Are You Considering Self-Empowering Addiction Treatment?
By Tom Horvath, PhD
Are you seeking assistance for resolving addictive problems? Would you like that assistance to respect your ability to make your own decisions and your other abilities?
We view you as able to identify and create your own solutions for change, even though you may initially need assistance to do so. We often begin by helping you clarify your own motivations to change. We may also teach you methods for keeping those motivations in mind, even when part of you wants to return to problematic behaviors.
We can teach you what we know from science, and what we have learned in working with others. However, how you change and how much you change is up to you. No professional or anyone else can “fix” you. However, your deep engagement with a knowledgeable professional can help you build the skills to change yourself.
Many to most individuals resolve addictive problems without seeking outside help. The addiction treatment industry does not publicize this fact because it’s not good for business!
However, if you are seeking help, you may have had several less-than-successful change efforts, and you may experience other problems as well, such as anxiety, trauma, depression, bipolar disorder or other significant mental health issues. These issues substantially complicate the change process and are a good reason to seek professional assistance. If you have mental health issues your services will probably need to focus more on them than the addictive behavior itself. You are better served by qualified licensed mental health professionals (ones who also understand addictive problems). Drug and alcohol counselors, recovery coaches and other individuals providing non-licensed assistance can have an important role but typically cannot replace mental health professionals.
We recommend you investigate your treatment options carefully. It is often a good idea to check out several providers or options before committing to one. For most individuals, outpatient care will be sufficient. Depending on your situation, the involvement of your family can be a highly significant part of the change process. If you are making significant changes for yourself, your family will probably be called upon to make changes also.
We intend to make our services appealing enough that you will seek them before a major crisis develops. However, most of our clients call after the crisis, so our first task is to address it. As the crisis resolves, we turn our attention to creating a long-term plan afterward. The resolution of the crisis is typically only the first step toward an enduring solution. Although it’s easy to think, when the crisis is past, “I’m cured!”, without some longer term planning you may be setting yourself up for more crises.
There are many approaches to change and to treatment. When you are checking them out we encourage you to consider ones that recognize your pre-existing abilities and strengths, and use them in the change process.
Liked this piece on considering self-emowering addiction treatment? You might also be interested in: Principles of Self-Empowering Addiction Treatment, by Tom Horvath, Ph.D.
