People who use drugs and alcohol often do so to cope with emotional pain and psychological turmoil. Unable to process in any other way, they turn to substances to numb their feelings. Drug and alcohol abuse due to self-medicating may appear to help them cope with pain, anxiety, or trauma. However, doing so can have drastic effects on their mental and physical health. As a result, there is a lot of crossover in therapies and treatments that are effective for both addiction and mental health issues. With the help of dialectical behavior therapy, you can gain recovery skills and communication skills training.
Naaman (Naaman) treatment center helps sufferers develop life skills in recovery to help them manage their emotions. We don’t provide mental health treatment when it occurs alone, but we do provide support when it co-occurs with substance use disorders. If the condition is severe, we may recommend finding a treatment center that is more suited to render treatment for their needs. To learn more about how Naaman can help you or someone you love, reach out today. Call 888.541.9239 or fill out our online form.
What Are Life Skills?
Life skills are any recovery skills that are essential for long-term physical and mental health. For instance, these skills may include:
- Shopping for healthy and nutritious groceries
- Balancing a budget
- Healthy methods of managing stress
- Tools for managing mental health concerns
- Communication skills training
Many of our clients gain recovery skills through dialectical behavior therapy. Our therapeutic services can significantly lessen the effects of mental health issues and give our clients the tools that they need to manage their addiction. In addition, dialectical behavior therapy can prevent relapse in many cases.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Provide Life Skills in Addiction Recovery
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is highly effective in treating both mental health issues as well as certain addictions because it addresses prior trauma. Dialectical behavior therapy can help you as it brings about behavioral and cognitive shifts by focusing on four key elements:
- Mindfulness – Bringing focus to the present moment, mindfulness retrains a mind that relies on impulse and reactiveness when experiencing extreme or difficult emotions. By pausing at the moment when the urge to return to use strikes, clients can use other coping mechanisms.
- Distress tolerance – Those who use drugs or alcohol may struggle to cope with the unpredictable. Distressing emotions, events, and thoughts that seem to overwhelm can be tolerated more effectively. Therefore, they don’t feel the need to use drugs or alcohol to release and cope. Distress tolerance and mindfulness are critical to DBT.
- Emotional regulation – Most agree that this is the most important of all four DBT skills. Swings in emotion, extreme lows and highs, often trigger relapse. But emotions are transitory. Understanding that helps people learn to regulate emotions to a tolerable level and avoid relapse
- Interpersonal effectiveness – In order to get help for significant problems, communication is key. For those who struggle to express their feelings and ask for what they need, using drugs or alcohol seems like an alternative because it offers temporary relief. Becoming a confident, effective communicator allows for human connection, the creation of safe boundaries, and the ability to seek help and support. These things are critical in shifting people away from addictive behaviors.
Begin Recovery at Naaman Today
We offer evidence-based recovery skills through therapy, including dialectical behavior therapy, at our treatment programs. We can help you gain mastery over your addiction by healing from within. Our experienced, compassionate staff is here and ready to welcome you into treatment. To learn more about life skills in addiction recovery at Naaman, reach out today by calling 888.541.9239 or using our online form.