Why Do Some Interventions Fail?

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If your loved one struggles with substance use disorder (SUD), you may have tried a family intervention to convince them to get professional help. Interventions are one method for providing resources and communicating your concern for their health and well-being. However, everyone responds differently, and early intervention is critical.

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “The goals of early intervention are to reduce the harms associated with substance misuse, to reduce risk behaviors before they lead to injury, to improve health and social function, and to prevent progression” of the disorder. Newport Beach Recovery Center can provide resources, treatment programs, and referrals for individuals with SUD. Family members can also contact us on behalf of their loved ones. We can give you the tools to conduct an early intervention and protect your loved one from further harm.

What Is a Brief Intervention?

Brief interventions are a standard tool for increasing self-awareness and presenting treatment options to individuals with SUD. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “Brief intervention focuses on increasing insight and awareness regarding substance use and motivation toward behavioral change.” The person with the SUD may be aware of the upcoming intervention, or they may not be informed ahead of time, depending on the circumstances.

Other interventions include those conducted by family members or mental health professionals. Family interventions are often informal, conducted by various family members or close friends, and occur within the home. You can work alongside an addiction specialist when planning a family intervention. Professional interventions are led by someone with experience in the mental health field and usually occur in a neutral setting, like a therapy office. The goal is to provide information, education, and motivation for your loved one.

Why Participate in an Intervention?

Interventions show that you care about the health and safety of your loved one and that you have concerns about their risk-taking behaviors. People with SUD have low self-awareness because of maladaptive behaviors, lack of essential skills, and changes to the brain caused by substance abuse. Interventions can provide the insight they may not currently have the capacity to achieve independently.

Family members often participate in or host an intervention due to the following:

  • Concern for their loved one’s mental health
  • Physical health scares caused by substance abuse
  • Legal or financial issues related to substance abuse

Realistically, all these reasons and more can warrant an intervention. You should feel motivated to host an intervention from a place of love and concern.

Why Do Some Interventions Not Work?

Interventions do not always work because every case is unique. Some people don’t receive the kind of encouragement they need. Other people may not be ready to hear the reality of their situation. In addition, well-meaning family members or friends may conduct poorly constructed interventions. Some common mistakes people make when attempting an intervention include:

  • Setting unrealistic expectations
  • Blaming, accusing, or using judgmental language
  • Not educating themselves about the realities of addiction
  • Setting the intervention in a location that puts pressure on the individual with SUD
  • Not actively listening or attempting to communicate honestly
  • Expecting immediate results or giving them an unrealistic ultimatum

Any small hiccup can derail an intervention. As such, participants should practice what they’re going to say and the words they’ll use.

What Are Essential Elements of a Successful Intervention?

As we just discussed, there are many ways a person can mess up an intervention. Luckily, this isn’t a hopeless situation bound to fail. Interventions that work involve the following four features.

#1 Honest Communication

When planning an intervention, you need to assess your own pain points related to your loved one’s substance abuse. In the intervention, you can address these honestly. Honest communication will allow you to stay compassionate during the intervention. You should avoid using blaming words to the best of your abilities. Make factual statements, actively listen to their concerns, and provide relevant responses.

#2 Neutral Territory

Where you choose to have an intervention will affect the outcome. If you choose a space that puts your family member on edge or makes them feel threatened, they may not listen to what you have to say. Hosting an intervention in your home or a place with negative memories for your loved one may set them on edge before you even start. The last thing you want is for them to feel threatened or uncomfortable. A neutral location is best.

Examples of neutral locations include:

  • The home of your loved one
  • A mutual friend’s home
  • Your therapist or counselor’s office

When choosing a space for the intervention, look for the following:

  • Privacy
  • Comfort
  • Convenience
  • Safety

If the person receiving the intervention knows about the plans, you might consider asking them where they would feel most comfortable. They may open themselves up more to the possibilities if they feel like they’re actively participating in the planning.

#3 Nonjudgmental Language

Words matter, and how you choose to talk about the person and their substance abuse will impact the intervention. Nobody likes to feel judged, and language should remain supportive or neutral even if you want to use “tough love” to wake your loved one up to their current circumstances. Nonjudgmental language can stop them from automatically going on the defensive.

#4 Professional Consultation

You want to see your loved one heal and recover from substance misuse. Addiction recovery professionals like the ones at Newport Beach Recovery Center can help determine if your loved one would benefit from an intervention. When you reach out, we can guide you through how best to approach it. We can also provide you with information, referrals, and educational resources to help you prepare for the intervention.

Interventions are a helpful tool for families and mental health professionals who want to help someone struggling with substance use disorder. You can improve the likelihood of success by setting the intervention in a neutral space after consulting with mental health or addiction recovery professionals. If you have previously tried an intervention and it did not work, then your loved one may not have been ready to hear the reality of their current circumstances. You cannot control their response, only how you prepare for the intervention and react to them. Interventions can fail if you get too emotional or try to set unrealistic ultimatums. Instead of using an intervention to force your loved one to change, you can use it as an educational moment to give them critical insights into their condition. To learn more about how we can help, call Newport Beach Recovery Center today at (888) 850-0363.

How Individual Therapy Improves Self-Awareness

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“Self-awareness is the ability to take an honest look at your life without any attachment to it being right or wrong, good or bad.†– Debbie Ford

Recovery requires some degree of self-awareness. You cannot learn new behaviors and ways of thinking if you cannot recognize maladaptive patterns in your life. Self-awareness encourages personal insight, reflection on the past, and mindfulness. Accepting all aspects of yourself and finding areas to improve can increase your overall well-being. The care team at Newport Beach Recovery Center can help you build self-awareness using evidence-based techniques and alternative holistic therapies.

What Happens During Individual Therapy?

Newport Beach Recovery Center personalizes all individual therapy sessions to ensure you have the tools to process traumas, cope with daily stressors, and improve your mental health. Specifically, they will help you find coping mechanisms that fit your personality and background. You can expect to do the following during sessions:

  • Discuss your thoughts, ideas, feelings, and behaviors about treatment
  • Develop essential skills
  • Breathing, meditation, and mindfulness exercises
  • Be assigned homework like journaling
  • Process trauma and underlying issues related to substance misuse

Every session will focus on one or more areas related to your mental health and sobriety. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), “A variety of different types of psychotherapies and interventions have been shown to be effective for specific disorders.†In order to fit your unique needs, the dedicated team at Newport Beach Recovery Center will assess you to determine what forms of psychotherapy will benefit you most during rehabilitation. The personalized care we offer will also provide you with multiple complementary options.

How Self-Awareness Encourages Healing

Self-awareness involves objectively looking at your thoughts and actions and determining if emotional responses fit the circumstances. For example, if you have a negative encounter with a coworker, then you might react by feeling anxious, depressed, or angry. Increased self-awareness would allow you to identify the area of conflict and problem-solve to find a positive solution.

Ultimately, self-awareness encourages healing by showing you how certain behaviors and thoughts influence your circumstances. You become more attuned to your emotional state, and you may find yourself feeling less out of control. Positive life changes require a degree of self-awareness and commitment to creating a better future for yourself.

Therapeutic Methods at Newport Beach Recovery Center

Clients at Newport Beach Recovery Center have access to multiple forms of therapy. We specifically personalize every treatment plan to ensure the best possible outcome. You will have the support of our whole team behind you, driving your recovery during treatment. Our facility offers the following therapeutic methods:

  • Activity therapy
  • Art and music therapy
  • Relapse prevention
  • Motivational interviewing (MI)
  • Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)
  • Behavior modification
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Creative healing
  • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
  • Biofeedback
  • Contingency management
  • Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
  • Gestalt

We also offer alternative holistic options for individuals who feel more comfortable in less traditional therapy settings. If your desired holistic treatment isn’t readily available, we’ll bring in a contracted professional to lead groups.

Integrated Treatment and Co-Occurring Disorders

We may combine multiple methodologies to create an integrated form of treatment that addresses underlying issues or comorbidities. According to Social Work in Public Health, “Integrated treatment refers to the focus of treatment on two or more conditions and to the use of multiple treatments such as the combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.†Newport Beach Recovery Center primarily treats substance use disorder (SUD). However, we understand that leaving other mental health issues unaddressed makes it difficult to continue healing from SUD.

Therefore, clients have a personalized treatment plan tailored to their specific needs and preferences to ensure that any co-occurring disorders get treated alongside the SUD. Additional therapy and treatments can eventually help you feel more focused as you work to build skills like self-awareness.

The Importance of Individual Therapy During Continuing Care

Individual therapy is a critical part of aftercare. The transition out of treatment can leave many clients feeling uncertain or overwhelmed at first. Additionally, you may have residual doubts about your ability to maintain sobriety in the real world. Attending therapy during aftercare provides the following:

  • Stabilization and additional emotional support
  • A safe space to talk about the challenges you face in continuing care
  • All the tools you need to cope with triggers, cravings, and intrusive thoughts
  • Continued development of self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-efficacy

Aftercare therapy will provide you with an objective outside perspective, emotional support, and the essential skills you need to cope with stressors in the real world. Returning home and encountering social groups or locations linked with past substance misuse might trigger intrusive thoughts and cravings. All things considered, self-awareness will help you learn to identify triggers and potential problem areas that you can then address in therapy. You can work with your therapist to find ways to cope with and overcome challenges you encounter in aftercare.

Personalized individual therapy can help you increase self-awareness and give you a new way of looking at the world. The ability to identify unhealthy behaviors and predict how they might affect your life can help you overcome problems in long-term recovery. Self-awareness increases self-efficacy and improves self-esteem in individuals recovering from substance use disorder. Individual therapy makes it easier to challenge irrational beliefs or maladaptive thought patterns. It encourages you to see yourself in a new light. At Newport Beach Recovery Center, we provide clients with a wide range of therapeutic options to ensure everyone has access to a therapy modality that fits their circumstances, needs, and preferences. To learn more about Newport Beach Recovery Center and the treatment programs we offer, call our office today at (888) 850-0363. We can provide the tools you need to heal and recover from SUD.

5 Essential Life Skills Taught In Addiction Treatment

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Substance use disorder (SUD) can affect your ability to function from day to day. The symptoms of SUD make it challenging to focus on learning new skills or developing routines that will improve your circumstances. As a result, at Newport Beach Recovery Center, we encourage clients to collaborate with our care team to determine what essential life skills they need to learn, practice, or expand. We use a combination of psychotherapy, peer support, and experiential techniques to give clients the tools they need to heal and grow.

What Are Essential Life Skills?

Life skills can be practical and involve household tasks, budgeting finances, self-care, physical wellness, and job training; however, they can also be abstract and include a commitment to recovery, self-awareness, and positivity. According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), “Life skills refer to a set of personal characteristics and capabilities that are thought to increase chances of success and wellbeing in life.” For example, life skills include:

  • Persistence
  • Conscientiousness
  • Self-control and emotional stability
  • Social skills
  • Self-confidence and self-efficacy
  • Verbal and nonverbal communication
  • Maintaining physical health

Clients who need more time to build essential life skills after treatment can subsequently take advantage of the sober living community at Newport Beach Recovery Center. The facility provides a safe space while clients prepare for independent recovery.

Benefits of Essential Life Skills

The more skills you have at your disposal during treatment and recovery, the greater the outcome. Essential life skills can make it easier to cope with stressors and maintain emotional stability during difficult moments in recovery. To emphasize, some of the benefits include:

  • Greater self-efficacy
  • Improved problem-solving and conflict management
  • Increased ability to maintain financial independence
  • Better self-accountability
  • Career advancement and job stability
  • Decreased risk of relapse

All these will improve your day-to-day functioning in recovery. You’ll also increase your self-confidence because you’ll feel capable of handling problems that pop up.

Essential Life Skills Reduce the Risk of Relapse

According to the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, “When recovering individuals do not develop healthy life skills, the consequence is that they also may be unhappy in life, but that can lead to relapse.” Newport Beach Recovery Center ensures that all clients establish coping skills and other tools to help them move forward in their recovery and healing. In general, learning life skills encourages you to experience new things. It offers you an alternative perspective on yourself and others.

Clients are usually surprised by how a new perspective can encourage positive behaviors and improve their quality of life. Essential life skills can reduce the risk of relapse by helping you feel more positive about yourself and your circumstances. Likewise, they give you the necessary traits to succeed at achieving personal and professional goals. What’s more, the skills provide a solid foundation for personal growth.

5 Essential Life Skills Practiced at Newport Beach Recovery Center

Substance misuse can lead to underdeveloped social skills and an inability to live independently. However, not everyone with a SUD has noticeable social issues, and some people might only need help developing skills to improve self-care, relapse prevention, and physical health.

#1 Physical and Emotional Self-Care

To start with, self-care will reduce your relapse risk by ensuring you feel better about yourself and your recovery. Physical and emotional self-care can include:

  • Prioritizing your healing, mental health, and physical wellness
  • Getting regular exercise, hydration, and rest
  • Finding a quiet place to practice mindfulness
  • Knowing when to set boundaries with others
  • Reaching out for social support

#2 Nutritional Health and Physical Wellness

Even more, physical wellness impacts your emotional well-being during recovery. The care team at Newport Beach Recovery Center can provide you with nutritional counseling or a referral to a nutritionist who can help you determine an ideal diet and exercise routine. Additionally, other factors that impact physical health include:

  • Proper hydration
  • Nutritional meals
  • Quality sleep
  • Weekly exercise

#3 Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Equally important, knowing how to communicate effectively with others reduces the risk of conflict and lowers social stress and anxiety. Healthy communication improves your capacity to share ideas, communicate needs, and actively listen to others. We, specifically, help clients develop verbal and nonverbal communication that prioritizes compassion and honesty.

#4 Social and Relationship Skills

Similarly, it’s important to know how to interact with others. Social skills allow you to communicate effectively. They’re essential to creating healthy personal and professional relationships. Additionally, they make it easier to resolve conflicts, establish social boundaries, and increase self-efficacy. Support from peers and loved ones will help you maintain recovery. Ultimately, social skills can help you cultivate those critical relationships.

#5 Care for a Household

Lastly, taking care of a household requires knowledge, resources, and motivation. We can teach you to do the following:

  • Manage money and prioritize spending
  • Do weekly tasks like writing a check or going grocery shopping
  • Create sustainable routines for completing household chores
  • Prepare nutritional meals
  • Maintain cleanliness

All in all, the risk of relapse decreases if you feel confident in your ability to take care of yourself and your family. Learning the necessary skills to care for a household increases essential skills like self-efficacy and persistence.

Essential life skills ensure that people recovering from substance use disorder feel comfortable maintaining sobriety during aftercare. Treatment at facilities like Newport Beach Recovery Center uses individual therapy, peer support, group therapy, and educational classes to reveal areas where clients can expand their knowledge and learn new coping skills. The learned abilities will keep you making progress in your recovery and personal growth. Overall, essential life skills can improve relationships by making it easier to share ideas, maintain social boundaries, resolve conflicts, and remain objective while problem-solving issues. We believe that you have the potential to maintain long-term sobriety if you use their resources to build a healthy support system and sustainable routines. Certainly, by learning essential life skills, you can protect yourself from relapses and improve your overall quality of life. To learn more, contact Newport Beach Recovery Center by calling us at (888) 850-0363.

How to Talk To Young Children About Addiction Rehabilitation

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Substance use disorder (SUD) will affect every member of a family unit. Adolescents and young adults will notice their parent’s behaviors and make assumptions about the underlying cause. During recovery, parents need to explain the situation to young children so that it does not cause them to internalize negative thoughts or beliefs about themselves. The child might feel at fault and blame themselves for your pain even when they do not entirely comprehend what is happening. Young children may not have the ability to fully understand the situation unless someone explains it to them using clear and easy-to-follow language.

Discussing treatment and recovery before leaving them to attend a rehabilitation program usually decreases separation anxiety and stress. Newport Beach Recovery Center can help you find the right way to discuss substance misuse and treatment with your children.

How Does Substance Misuse Affect Young Children?

Substance misuse of any kind will affect your child. Everything you do either affects them directly or plays a role in shaping their physical environment and home-life experience. You may feel like keeping your family and substance misuse separate will spare your loved ones from pain. However, there is no way to separate the two truly. Your SUD will affect them, and you are responsible for minimizing and repairing any cognitive or emotional damage.

Substance misuse can affect young children in the following ways:

  • Increase their risk of developing behavioral, cognitive, mental health, or substance use issues
  • Increase their risk of witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event
  • Increase their risk of being neglected or abused
  • Decrease their capacity to cope with stress
  • Reduce their self-confidence and self-esteem
  • Increase the risk of self-harming behaviors

You can protect your child by being honest with them and consulting with mental health professionals specializing in treating adolescents and young adults. In addition, some children might benefit from attending some individual counseling or therapy.

What Are the Benefits of Open and Honest Discussions About Treatment?

Treatment comes with emotional highs and lows. In addition, your physical health will fluctuate rapidly for a short period during detox and withdrawal. If your children communicate with you during that time, the changes might shock and confuse them unless you honestly and openly discuss the situation.

Talking to your child about treatment and substance misuse does not mean going into detail about aspects that will not directly affect them. Instead, discuss things they will see during ongoing recovery to ensure they understand that you love them and that they are not at fault. Talk with your therapist to determine the best topics to cover during these discussions and how to phrase them.

A few things you can communicate include:

  • They are not to blame for any mood swings or other symptoms, including unusual irritation or depression
  • You are spending time in treatment because you love them and want to be a better parent
  • You might be avoiding certain people, places, or activities because they trigger cravings, stress, or depression, not because you are punishing the child

Children often internalize negative beliefs based on assumptions about the world around them. You can protect them from developing irrational thoughts and maladaptive behaviors by being honest in a responsible way. You can help your child understand the situation by using age-appropriate resources, including:

  • Educational classes or therapy sessions
  • Family and individual therapy
  • Metaphors to help them understand the situation
  • Support groups for children of individuals with SUD

What Should You Tell Your Child?

Discussing your condition and the realities of recovery with young children can be difficult for many parents. You may want to protect them from the pain, confusion, and stress of knowing what is happening to you. However, children are highly observant and will know that something is wrong. If you do not explain it to them, they may jump to conclusions about what is wrong with you and why you have tried to hide it from them. The way that you share the information with them will have a profound effect on your child’s growth and sense of self-worth. How you discuss SUD and treatment with your child will depend on several factors, including:

  • Their age
  • Your current health
  • The type of treatment
  • Family dynamics

Speaking with your therapist or a member of your support system can help you determine what details to share with your child. Some young children cannot fully understand the situation, and consequently, it might not affect them as much. However, teenagers and young adults can be profoundly affected by the knowledge that their parents engaged in substance misuse and are pursuing treatment.

Being a parent is not easy, and finding ways to discuss substance use disorder and the treatment process with adolescence is an impossible task. You do not want them to think less of you, worry about you, or misunderstand what you tell them. However, avoiding these conversations will only harm your child and increase their risk of developing mental health or substance misuse issues in adulthood. The best way to protect them is by having honest and open discussions about your circumstances and how they might affect the home environment and family dynamics. Clients at Newport Beach Recovery Center have access to family resources and services, including family therapy and your therapy. Your child will benefit from being educated on relevant aspects of addiction. To learn more about how we can help you and your children navigate recovery, reach out today by calling us at (888) 850-0363.

Moving Forward in Recovery After Losing Custody of Your Child

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Parents diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) can face significant consequences and challenges. The responsibility of raising a child comes with essential tasks like providing them with a safe and nurturing home environment and having the means to meet their daily emotional and physical needs. While under the influence of alcohol or drugs, parents may not recognize how their actions affect their children. Substance misuse can sometimes lead to legal issues, including having the child removed from the parent’s care.

In many cases, parents have an opportunity to regain custody of their child by completing a series of tasks, including attending rehabilitation, family therapy, anger management, or parenting classes. According to the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW), “Policies and procedures that encourage parents to enter substance use treatment and consider their parenting role as a part of their recovery process help to reduce the effects of parental substance use disorders on their children.” Facilities like Newport Beach Recovery Center can help parents recover from SUD and learn essential skills that will improve their ability to provide a healthy home environment for their children. In addition, if the state has temporarily removed your child from your care, there might be steps you can take to regain custody.

Taking Steps to Regain Custody of Your Child

The realities of substance misuse include the possibility of losing custody of your child if the state does not believe you can adequately care for your child and keep them safe. Each family and case is unique, meaning there is no single solution. Instead, you will need to work with the system, which often means meeting specific criteria for the state to determine you are a fit parent, including:

  • Proving your dedication to recovery by attending treatment and therapy
  • Attending educational and parenting classes
  • Maintaining steady employment

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “Many jurisdictions have developed specialized programs to bring child welfare, substance abuse treatment programs, and court systems together to support reunification.” You will need to maintain a steady recovery or show determination to become a fit parent capable of taking responsibility for your child’s health and well-being.

Symptoms of SUD and co-occurring mental health disorders can worsen during shifts in family dynamics. However, individual and group therapy at treatment facilities like Newport Beach Recovery Center can help you find a healthy path toward reunification with your child.

Parental Legal Issues Caused by Substance Misuse

Many parents find themselves facing multiple legal issues caused by substance misuse, including:

  • Jail time or probation
  • Fines
  • Financial difficulties caused by extreme debt
  • Child abuse, neglect, or endangerment charges
  • Divorce
  • Drug charges

Children are often directly affected by legal, financial, and career problems caused by substance misuse. Even if you try to shelter your child from the consequences, their current and future mental health can suffer. The state may have no choice but to put your child in the care of someone else while you undergo treatment and deal with the fallout of legal issues caused by SUD. Acting in good faith during this period and taking responsibility for your actions can go a long way toward showing your willingness to change.

Coping With the Consequences of Substance Misuse

The consequences of addictive behaviors can ripple through time and affect all areas of your life and the lives of your loved ones. Misusing substances puts everyone around you at risk. Your children and significant other might need their form of treatment to heal the damage caused by your addictive behaviors. You alone are responsible for your actions and the choices you make. Today you can choose to put your family and child first by participating in professional treatment. Participating in a rehabilitation program allows you to heal, grow, and regain control of your life.

A few ways you can cope with the consequences of substance misuse include:

  • Committing to change
  • Faithfully attending treatment and therapy
  • Actively participating in the recovery process
  • Increasing your ability to function through education and skill development
  • Attending parenting classes
  • Expanding your support system
  • Practicing self-care
  • Communicating clearly and honestly with your loved ones

The hard work you put into healing from SUD will benefit your child by allowing them to see how much you care about them. You do not have to endure constant regret, guilt, and shame. Instead, you can accept the reality of your situation and take concrete steps to change and create a healthier future for yourself and your family.

How to Repair Relationships With Your Loved Ones

Newport Beach Recovery Center offers family therapy and support services to help clients repair relationships with their loved ones. So you can keep moving forward in recovery and provide your family and the state with proof of your dedication to change.

Every relationship requires different steps to repair the damage. However, a few basic things you can do to make progress include:

  • Following the guidelines provided by the state
  • Being honest about your situation
  • Making amends for past behaviors
  • Actively participating in all treatment and therapy to ensure personal growth
  • Asking for help when you need it

Parents with substance use disorder have to cope with many challenges that might directly or indirectly affect their children. Many people in recovery face legal issues, including the possibility of having their child removed from their care. Losing custody of your child can motivate positive changes in your life by encouraging you to regain control of your health and repair the damages your family suffered due to substance misuse. The dedicated Newport Beach Recovery Center team can help you establish healthy routines and develop essential life skills to function as a parent. We want to help you recover from SUD and reconnect with your family. With hard work and determination, you can make changes that increase your ability to give your child the support and healthy environment they need to thrive. Learn more by contacting our office today. Call us at (888) 850-0363.

What Role Does Personal Resolve Play in Recovery?

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Self-growth is easier when you have a personal resolve to achieve and maintain sobriety. Recovery is more than medical interventions, skill development, therapy, or joining the sober community. Your determination to follow through with the recovery process will affect every aspect of your life, including mental and physical health. You will get more out of therapy and have a lower risk of relapse if you commit yourself to sobriety. Newport Beach Recovery Center uses evidence-based therapeutic methods, including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), motivational interviewing (MI), and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), to help clients make positive changes.

Why Are Motivations and Personal Resolve Essential to Recovery?

Personal resolve is a lifelong commitment to a specific idea, behavior, or belief. By choosing to remain sober, you give yourself a long-term goal that will guide your future decisions. Your resolve can help you create sustainable motivation and achievable recovery goals by doing the following:

  • Providing you with the desire to maintain sobriety
  • Reminding you of what you will achieve if you resist cravings and intrusive thoughts
  • Giving you a roadmap forward during long-term recovery
  • Empowering you to continue making healthier choices

Misusing certain substances can affect various areas of the brain and make it more challenging to examine past substance misuse objectively, which can lead to a lack of motivation. Difficulty focusing on your resolve during treatment is not a moral failing, and most people need additional support in early recovery to maintain their commitment to change. A large part of rehabilitation involves being held accountable and learning to take on self-accountability healthily.

What Are the Benefits of Personal Resolve?

Resolving to make better choices and improve your general well-being comes with many benefits, including:

  • Increased conflict resolution and problem-solving skills
  • Reduced ambivalence or hesitancy about treatment and recovery
  • Healthier relationships
  • More social engagement and better communication

If you feel confident in your ability to overcome challenges, the early stages of treatment will feel less overwhelming and stressful. A deep commitment to change can also empower you to make positive changes in other areas of your life. At Newport Beach Recovery Center, we believe that everyone has the potential to heal from SUD and related mental health disorders.

Personal resolve ensures that you actively engage in treatments, including various forms of therapy. According to The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, “Cognitive therapy is one of the main tools for changing people’s negative thinking and developing healthy coping skills.†Your commitment to learning these coping techniques will make recognizing and replacing maladaptive thought patterns and behaviors easier during recovery.

How Can You Identify Healthy Motivations?

Healthy motivations can help you maintain your resolve and work through underlying issues that contributed to the development of your SUD. Below are a few markers to look for if you want to determine whether your motivations are healthy or unhealthy:

  • Healthy motivations result in positive changes to your thoughts, behaviors, or environments
  • Unhealthy motivations can lead to maladaptive behaviors and thought patterns
  • Healthy motivations empower you to take back control of your life
  • Unhealthy motivations entrench you further in thoughts or behaviors that increase the risk of falling back into maladaptive routines.
  • Healthy motivations enhance the effectiveness of treatment and therapy
  • Unhealthy motivations can interfere with treatment and therapy
  • Both types of motivation can feel impactful at the moment

Sometimes you need an outside observer to point out when you have unhealthy coping mechanisms. You can use individual or group therapy and your support system to hold yourself accountable and ensure that your choices will improve your life and help you follow through with your resolve to recover from SUD.

Why Is Personal Resolve Important?

Personal resolve ensures that you keep the goal of sobriety at the forefront of your mind during treatment. By maintaining that focus and drive, you can achieve amazing success within a short period. Taking that mindset with you into aftercare will encourage active participation in therapy and conscious self-improvement. In addition, most people notice an increase in self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. According to Addictive Behaviors, individuals in treatment with “high confidence in their ability to resist drinking were more likely to maintain abstinence†for a significant period.

Your resolve can improve your treatment outcome and reduce the risk of relapse during continuing care. By choosing sobriety, you take back control of your life. The effectiveness of treatment relies on your ability and willingness to make positive changes to the way you think and act. A commitment to recovery ensures you get the most out of each treatment and therapy session during rehabilitation.

Your determination to make healthy changes will have a positive ripple effect on the lives of everyone around you. By taking responsibility for your well-being and recovery, you can increase the effectiveness of treatment and reduce the risk of relapse during continuing care. Your resolve to see things through and make essential changes to your lifestyle will propel you forward and keep you motivated during difficult moments in recovery. At Newport Beach Recovery Center, we believe everyone has the potential to recover from substance use disorder. We offer you the essential tools you need to heal and cope with the daily stressors that cause cravings and intrusive thoughts. You can significantly improve your outcome by committing yourself to a sober future and healthier choices. To learn more about our treatment facility and the services we offer, call our office today at (888) 850-0363.

How Is Active Participation in Therapy Essential to Recovery?

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Active engagement during rehabilitation can significantly impact the effectiveness of treatment and how quickly you make breakthroughs in individual or group therapy. Self-awareness improves exponentially when you put in the time and effort to analyze your motivations and find solutions to daily issues. Active participation involves being willing to show vulnerability and accept accountability for personal choices.

Not everyone in treatment is ready to engage right away. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “in early recovery, clients tend to be ambivalent about ending substance use.” Facilities like Newport Beach Recovery Center use various therapies, including motivational interviewing (MI) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), to help clients overcome feelings of ambivalence.

How Can You Actively Engage in Therapy?

Some people in early recovery pretend to engage because they want to get through the program as quickly as possible and return home where they can go back to misusing substances. Outwardly seeming to participate in treatment will not help you heal. Successful therapy requires active participation that includes:

  • Taking steps to increase self-awareness
  • Accepting the realities of addiction
  • Taking responsibility for your actions
  • Holding yourself accountable for your continued sobriety
  • Listening to your group or therapist and internalizing healthier coping strategies

The easiest way to engage is by following the instructions of the care team responsible for your rehabilitation program. The experts at facilities like Newport Beach Recovery Center have decades of experience helping clients recover using personalized care and evidence-based treatments. You can benefit from their knowledge by communicating honestly and being willing to change how you think about substance misuse, sobriety, and recovery.

What Are the Benefits of Active Participation in Therapy?

Psychotherapy, experiential therapy, and alternative holistic therapies are a cornerstone of treatment for SUD and co-occurring mental health issues. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “More than one in four adults living with serious mental health problems also has a substance use problem.” Therefore, active participation in therapy is essential for individuals with dual diagnoses. The benefits include:

  • Increased communication and social skills
  • Lower risk of relapse during and after treatment
  • Increased self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-efficacy
  • Decreased feelings of ambivalence or hesitation about treatment
  • Improved overall health
  • Reduced mental health symptoms

We believe therapy can help clients unlock their potential and cope with recovery-related challenges.

How Can Active Participation in Therapy Decrease the Risk of Relapse?

Active participation in therapy can reduce the risk of relapse by doing the following:

  • Preparing you to face specific triggers
  • Offering general stress reduction techniques
  • Teaching you essential skills to improve your quality of life
  • Allowing you to learn healthy self-expression
  • Strengthening the mind-body connection
  • Improving and expanding your support system

Relapse is not inevitable, and therapy significantly reduces the risk. However, it is essential to note that relapse is nothing more than a symptom of the disease. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “Treatment of chronic diseases involves changing deeply rooted behaviors, and relapse doesn’t mean treatment has failed.” Therapy will give you the tools you need to achieve and maintain sobriety despite possible setbacks.

What Information Can You Share in Therapy?

Not everyone feels comfortable being vulnerable, and you may wonder what topics are “off limits” during group and individual therapy. Due to the nature of substance misuse, underlying causes of addictive behaviors often involve highly personal events and beliefs. As a result, you may feel uncertain about whether or not you are allowed to share certain things during group and individual sessions, primarily when they paint you or someone you love in a bad light.

Client-therapist confidentiality protects your privacy during one-on-one sessions. However, there is no way to control who will disclose the information you share during group therapy. You should feel comfortable discussing relevant topics during every type of therapy session. You might feel better and avoid triggering others in group sessions if you consult with your therapist before disclosing details about crimes you have committed or explicit abuses you witnessed or experienced.

Therapy provides an excellent place to process the following:

  • Traumatic events
  • Past mistakes, including crimes committed while under the influence
  • Risk-taking or self-harming behaviors
  • Family issues

How Can You Help Peers Through Active Participation in Therapy?

Active participation in therapy and group activities will help you better understand yourself, encourage healing, and inspire peers to do the same. In addition, you can be a role model to peers within the recovery community by making progress based on a willingness to do the hard work of changing yourself.

You can help peers while actively participating in therapy by doing the following:

  • Being honest about your thoughts and feelings
  • Interacting with peers in a positive way outside of therapy
  • Discussing the benefits of active participation

You can be a role model by being honest about the effect treatment has on your mental and physical health. You can help yourself and others by actively participating in the rehabilitation process.

Therapy has been a cornerstone of the recovery process for decades, and research shows that effective treatment requires clients to engage in therapy during and after rehabilitation. The type of therapy depends on the needs and preferences of each client. Some people experience excellent benefits from alternative holistic therapies, including meditation, animal-assisted therapy, and mindfulness-based techniques. Others do best using structured, evidence-based therapy methods like motivational interviewing and dialectical behavioral therapy. The dedicated care team at Newport Beach Recovery Center uses tailored individual and group therapy to ensure clients get the best results possible. We can give you the therapeutic tools you need to reduce the risk of relapse and increase your mental health during and after rehabilitation. Therapy is one of the best tools for achieving long-term health and wellness. To learn more about our facility and the programs we offer, call us today at (888) 850-0363.

You Are Not Your Diagnosis

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Some people feel like being diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) is a life sentence that will follow them forever and define their entire life. Stigmas perpetuated by society and the media have created stereotypes about substance misuse that people may internalize. However, SUD is nothing more than a mental health disorder that you can manage using evidence-based treatment. You can recover and live a life free from the effects of SUD. The care team at Newport Beach Recovery Center believes that everyone has the potential to overcome SUD and recover from the damage caused by the condition.

What Is a Mental Health Diagnosis?

Mental health issues can change how you think, act, and feel. A mental health professional will use various tests and assessments to determine if someone meets the criteria for a disorder and officially diagnose the condition. A diagnosis is a tool professionals use to determine how best to help you overcome specific issues and not:

  • A judgment on the person or their character
  • An indication that the person may have other issues
  • A moral failing

People diagnosed with SUD and other conditions can make a full recovery with the help of rehabilitation, hard work, and support services. BMC Psychiatry states, “If a person no longer meets criteria for a mental illness, they are in remission.†Your SUD can enter a remission that lasts the rest of your life if you have the following tools:

  • Essential life skills
  • Healthy coping mechanisms
  • Long-term achievable goals
  • Sustainable healthy routines
  • A support system
  • Motivation to maintain recovery
  • Access to prescription medication and other complementary treatments
  • Access to community-based support services
  • Peer support

With the right resources and a willingness to do the hard work in treatment and therapy, you can achieve sustained remission, which means you have gone 12 or more months without meeting the criteria for SUD. After a year of recovery, you may still feel cravings or have intrusive thoughts. However, if you know how to cope with them safely and healthily, they do not have to interfere with everyday life during your ongoing recovery.

Challenge Stigmas and Practice Self-Compassion

Stigmas exist around mental health, substance misuse, and treatment. You might have loved ones who negatively react to your diagnosis, and they may not understand what SUD entails. Sometimes, people start to believe the misinformation they hear about SUD. Self-stigmatizing involves internalizing these negative perceptions and applying them to yourself. To recover from SUD, you should practice self-compassion and challenge the stigmas you encounter.

According to National Academies Press, “Public perceptions and beliefs about mental and substance use disorders are influenced by knowledge about these disorders . . . and media portrayal of people with mental and substance use disorders.†Some of the populations that face increased stigma for attending SUD treatment include:

  • Professionals
  • Adolescents and young adults
  • Minorities
  • Women

Educating yourself and others about the realities of addiction can improve your self-esteem and help loved ones avoid misinformation.

You Are Not Your Diagnosis

Participation in a rehabilitation program requires facing the realities of your condition and how SUD has negatively affected your life and the people around you. Individual and group therapy can help you look beyond the diagnosis to underlying causes. You can recover and move forward from your addictive behaviors by doing the following:

  • Actively participating in therapy
  • Consciously choosing healthier behaviors
  • Thinking more positively about yourself and recovery

The hard work you put into making positive lifestyle changes will provide you with a healthier and happier future where you can heal from substance misuse. At Newport Beach Recovery Center, we understand that recovery is a process that anyone can achieve if they have access to the right resources and tools.

How to Create Healthy Self-Awareness

You are not your diagnosis. However, your past choices did lead to the development of the disorder. To fully recover, you need to have a certain self-awareness about your part in the events that led to being diagnosed with SUD. Your ability to recognize what contributed to your condition will impact the effectiveness of treatment.

Some people have more risk factors and fewer opportunities to avoid falling into maladaptive behaviors. For example, some people grow up surrounded by friends and family who misuse substances or have mental health issues that interfere with their ability to function. You are the sum of your experiences, choices, and beliefs.

You can create healthy self-awareness by doing the following:

  • Connecting actions, behaviors, and thought patterns with consequences and side effects
  • Ask your loved ones and people in your support system to give you feedback on your past and current actions, beliefs, and goals.
  • Learn to identify maladaptive thoughts and their underlying cause
  • Actively listen to your care team and accept their guidance

Only you can make the necessary changes to guard your future against the effects of substance misuse.

Substance use disorder is not a label that defines you as a person. You do not have to let your past actions determine who you are or what you will accomplish in the future. Only you and your choices can define who you will become after achieving sobriety. Your mental health diagnosis is nothing more than a diagnostic tool and does not represent you. Many people in treatment self-stigmatize due to regret, shame, guilt, or fear related to their disorder; you can take back control of your life and heal from SUD. The care team at Newport Beach Recovery Center is here to help you learn new ways of thinking that will increase the effectiveness of treatment. We can help you build a healthy future. To learn more about the personalized programs we offer at Newport Beach Recovery Center, call us today at (888) 850-0363. You are not alone. 

Finding Motivation for Lasting Change

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Most people go through a period of decreased motivation at some point in their lifetime. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a sustained lack of motivation and increased use of substances can indicate the presence of a substance use disorder (SUD). For individuals with SUD, decreased motivation can interfere with their functioning. Therefore, if you feel ambivalent about treatment, you might need to find a new reason to change.

The healthy routines and skills you learn in treatment will not result in long-term recovery unless you feel compelled to follow through with them during continuing care. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “Motivation is essential to substance use behavior change.” The dedicated care team at Newport Beach Recovery Center uses evidence-based therapies like motivational interviewing (MI) to help clients find healthy reasons to overcome ambivalence and embrace sobriety. Everyone has unique goals and motivations that help them engage in treatment. Your care team can assist you in identifying what works best for you.

How Motivation Impacts Long-Term Recovery

Healthy motivations allow you to heal and grow as a person. However, some people struggle to find reasons to change that last through long-term recovery. Setting realistic goals and using multiple incentives to strengthen your resolve will make it easier to overcome challenges. Strong motivation can affect long-term recovery in many ways, including:

  • It provides a reason to work through difficult moments and maintain a positive attitude
  • It gives you something specific to focus on during panic, anxiety, or depression episodes
  • It lets you track your recovery progress, showing the many ways you have improved over time

Long-term recovery can feel overwhelming and pointless during moments of distress. However, finding a sustainable way to motivate yourself can make those difficult times more manageable by keeping your thoughts focused on moving forward.

The Effect of Motivation on Mental Health

Most individuals with SUD have co-occurring mental health disorders or symptoms like depression and anxiety that can interfere with their ability to cope with stressors. Your mental health will affect all areas of your life, including:

  • Physical wellness
  • Career, personal, and educational goals
  • Emotional stability
  • Peer relationships
  • Ability to function day-to-day

A lack of motivation can lead to low self-esteem, clinical depression, and other mental health issues that will interfere with your ability to function. Newport Beach Recovery Center teaches essential coping skills to help clients gain self-confidence and build self-efficacy. As a result, we can help you find the motivation to engage you in treatment and long-term recovery.

Common Motivations for People in Recovery

Individuals in long-term recovery often choose to motivate themselves by thinking about how positive lifestyle changes will improve specific areas of their life. Some of the most common motivations for people in recovery include:

  • The idea of reuniting with loved ones and repairing damaged relationships
  • Making amends for past behaviors
  • A desire to become more physically fit
  • Specific career or education goals
  • Wanting to become a better functioning member of society

Some motivations do not require you to achieve a particular goal and instead focus on things you already have and want to protect, including:

  • A supportive and loving family
  • A strong support system
  • A respected and enjoyable job

Motivations are highly personalized and can change over time. The adaptability of most incentives makes them an excellent subject for individual and group therapy. The fluid nature of motivation allows you to adjust your focus as needed to achieve recovery goals. You can also benefit from having multiple motivations at one time. Individuals with a single all-encompassing reason for change may have difficulty adapting it to meet specific challenges. However, if you have several active motivations, you can switch between them as necessary during recovery.

How to Maintain Motivation

Every step forward you take in recovery adds to your successes and empowers further change. You can maintain the necessary motivation for ongoing recovery by doing the following:

  • Conducting progress reviews to determine if you need to adjust your incentives and focus on achieving specific goals.
  • Practicing regular self-care to stop yourself from experiencing “burnout.”
  • Have realistic daily goals and celebrate each success to strengthen your motivation through positive reinforcement.

Do not be afraid to ask for help if you feel yourself falling back into old thought patterns or behaviors. Motivations require determination to continue moving forward. If your determination wavers, you can reach out for help by contacting someone in your support system, increasing the amount of time you spend in therapy, attending more support meetings, or using the alumni services offered at facilities like Newport Beach Recovery Center. We can help you continue to heal.

Most people in treatment go through a period where they feel uncertain or unmotivated to continue making progress in recovery. At Newport Beach Recovery Center, we use individual and group therapy to help clients create healthy incentives and realistic goals. Sustainable motivation makes it easier to make fundamental lifestyle changes during and after rehabilitation. Some people focus on their family, career, physical health, or education to keep them working through the challenges inherent in treatment. Knowing they have someone who believes in them or a specific reward they can achieve makes it easier for most people to feel confident about treatment and ongoing maintenance. We offer a wide range of therapeutic and alternative holistic methods to help clients overcome ambivalence and actively engage in healing. To learn more about the facility and programs we offer, call us today at (888) 850-0363 to speak with a representative.

How Can You Reduce the Risk of Relapse During Aftercare?

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Aftercare is a critical time, and the transition between levels of care can put you at risk of relapse and increase the symptoms of substance use disorder (SUD). Aftercare services ensure you maintain emotional stability and sobriety during ongoing recovery. According to the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, “there is convincing evidence that continuing care can be effective in sustaining the positive effects of the initial phase of care.” Newport Beach Recovery Center provides personalized aftercare planning and alumni services to decrease the risk of relapse and ensure clients remain supported throughout recovery.

How Can Transitioning Between Levels of Care Increase Stress?

The transition between levels of care can add pressure and increase symptoms of anxiety or depression. Programs are less structured, and accountability becomes more reliant on your ability to cope with daily stressors as you move through the various programs. Not everyone feels confident in their ability to shoulder that responsibility when a program ends. Newport Beach Recovery Center empowers each client and provides them with the necessary tools to transition smoothly between treatment programs and continuing care.

Everyday stressors you might encounter when moving between programs or out of structured treatment include:

  • Changing therapists or attending different self-help groups
  • Encountering new and unpredictable environments
  • More personal responsibility

Changing physical locations and transitioning back home or into a sober living community can feel overwhelming after residential care. You may feel strange and uncomfortable until you become familiar with the routines, people, and settings. Even people in outpatient treatment programs experience some increased stress after graduating from the program and entering continuing care.

What Are the Best Ways to Manage Symptoms?

Managing symptoms during aftercare can involve taking advantage of multiple resources. According to Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, “The important functions of continuing care in the recovery process involves maintaining abstinence . . . addressing relapse . . . connecting patients to other sources of support; and addressing other recovery issues, including employment, recreation, housing, and involvement in meaningful and/or enjoyable activities.”

Aftercare plans will include symptom management strategies and community-based treatments. A few ways to decrease your risk of relapse and reduce symptoms once you transition out of treatment include:

  • Practicing regular self-care
  • Joining local recovery groups
  • Creating positive relationships
  • Relying on your support system
  • Using your coping skills

You can use these resources to manage your symptoms and decrease the risk of falling back into old behaviors. Aftercare services at Newport Beach Recovery Center include alumni support and aftercare planning to ensure you have access to everything you need to maintain sobriety.

How Can You Maintain Emotional Stability When Transitioning Out of Care?

Transitioning from a rehabilitation program can mean saying goodbye to a care team and peers who have helped you heal. The move is not always easy, and some people feel a temporary increase in stress and anxiety when they begin continuing care. The lack of structure and increased independence can feel too much, too fast. However, the coping tools you developed during treatment can help you maintain positive mental health and emotional stability.

A few other ways you can maintain emotional stability include:

  • Communicating your needs to people in your support system
  • Practicing mindfulness and grounding techniques
  • Avoiding triggers when possible
  • Attending therapy and support groups

Why Is Aftercare Follow-Through Essential to Mental Health?

You can have all the best aftercare services and resources. However, they will not help you maintain sobriety if you do not follow through with them. Actively working on yourself and your recovery is the only way to keep healing and making progress. Aftercare follow-through does the following:

  • Provides accountability
  • Offers guidelines for achieving goals
  • Ensures you have access to all the tools you need

What Are Effective Tools for Relapse Prevention During Aftercare?

Aftercare planning includes creating strategies to deal with potential problems. Many people know what type of relationships, expectations, and environments they will return to when transitioning out of a treatment facility or leaving intensive outpatient treatment. You will work with your therapist to determine what areas might do the following:

  • Increase stress or anxiety
  • Trigger intrusive thoughts, cravings, or relapse
  • Trigger depressive episodes

Once you identify those areas, your therapist can help you determine ways to avoid or confront those issues safely and healthily. Aftercare planning can include the following:

  • Self-help and 12-Step groups
  • Individual therapy
  • Group therapy
  • Information on local recovery groups
  • Sober living options
  • Prescription medication
  • Skill development classes
  • Financial, housing, or job placement services

With the proper treatment and aftercare planning, you can recover from the effects of SUD and continue to heal and grow.

Relapse is a symptom of substance use disorder and part of the recovery process for many people. At Newport Beach Recovery Center, we use evidence-based methods, including relapse prevention education and therapy, to help clients prepare for the realities of ongoing recovery. You can decrease your risk of relapse by collaborating with our care team and creating an aftercare plan to help you maintain emotional control and balance when transitioning from our treatment program to continuing care. We believe everyone can overcome substance use disorder with the right tools and support. We ensure you have all the necessary resources to maintain sobriety after rehabilitation. You can regain control of your life and continue healing during ongoing recovery with the help of your support system and the sober community. To learn more about our facility and the aftercare services we offer, call us today at (888) 850-0363.