To succeed in drug rehab, recovering addicts must believe that they are worthy of leading healthy and ultimately happy lives. If they do not, they have a very high likelihood of returning to self-defeating and self-harming behaviors immediately after treatment. The good news is that Florida drug rehabs are committed to helping their clients learn self-acceptance. With these efforts, people can begin making positive, life-affirming decisions, establishing mutually fulfilling relationships and pursuing goals that support their efforts to live comfortably, sustainably, and drug-free.
If you’re seeking treatment for substance use disorder, you may think that treatment is all about detoxing and withdrawal. In reality, however, these are only the very first steps towards lifelong sobriety. Building your self-esteem, growing your confidence, and learning to love yourself are among some of the most critical parts of the recovery process. When it comes to promoting self-acceptance, Florida rehabs have many different tools at their disposal. It’s important to note that drug addiction can be unique from one person to the next. There are many possible causes of substance use disorder and a diverse range obstacles that every patient must overcome. Thus, while there are certain elements of drug rehab that remain the same for all clients, each person attending these programs can expect to receive a variety of needs-specific therapies, services, and solutions.
Where Self-Acceptance Starts in a Florida Drug Rehab
Upon entering rehab, most people have effectively hit rock bottom. Whether they have lied to or stolen from others, broken promises, broken laws, or simply tried and failed at recovery multiple times before, many rehab patients have damaged most or all of their close relationships and usually feel utterly alone. More importantly, they’re often dealing with overwhelming emotions such as shame and regret. Lonely, plagued by guilt, and unsure of their futures, most recognize this as being the bleakest and most hopeless time in their lives. In reality, entering rehab opens the door to tremendous possibilities. It is an opportunity to get a clean, fresh start, and to begin making amends. To take full advantage of this opportunity, the first person that any rehab patient must seek forgiveness from is themselves. Self-acceptance often starts when people recognize that their addictions have deeply rooted, underlying causes.
This realization fosters the understanding that failure in recovery or the tendency to continue using drugs despite their extraordinary consequences is not the result of personal weaknesses, insufficient willpower, or laziness. Addiction can be the result of:
- Co-occurring mental health issues
- Untreated physical pain
- Inadvertent addiction to essential prescription medications
- Low self-esteem
- Past trauma
- Unprocessed grief
- Negative behavioral conditioning that occurred early in life or during an abusive relationship
By helping people address the sources of addiction, rather than addiction itself, rehab counselors make the fight for sobriety a fair one. People are able to forgive themselves for the mistakes they’ve made. This in turn clears the path to success in recovery. In certain treatment environments, patients are encouraged by counselors to write letters of apology to those they have wronged. This is a cathartic process that allows patients to clear their consciences, accept responsibility, and effectively move on. These letters can be sent to the intended recipients or they can be kept or destroyed.
The understanding is that the very act of writing them promotes healing, growth, and increased self-acceptance. One of the most commonly used tools for promoting self-acceptance in Florida drug rehabs is cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. CBT is a therapeutic program that’s designed to identify and alter negative and self-defeating thinking patterns. If you don’t love and value yourself, and if you don’t believe yourself capable of accomplishing good things, this manner of thinking can keep you trapped in addiction indefinitely.
Negative thought patterns are often introduced during a person’s childhood. As such, people can live their entire lives inwardly talking down to themselves without recognizing these behaviors as being destructive, unhealthy, and abnormal. Therapists use reaffirming techniques to rebuild their patients’ self-images so that they can in turn, rebuild their lives from positive mindsets and in thoughtful and beneficial ways. In some instances, people continue returning to the same self-defeating behaviors simply because they are struggling with underlying mental health disorders. Until these disorders are properly diagnosed and treated, their likelihood of failing in recovery will remain high.
This is known as having co-occurring disorders or comorbidity. For instance, in addition to substance use disorder, you might be living with bipolar personality disorder or chronic depression. Having underlying mental health issues diagnosed and then learning how to safely and healthfully manage them can be incredibly empowering. Once empowered, those in recovery can begin pursuing their health and wellness goals from a position of confidence and self-love. If you’re tired of being addicted to drugs and want to find the best Florida drug rehab for your needs, we can help. Call us today at 833-846-5669.