Mikaela Taylor is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and is the State Behavioral Health Director. Mikaela has grown with BrightView and... read more
To achieve long-term success in recovery, it’s important to develop healthy addiction coping skills. It can be difficult to build these coping skills on your own since it is often a lack of these skills that contributed to substance abuse initially. In outpatient addiction treatment programs, you’ll find the support and resources you need to heal.
At BrightView, our goal is to provide you with the necessary tools for lasting recovery. Addiction treatment goes well beyond helping you get through withdrawal since there are behavioral and emotional components to any substance use disorder. We help you carve out your recovery path with a combination of individual, group, and family therapies designed to instill the healthy coping skills you need to manage all that life brings your way. Call us today at 888.501.9865 to learn more about how our outpatient addiction treatment programs can prepare you for a healthy, sober lifestyle.
How Can Healthy Addiction Coping Skills Support Your Recovery?
To understand the importance of learning coping skills as part of addiction recovery, it helps to know what contributes to substance use disorders (SUD). Some of the top reasons people turn to substance use are problems involving:
- Stress
- Work
- School
- Family
- Romantic relationships
- Trauma
When some people encounter difficulties with the above factors, they may not know how to deal with them. Self-medication is a typical response when you have a problem that you do not know how to manage. Drugs or alcohol can seem to provide a temporary escape from the issue. Unfortunately, substance use does not solve these problems and can lead to SUD.
Quitting drugs or alcohol is beneficial for your well-being. However, you will still encounter life’s usual problems, which can set you up for relapse. This is where learning healthy addiction coping skills comes in.
Coping skills are the set of skills you use to respond to stressful or challenging situations. They can empower you to manage your problems in a healthy, productive manner. When you have a strong set of coping skills, you can greatly reduce the stress in your life, even in the face of challenges.
How Addiction Treatment Programs Can Build Healthy Addiction Coping Skills
Quality addiction treatment programs that use a comprehensive approach to recovery include various therapy modalities as part of treatment. You will explore the underlying reasons for substance use and identify triggers that make you more likely to use. Family therapy can also help heal relationships that have been hurt by addiction and strengthen your support system.
These are all vital to a successful recovery, but your chances of relapse are significantly lower if you learn and practice healthy addiction coping skills. Some of the coping skills that may be covered in addiction treatment programs are:
- Mindfulness techniques – Taking notice of how you feel and what triggered that feeling can help put space between the feeling and your reaction. When you automatically respond negatively to a trigger, you are more likely to engage in self-medication or other harmful behaviors. Being mindful allows you space to choose a healthier response.
- Stress management – This is one of the most crucial coping skills for sustaining recovery. Stress is a normal part of life, and there is no way to avoid it completely. Learning how to deal with stress and cultivate resilience through activities such as daily relaxation, exercise, healthy eating, meditation, gratitude, and counseling, can minimize stress’s impact on your life.
- Strengthening your support system – Join support groups, sober social groups, or other organizations that focus on healthy living. Surrounding yourself with people who share your goals for a sober lifestyle can go a long way toward enjoying a happy, healthy recovery.
Develop Healthy Coping Skills for Addiction Recovery at BrightView
When you are ready to put your health first, you can count on outpatient addiction treatment at BrightView. Your recovery is our priority, and we can get you started with treatment immediately. Whether you need intensive outpatient, outpatient, or medication assisted treatment, we are here for you 24/7 at 888.501.9865. Call today, feel better tomorrow.
