How Getting Sober Can Greatly Increase Your Mental Health

How Getting Sober Can Greatly Increase Your Mental Health

Credit: www.livingsober.com

Dual diagnosis centers specialize in treating clients who experience the symptoms of both mentalillness and drug or alcohol abuse. If you suffer from bipolar disorder, an anxiety disorder, ordepression, but also struggle with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, it's crucial that you seek out arehab treatment center that's geared toward treating dual diagnosis patients. Otherwise, you runthe risk of treating only your mental illness, or only your addiction.

The symptoms of addiction can worsen mental health conditions. In some cases, the symptoms adrug user or alcoholic experiences can mimic those of a mental illness. For example, someone usingpsychedelic drugs may experience auditory or visual hallucinations. Someone with an addiction topainkillers may have physical symptoms similar to someone suffering from depression. If you or aloved one is suffering from the symptoms of both mental illness and substance abuse, professionalsat a dual diagnosis treatment center can help work out which illness is triggering troublesomesymptoms, so that the journey to sobriety can begin.

When you make the decision to enter a rehab treatment facility or an alcoholism treatment center,you'll still have quite a bit of work ahead of you. First, you'll be evaluated by a medical doctor and apsychiatrist. These professionals will help you to deal with the acute symptoms of your addiction andyour mental illness, so that you're stable enough to begin detoxification. At this stage, medicationmay be necessary to stabilize you. The physical detoxification process will then begin. If you strugglewith addiction, it's absolutely essential that you seek out a dual diagnosis treatment center beforeyou attempt sobriety. If you have a longstanding substance abuse problem, and quit using suddenly,the shock to your system can cause severe medical problems. If you suffer from a mental illness,quitting "cold turkey" can be quite dangerous. Instead, consult one of the dual diagnosis treatmentcenters in your area to begin treatment.

After you've completed the medical detoxification process, your psychiatrist will reevaluate yourcondition and decide on maintenance medications for you. Once you're medically stable, you'll alsobegin individual and group therapy sessions. These sessions will be customized for your individualneeds, and are designed to help you work through the psychological issues surrounding addiction.

You'll learn about yourself during this process, discovering how and why you became addicted, anyunderlying issues that are triggering you to use drugs or alcohol, and tricks and tools to help you onyour journey to sober living. Treatment for dual diagnosis includes many aspects of care, and willhelp you work through the emotional, physical, medical, and spiritual issues surrounding addictionand mental illness. If you're religious, you may find that a Christian drug rehab center is the rightchoice for you.

Dual diagnosis treatment centers offer many types of therapy, including cognitive behavioraltherapy, psychoanalytic therapy, narrative therapy, family approach therapy, and person centeredtherapy. This guarantees that no matter the individual issues that have triggered your drugaddiction, there's a therapeutic approach geared to help you work through them. By combining drugand alcohol rehabilitation, medical detoxification, psychiatric care and medication, and individualand group therapy, you'll end up with a well rounded approach that will help you on the road tosobriety. Getting clean and staying sober will take hard work on your part, and it's essential that youhave the proper psychological tools to help you achieve your goal. A qualified dual diagnosisprogram can help you to do just that.