For anyone who has the stain of substance use on their life, substance abuse counseling exists to help them heal. Additionally, counseling allows individuals to move forward in healthy directions so they never return to drug or alcohol abuse. Having a problem with substances doesn’t reflect on you as a person, but it does threaten the positive future you’ve always dreamed of. Thus, substance abuse counseling at Seaglass Recovery is holistic in approach and person-focused to help you make the changes you need. For details on what it looks like and how long it takes, continue reading for an outline of the logistics.
What Is Substance Abuse Counseling?
Substance abuse counseling is a proven treatment method to help people achieve lasting sobriety. There are multiple intended outcomes of counseling for addiction, such as relapse prevention, sobriety motivation, and trauma healing. Unfortunately, people who experience their own struggles with substance addiction rarely come to a point of seeking help without pain in their history. Inherently, drug and alcohol abuse bring trauma into people’s lives. Thus, there is major healing to be done in counseling. At the same time, individuals discuss the dangers of substances and work towards personal motivation to make lifestyle changes.
What Does a Substance Abuse Counselor Do?
Substance abuse counselors are there to listen, engage, and prompt individuals towards recovery. In one-on-one counseling sessions, your substance abuse counselor will help you work through any therapy approaches you’re following, like behavioral therapy. In group sessions, counselors lead groups of similar individuals through exercises and discussions. Overall, substance abuse counselors help people battling substance use recover through intentional steps, like therapy.
What Substances Can Counseling Treat?
Perhaps you’re not sure if you’re eligible for substance abuse counseling. Truthfully, anyone who struggles with unhealthy use of any substance, whether alcohol or drugs, is qualified to enter substance abuse counseling. We treat a wide range of issues at Seaglass Recovery. Some of our guests have co-occurring disorders, which we treat through dual diagnosis programming. And if you are interested in counseling but not for substance abuse, we offer other types of treatment as well. For instance, mental health counseling or trauma-informed counseling might be a better fit.
Alcohol
Alcohol is an addictive substance, although it is not a drug. Often, when people think of substance abuse, they only consider drug addiction. However, alcohol is a powerful depressive substance that works on the central nervous system. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prevalent disorder in the United States and one of the most dangerous to try to overcome. That is to say, if you struggle with alcohol abuse, it’s important to seek professional help with medical detox and rehab.
Opioids
Opioids are potent prescription painkiller drugs that are one of the most tragically abused. Over the last decade, opioid overdose death rates have increased by roughly 400 percent. Today, opioid prescriptions are closely monitored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), but still opioids are illicitly manufactured and sold. It’s virtually impossible to quit opioid addiction on your own, making substance abuse treatment necessary.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are a classification of central nervous system depressant drugs. This means they have a sedative, calming, and relaxing effect on the brain and body. Medically, benzodiazepines are prescribed for anxiety disorders, sleep conditions, seizures, and even alcohol withdrawal symptoms. However, when people misuse benzodiazepines or use them for recreational purposes, they put themselves at risk of addiction. Benzos are strong and fast-acting and can lead to dependence.
Stimulants
Stimulants are essentially the opposite of benzodiazepines, as stimulants activate the central nervous system. Thus, their effects are energy, alertness, focus, drive, and enhanced cognition. Unfortunately, these results are highly sought-after, making stimulants often abused. One of the main prescription uses of stimulants is attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).The reason stimulants are so dangerous is because they are habit-forming when used outside of their intended prescription.
Does Substance Abuse Counseling Take a Long Time?
One common question is how long the process is. Of course, there’s not one timeline for how long it takes someone to heal from their addiction. It is always going to be specific to the individual. But overall, how long does rehab take? You can spend weeks or months in treatment for your addiction, depending on how much time you can be available. In sum, we offer flexible treatment options, such as regular treatment or intensive treatment. If you go the route of intensive treatment, you will spend more daily time in sessions like addiction counseling, but you will finish rehab sooner.
For a general idea of what rehab includes, so you can determine how long it will take, here are the different elements of treatment.
Initial Consultation for Substance Abuse
Rehab starts with an initial consultation, which is a meeting between you, your counselor, and any support members you want to bring. During this meeting, it’s important to be open and honest about what you’re looking for, your financial situation and insurance, your timeline, and any other pertinent details. This is because after the meeting, you will be given a personalized treatment plan. It will outline your therapy approach, timeline in treatment, and other personal preferences like medication and program levels.
Detox for Substance Abuse
Medical detox is the first level of care for anyone who is entering rehab with substances in their body. We offer detox for alcohol and drug abuse. Notably, it’s a 4-10 day process of weaning the body off substances to end up with a sober physical and mental state.
Residential Treatment for Substance Abuse
Residential inpatient treatment is the earliest level of care for individuals to move into once they’ve completed detox. The purpose of this primary level is to develop tools to make sobriety a lasting personal commitment. Thus, you will participate in intensive therapy and counseling sessions each day while you live in-center.
Outpatient Treatment for Substance Abuse
The outpatient rehab level is the later level of care for those who are ready for more independence in rehab. Having completed the initial inner healing work and having gained tips and tricks, individuals now prepare for the future. They will move out of the center but still attend therapy and counseling meetings for reduced weekly hours. Additionally, our guests work with their case managers during outpatient rehab to ensure concrete needs for the future are met.
Aftercare for Substance Abuse
Once you graduate from rehab, you are still a member of the Seaglass family and we want to ensure you remain supported. During aftercare, we help our alumni transition into “normal life” in strong and healthy ways. For example, we can connect you to Sober Living Housing, support groups, resources, and ongoing therapy.
What Does a Substance Abuse Counselor Do?
Substance abuse counselors work with both individuals and their families to help the one who is struggling receive help for their disorder. As part of their mission to provide care, they create custom service plans, provide resources, and support you every step of the way. During your sessions with your counselor, you will work through tailored therapy methods to help you heal from your history. Top priority is helping you prevent relapse after leaving rehab, so together you will work on your relapse plan. Overall, you can turn to your counselor in confidentiality and trust for anything you need during treatment.
Individualized Treatment Plans
Every guest of Seaglass Recovery receives a tailored treatment plan accounting for their needs and goals. You will make this with your substance abuse counselor during the initial consultation and follow it in the weeks to come.
Case Managers vs. Therapists
People often wonder about the difference between the treatment team members, from case managers to therapists to counselors. Case managers help individuals meet concrete needs that will serve them in the present and future. For example, they can connect their clientele to housing, jobs, schooling, and therapy. On the other hand, therapists directly work with individuals to walk them through therapeutic methods of healing.
At Seaglass Recovery, our substance abuse counselors take on both roles. Thus, they work one-on-one with guests and help them answer questions and meet needs.
The Dangers of Substance Abuse
When wondering whether you or someone you love needs to enter treatment, it’s important to be aware of the many risks of substance abuse. There are ample short- and long-term dangers that affect your mental health and physical wellness.
Physical Dangers of Substance Abuse
Long-term substance abuse leaves you at risk of experiencing any of these symptoms:
- Weakness
- Malnutrition
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Lung damage
- Brain damage
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
Mental and Emotional Dangers of Substance Abuse
Substance abuse also takes a serious toll on your mental and emotional health, including risk of:
- Social withdrawal
- Loss of interest or pleasure
- Memory problems
- Confusion
- Paranoia
- Delusions
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Suicidal thoughts and impulses
- Defensiveness
Find Help for Substance Abuse
It’s not easy to accept the destruction substance addiction has on your life, but it is imperative to recognize your need for help. As long as you continue down the road of addiction, your health and wellness will take a hit. Yet, you don’t have to live that way! Our fully comprehensive substance abuse rehab in Arizona can truly change your life. All you have to do to get started is give us a call or fill out a contact form.
Substance Abuse Treatment Programs
If you struggle with substance abuse, with alcohol or drugs, we have substance use rehabilitation programming. It is available for people at any stage of addiction, from the early patterns to full-blown substance use disorder (SUD).
Recovery Support Groups
Recovery support groups are peer-led groups for individuals struggling with substance use or mental health. For example, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are both recovery support groups. Going through your recovery journey with others is an important element of healing. Even after you finish counseling for substance abuse, it’s wise to stay connected with others as you collectively heal. Talk to us about your options, and we’ll get you set up with a substance abuse counseling support group.
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