The Road to Resilience: Overcoming Challenges in Addiction Treatment and Mental Health

Completing recovery from addiction and re-entering society as a sober individual is not easy. However, the supportive environment and alternative approach offered at a non 12 step rehab can provide the necessary tools and guidance for a successful transition. Whether it’s you or a loved one going through this journey, we understand the daily challenges, especially the weight of the choices. Addiction treatment and mental health challenges can feel like a rollercoaster ride that involves a lot of emotional highs and lows. However, every rollercoaster ride has an end, and every problem has a solution.  If you’d like more information on alcohol rehab in Melbourne be sure to head over to The Hader Clinic.

In this blog post, we will tackle overcoming challenges in addiction treatment and mental health. Before we start, we will provide you with the basics first.

Why Are Drugs Difficult to Quit?

Some drugs are highly addictive because of the way they alter certain types of brain functioning. They can result in changes to how your brain sends messages through neurotransmission—the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine release chart increases. It is associated with several types of substance use. When this happens, a drug-related surge in dopamine activity takes effect, making the individual start an obsessive use of that drug more likely.

As with most common abuse of drug usage, it has an impact on dopamine activity throughout the brain’s reward centers. The concerned individual experiences motivation, pleasure, and reward during dopamine neurotransmission. This process is known to play a crucial role in the development of addiction.

For example, the human body releases dopamine in response to pleasurable activities, like eating or performing sexual activities. In addition, many drugs cause a surge in dopamine activity, which can also result in a rewarding euphoria. It may encourage or urge the drug-using individual to repeat the experience—this is why many addictive drugs are engaging or called “reinforcing.” It is one of the reasons why drug addiction can be so challenging to recover or heal from, but not impossible.

Understanding some common challenges that recovering individuals face may provide more precise insight into their healing journey. Below are some common personal issues you or your loved one may encounter during a rehabilitation program and how a recovery center helps.

Developing New Coping Strategies

Apart from getting sober, it is not just about not using or being addicted to it. It is also about establishing a healthy lifestyle and supporting your recovery. A significant part of this journey is creating new coping mechanisms to manage stress that will help you deal with anxiety and cravings.

As the concerned individual develops these coping methods, the person establishes a new sense of normalcy. Having a new normal is challenging and time-consuming, but it will all be worth it. Counselors and therapists in recovery centers will work with recovering individuals daily to identify harmful behaviors. After determining them, the patient learns how to change them to thrive in sobriety.

Building New Relationships and Repairing Old Ones

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration or SAMHSA, it is essential to have relationships and social networks that provide love, support, friendship, and hope during the recovery period. During a rehabilitation program, the patient is challenged to build new relationships with other peers in recovery. 

The patient learns to communicate healthily, trust others, and be vulnerable. They will also be asked to make amends with loved ones that they hurt during substance abuse. The amends and emotional healing process may take weeks, months, or years. We always tell our patients that this process is never easy. However, it plays a vital role in freeing the patient from their old life of addiction and embracing their new healthy life in recovery.

Finding Purpose in Life

After drug and alcohol rehabilitation, many sober individuals may find that they lack purpose in life. Adjusting to a life that doesn’t revolve around substance abuse can be very challenging. 

One way that rehabilitation programs help people with addiction combat this issue is by introducing them to new hobbies and interests, like art, music, yoga, meditation, and other healthy recreational activities. Recovery centers help clients find and develop new hobbies, interests, and social groups during and after treatment.

Transitioning Out of Addiction Treatment 

Making the transition from a life of drug dependence into an independent life of sobriety is another chapter that recovering individuals face after treatment. It is a different challenge when they start managing more responsibilities at home, finding a job, fulfilling financial obligations, implementing new coping strategies, and many more. 

For many people in recovery, this transition can be highly challenging, and it may be tempting to give up and go back to old habits. Suppose they start struggling to adapt to their new sober life after rehab. In that case, it is recommended to be part of a transitional living program, which is a great way to continue your addiction treatment and maintain your sobriety daily. Click here to reclaim your life better as Premiere Recovery Center integrates its treatment into daily life, fostering a balance between therapy and personal commitments.