Drug use is a true public health problem in today’s society, and in the Western world different types of addictive substances with devastating effects on the body and mind are increasingly proliferating.
For this reason, for several decades, psychology professionals have studied in detail the different processes behind drug addiction to develop Effective therapeutic strategies for drug use which not only mitigate symptoms and discomfort but also help people internalize other behavioral patterns and routines away from psychoactive substances.
This type of help in psychotherapy covers a series of processes that range from psychological, social and family support to that related to physical symptoms, elements that are closely related in the field of addictions.
What therapeutic support processes are used to overcome drug addiction?
Below we will briefly see the main psychotherapeutic support processes that exist in the field of psychological therapy to help overcome any drug addiction. All of them are based on promoting changes in the way of behaving and managing thoughts and emotions, and do not depend on the use of psychotropic drugs.
1. Stress management training during withdrawal syndrome
Withdrawal syndrome is the set of physical and psychological symptoms that the person who is immersed in an addiction process experiences when they stop consuming the substance to which they are addicted (whether cocaine, alcohol, heroin, etc.).
Through psychotherapy, mental health professionals can help anyone successfully manage their withdrawal syndrome and also overcome it permanently. without letting the discomfort and stress that this experience produces trigger a relapse in drug consumption.
The usual way of proceeding in these cases is to help manage stress and anxiety through relaxation techniques, simple Mindfulness exercises, and establishing short-term incentive systems.
2. Improve self-esteem
Improving self-esteem in those people who suffer from a case of addiction to any drug is essential so that they do not throw in the towel assuming that they will not be able to overcome their addiction or that it makes no sense to continue with the therapeutic detoxification process.
Psychology and mental health professionals know well that teaching patients to recognize their achievements as such and realize their potential to change for the better involves support aimed at improving the person’s self-esteem; This is essential to successfully overcome drug addiction.
3. Training in detection of trap thoughts
During the detoxification process, the person may have trap thoughts that frequently appear in their mind involuntarily and invite you to relapse into previous addictive consumption.
These thoughts generate real discomfort in the person and push them to consume the substance from which they are detoxifying again; That is why therapists teach the person to detect them and avoid at all costs that they direct their will towards relapse.
4. Establish a clear routine
Another element that psychotherapy affects when treating cases of drug addiction is the establishment of schedules and daily routines with which the person has clear occupations at all times.
These weekly schedules must be followed in a fairly disciplined manner so that the person does not at any time have periods of boredom and indecision about what to do, since these usually present a high risk of relapse into drug use.
5. Self-motivation training
Motivation is essential when overcoming any type of addictive disorder, that is why therapists and health professionals put into practice all kinds of techniques to train motivation in the person with the aim of making them feel better and with more vitality.
In this section it is also essential to talk about self-motivation, that is, the person’s ability to recognize their own progress and use it as an incentive to continue improving in the treatment and to find internal strengths that help you move forward with the therapeutic process, using the progress made as fuel to continue improving in therapy.
6. Establishment of healthy habits
The process of weaning off any drug consists of relearning various life habits, techniques and useful tools that allow the person to overcome their addiction and return to living their life normally and functionally as a member of society.
Some of the life habits that the person must learn are, in addition to normal life schedules, weekly physical exercise that keeps them fit and focused on the present, a healthy and nutritious diet, and tracking proper sleep schedules.
7. Support when establishing healthy personal relationships
The area of interpersonal relationships is also essential for anyone to live their life fully and happily.
During psychotherapy adapted to cases of drug addiction, health professionals teach various tools to re-weave personal relationships with total normality with the aim of making new friends and not having to depend on previous friends with whom they used to consume drugs.
In addition to that, there is also an emphasis on recovering, to the extent possible, family relationships that may have been damaged by drug use and on establishing healthy romantic relationships.
8. Self-knowledge training
One of the last steps in the psychotherapeutic process of drug cessation is to provide support in a process of self-knowledge so that the person being rehabilitated find new hobbies that fit her and that she can focus her attention on.
The objective of this process is for the person to feel good about themselves again, to find productive hobbies of all kinds with which they can “connect” emotionally and get excited, so that they do not depend on the system of short-term incentives that substance consumption provided. .
