Residential Treatment Programs

• Those that are successful in recovering are successful for a reason. Interacting with people that are successful in treatment may prove to be beneficial to you, as they will most likely have advice and tips that may aid you in your recovery.
• While distracting yourself while in treatment may sound good to help ignore withdrawal symptoms, it is possible that someone in recovery overwork themselves and even is susceptible to workaholism. For this reason, it is important to detect and identify any strange behaviors associated with workaholism.
• Relapse is treatable but, however common it may be, relapse should never be viewed as “okay” and “acceptable.” This can cause overconfidence in a patient, resulting in increased chance of relapse. Relapse is not always treatable, and there is always a chance that you won’t get another shot at treatment, so avoid relapse at all costs.
• Recovery is meant to be enjoyed, not endured. If your treatment process is making you feel uncomfortable in any way, then that treatment may not be right for you. Talking to your case manager or treatment center management about possibly changing programs or even centers is necessary when treatment becomes excruciatingly difficult. Your comfort and safety should be at the top of a center’s priorities.

Originally used to treat depression, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is among the most well-known approaches to treatment. As the most common form of treatment for mental health conditions and disorders, CBT has been tested and shown to be effective in treating psychiatric illnesses.

Studies show that CBT, although an anti-depression treatment originally, is just as effective as any other treatment, including the administration of medications. In less-intensive cases of mental health disorders, CBT is the number one tool for conditions such as anxiety, Post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, substance abuse (in minor cases), and more. When CBT is used in conjunction with medications, it can be used to treat opioid addiction, major depression disorder, bipolarity, and nearly every psychotic disorder.

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a common method of treatment originally used to help treat those who suffer from personality disorders. Fortunately, tests and studies prove that DBT can be very successful in treating negative behavioral patterns, including self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and substance abuse disorders. DBT is also commonly used to treat any disorders relating to mood, though it is not as effective as the previously listed scenarios.

Dialectical behavioral therapy is a type of “talk therapy,” similar to CBT. The primary focus of “talk therapy” is to explore the psychological reasons behind addiction, making it extremely common in residential treatment. CBT, however, focuses more on the set-in-stone ways that your emotions interact with each other, as opposed to DBT’s much more laid-back exploration of emotional and social aspects and factors associated with the patient’s addiction.

First mentioned in an article by William R. Miller in Behavioral Psychotherapy, motivational interviewing describes how the traditional idea behind what caused addiction at the time (1983) was wrong. Traditional models claimed that “the traditional model of motivation in problem drinkers attributes almost all motivational properties to the personality of the individual”. In the article “Motivational Interviewing with Problem Drinkers,” Miller explains why a newer model should be implemented.

Miller proposes in his article that perhaps motivational interviewing may be an alternative to current methods. Motivational interviewing (MI) challenges the traditional idea, stating that instead of the solution to addiction being entirely dependent on the patient, the solution lies with both the therapist and the addict. Through therapist’s influence, patients can resolve ambivalence (mixed feelings) towards things such as whether or not relapsing is worth it (in which case MI would convince the patient that it is not worth it.)