Addiction is a chronic and progressive disease that affects millions of Americans each year. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 48.7 million people struggled with a substance use disorder in 2022.[1]
The best way to overcome alcohol and drug addiction is to attend a professional rehab center. These programs offer a variety of services to ensure you achieve long-term recovery. For example, you might engage in medical detox, evidence-based therapies, relapse prevention planning, and more.
One of the most important parts of an addiction treatment center is individual therapy during which time you will work with a therapist one-on-one to recover from your substance use disorder. This technique can help you recover from addiction in a variety of ways, including addressing the underlying causes of addiction, learning how to regulate emotions, and identifying potential triggers for relapse.
In this article, you will learn:
- What individual therapy is
- How it helps you recover from addiction
- What the benefits of individual therapy are in a drug and alcohol rehab program
What is Individual Therapy?
Individual therapy is a type of psychotherapy where you work one-on-one with a licensed counselor. It can take place in a private practice, a hospital, or a specialized program like a drug rehab center. Typically, sessions last between 40 to 60 minutes at a time and can take place over weeks, months, or even years depending on your needs.
This type of therapy is used for a wide range of issues. If you are struggling with depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, or another type of mental health issue, you could benefit from individual psychotherapy.
The goal is to help you develop healthy coping skills, improve self-awareness, increase mental well-being, and encourage personal growth. It can also be used to manage the symptoms of diagnosed mental health disorders.
A variety of therapeutic approaches are used during individual therapy, including:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Motivational interviewing (MI)
- Contingency management (CM)
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
- Trauma-informed therapy
- And more!
How Does Individual Therapy Benefit Addiction Recovery?
Individual therapy sessions are used during addiction treatment programs to help you recover from the psychological and behavioral aspects of substance use disorder. You will work with a trained professional as part of your individualized treatment plan.
Individual therapy can help you recover from addiction in the following ways:
Addressing Root Causes of Addiction
There are underlying factors that contributed to your motivations for abusing drugs and alcohol in the first place. Individual therapy helps you identify and work through those causes to lessen your chances of relapsing later on.
Some of the underlying causes of addiction may include:
- Abuse or neglect as a child
- Traumatic experiences in childhood or adulthood
- Untreated mental health conditions
- Witnessing trauma like domestic abuse in the household
- Lacking coping skills for intense emotions
Your therapist will help you determine what factors caused you to begin using drugs and alcohol to cope. Then, you will engage in specific therapeutic models to help you recover from those issues. Doing this will lessen your motivation to abuse substances in the future.
Identifying Patterns of Behavior
People with addiction often develop maladaptive behavioral patterns that can be difficult to break. For example, you might engage in substance abuse every time you experience a negative emotion. Your therapist will help you identify these patterns of behavior by pinpointing what triggered you to use substances in the past.
Once these patterns of behavior are identified, you and your therapist will begin to find alternative ways to respond in the future. This makes it less likely that you will abuse drugs or alcohol when something negative occurs later on.
Learning Emotional Regulation Skills
Many people begin abusing drugs and alcohol to cope with intense feelings. Because you never learned how to regulate your emotions, you self-medicate them with substances. During individual therapy, you will learn important emotional regulation skills that will replace the action of abusing drugs.
One example of an emotional regulation skill you will learn is mindfulness. Mindfulness asks you to be aware of your feelings, body, and mind in the present moment. This helps you view your thoughts and feelings from a neutral perspective, increasing your ability to self-soothe.
Identifying Triggers for Relapse
Relapse is common among people with substance use disorder. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 40 to 60% of people with an addiction suffer from a relapse.[2] Because of this, it is important to be aware of the people, places, and things that might trigger you to crave drugs or alcohol.
During individual therapy, you will identify your triggers for relapse and learn healthy coping mechanisms to use instead of abusing alcohol or drugs. This lessens your chances of experiencing a relapse once you complete your treatment program.
Find Help for Drug and Alcohol Abuse
If you or a loved one suffers from addiction, it’s time to seek professional help. At Archstone Recovery, we can provide you with the tools and support you need to achieve long-term sobriety. One of the major tools we use during treatment is individual therapy.
Contact us today to learn more about how individual therapy can help you recover from addiction.
References:
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): HHS, SAMHSA Release 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Data
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): The Science of Addiction Treatment and Recovery
