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Drug and alcohol addiction is a complex condition that involves your body, mind, relationships, and behaviors. Because addiction is so deeply rooted in many aspects of your life, recovering from it requires comprehensive treatment.
Recovering from addiction means more than simply quitting drug or alcohol use. Long-lasting recovery can only occur when you explore the roots of your substance abuse. You must understand your addiction and develop the skills to avoid relapse.
Life skills therapy is a fundamental aspect of holistic addiction treatment. It can help you develop healthy coping mechanisms. You will learn to reduce stress and learn other essential life skills that support lifelong addiction recovery.
In this article, you will learn:
How life skills therapy can help you cope with life in recovery
What to expect during therapy
How life skills therapy in addiction treatment can benefit you
Where to find effective, holistic treatment
Contact the Carolina Center for Recovery specialists to learn more about our substance use disorder treatment programs.
What is Life Skills Therapy?
Recovering from substance abuse and addiction is not a one-size-fits-all process. There are many levels of care and treatment approaches to meet people’s varying needs.
However, many people living with addiction have common needs and challenges. Many people struggle with maintaining relationships, have trouble managing stress, and experience challenges in other areas of daily life.
Life skills therapy allows people to develop coping skills. These skills can help them function and have a better quality of life.[1] Life skills therapy focuses on several practical aspects of functioning, including:
Improving problem-solving
Supporting more effective communication
Effective time management
Healthy relationships
Stress management
Participating in a life skills therapy program can help people use healthy methods of managing stress and challenges. This can support the long-term recovery process and helps to prevent relapses.
Some people participate in life skills therapy in the community, and some receive this therapy during treatment for addiction. Many treatment programs integrate life skills therapy into people’s treatment plans because it effectively supports long-term recovery.
How Can Life Skills Therapy Help People Avoid Relapse?
People who participate in life skills therapy and other evidence-based therapies may have a lower risk of relapse. Improvements in functioning can help people feel better and manage the challenges of everyday life more effectively.
Here is an overview of some of the skills people learn in life skills therapy programs.
Social skills
People living with drug and alcohol addiction may have strained or unhealthy relationships with others. Many become isolated or only have relationships with others with addiction.[2]
Recovering from addiction can feel lonely. Many people in recovery need support to develop healthier social skills. Some of the skills people may work on in life skills therapy include:
Brushing up on these skills can help people develop healthier relationships or repair existing ones.
Professional skills
People with substance use disorder may lose their jobs or struggle to find reliable employment.[3] In a life skills program, people focus on developing skills that can help them find and keep a job.
This may include how to interview, where to find work, and how to stick to a schedule.
Self-care skills
Living with addiction can feel chaotic. People may not have a regular schedule of meals, work, socialization, and sleep. Participating in life skills therapy can help people develop healthy self-care skills that can benefit their recovery, including:
How to cope with uncomfortable feelings like anxiety, boredom, and anger
Creating a budget and managing finances
Creating a structure and routine can help people make choices that support lifelong sobriety and better overall health.
What are the Benefits of Life Skills Therapy in Addiction Recovery?
Research shows that people who participate in life skills therapy in addiction recovery have better outcomes in many areas. Some of the most significant benefits of this type of therapy include:[4]
Increased self-confidence
Reduction in risky behaviors
Less aggression
A decrease in substance use
More self-efficacy
Reduced risk of contracting bloodborne diseases, including HIV
Fewer suicidal thoughts and behaviors
Improved communication
Healthier relationships
People who develop healthy coping skills often feel empowered to change their behaviors. Instead of remaining “stuck” in the past, they can move toward a healthier, more fulfilling future.
Find Help Now
Drug and alcohol addiction can affect your life in so many ways. You do not have to live with the consequences of substance use. Holistic, compassionate treatment can help you overcome the complex roots of your addiction and gain control over your future.
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