It breaks the sense of loneliness and isolation you might feel from recovery. Friends and family can empathize, but only someone else also in recovery can truly understand the pains of addiction.
- You join a community and find allies. Doctors and therapists cannot be with you all the time. Having a sponsor or mentor that you can call when things get tough is very important.
- It’s an environment geared toward solutions. Working together in group therapy, you can share ideas that may help resolve problems quickly and simply.
- Group therapy provides structure and purpose. Building a new routine in sobriety is challenging; having group therapy participation to focus on makes it less so.
The Importance of Aftercare
It’s easy to believe that treatment ends when your therapist pronounces you healthy. That’s not so. Addiction is a lifelong challenge. The condition is treatable, but there is no cure. Like cancer, it can return.
That’s why treatment programs include the aftercare stage. During aftercare, clients will continue therapy. The goal is to refine your coping skills and look for ways to alter your lifestyle to support sobriety.
But aftercare also involves voluntary participation in 12-step recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or SMART Recovery. These groups help further the concept of community and encourage building bonds to grow.
Take advantage of the resources you have access to, from detox to therapy to group therapy and aftercare. These resources will help you chart a new course.
Thrive in Group Therapy at Fresh Start Recovery Center
No one single treatment resolves substance abuse. It takes hard work to reclaim sobriety. One of the essential parts of treatment is group therapy. At Fresh Start Recovery Center, we provide the right mix of therapy environments to move your recovery forward. We are a Maryland-based treatment center near Washington, D.C. We offer a range of treatment options, including:
- Women’s addiction treatment
- Men’s addiction treatment
- Partial hospitalization programs
- Intensive outpatient programs
- Outpatient programs
- Dual diagnosis treatment
Group therapy plays a key role in each of our programs, as we find that group therapy participation leads to critically important bonds of support. Get the fresh start you deserve. Contact a counselor today by calling Fresh Start Recovery Center at 833.625.0398 for your initial consultation and to learn more.
