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What Is Addiction Counseling
Depending on which statistics one trusts there are anywhere from hundreds of thousands to several million Americans suffering from some sort of addiction. The addiction could be related to substances such as illicit drugs and alcohol. or to habits such as overeating and sexual intercourse. Regardless if an addiction is purely psychological, physical, or a combination of the two, addiction counselors are people that have chosen an occupation that requires them to help patients overcome their addiction.
In order to do this the patient will need to meet with the addiction counselor either individually, as part of a group or perhaps a combination of the two. The addiction counselor will attempt to understand the nature of the addiction, and the associated belief structure that leads the patient to continued vulnerability to their addiction. This process involves a lot of self exploration and understanding just how the addiction fits into ones life, as well as how a life can be lived without that addiction.
It probably goes without saying that not every patient is cured the first time they see an addiction counselor, nor on the second visit, nor even the third. Even patients that have recovered are prone to relapse, and it may take months or even years of addiction counseling in order to finally free oneself of an addiction.
A common first step taken by addiction counselors is to instill the belief that change is possible in the patient. If change is possible, then it stands to reason that lasting recovery is too. From here there are many different treatment patterns depending on the type of addiction and the severity. Substance abusers may have medical concerns associated with immediate cessation in some cases, and therefore additional consideration must be given. That is not to say that purely psychological addictions are safe or even possible to abstain from immediately; in fact a number of addiction counselors subscribe to a school of thought on the subject that more or less treats psychological addictions as chemical imbalances in the brain, and thus very similar to a form of substance abuse.
Some forms of addiction simply cannot be abstained from completely, such as food addictions; one cannot stop eating simply to prove that they are above the addiction. Nor is it wise to fast for a period longer than that one would normally wait between meals in order to demonstrate self control because it significantly raises the possibility of overeating the next meal. Shopping addiction is another addiction where self imposed moderation is typically the preferred goal as having third parties handle all of one’s shopping chores for the rest of their lives as form of abstinence is neither a durable nor a viable solution.
Addiction counselors have a lot of tools at their disposal to assist patients in regaining complete control over their lives, but ultimately that task falls to each and every single patient. The addiction counselor can listen and give advice, but without a receptive ear ready to take that advice to heart there is little chance for positive growth regardless of the skill of the addiction counselor.
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