Combining Psychotherapy with 12-Step Programs: A Better Outcome
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Posted On :
Aug-02-2011
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Article Word Count :
454
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Therapy offered in conjunction with any 12-step program has proven to be a successful and effective way to treat alcohol and substance abuse. Therapy serves as the support system for coping with trauma and abuse, while the 12 steps and the meetings provide a fellowship of kindred spirits.
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Alcohol and drug addiction are so prevalent that the stigma of being in “recovery” and
working a 12-step program has been largely eroded.
Indeed, more and more employers are providing benefits packages that include
reimbursement provisions for drug and alcohol treatment. But for all addicts no matter
what the drug of choice, the painful underlying causes of each addiction must also be
dealt with in order for recovery to work.
Part of the process for achieving lasting sobriety involves attending meetings and
working the 12-step program. Since the 1980’s when rehabilitation facilities included
counselors and psychoanalysts, talk therapy became a significant part of addiction
treatment in America.
Psychotherapy is where a recovering addict can work one-on-one with a licensed
professional who is trained to help understand and manage the challenges that undermine
the ability to stay clean and sober and live satisfying and productive lives.
Good therapists who are experienced working with addiction might recommend a 12-step
program to his or her patients as an important accompaniment to the work of healing the
shame, remorse, fear, isolation and anxiety that promote addictive and self-medicating
substance abuse.
Using the principles of a 12-step program and psychopharmacology when medically
indicated, a licensed, well-trained psychoanalyst can accomplish what some say is a more
fully resolved and healthier outcome.
It is noted that there are a number of types of mental health practitioners who work with
addicts in recovery. Some are, themselves, recovering addicts or alcoholics and are able
to draw from their own experiences in dealing with their patients. But, clinical
background, training, and level of education vary greatly, and some important recent
studies point to the efficacy of psychoanalysis as the treatment with strongest outcomes.
This may be due to the ability of psychoanalysis to “hold” the pain while helping to
alleviate it, which creates an important alliance between patient and therapist.
If you are struggling with addiction and have been working a 12-step program, or even if
you’ve gone through rehab, it does not necessarily mean you are “cured.” Often, once the
addiction is under control, the real work of healing the emotional pain begins. Sexual
abuse, loss, and trauma, which are some of the underlying causes for addiction, can
become amenable to the slow and careful restorative work of psychoanalysis.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Combining Psychotherapy with 12-Step Programs: A Better Outcome_70601.aspx
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Author Resource :
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Keywords :
Douglaston NY Therapist, Douglaston NY Counseling, Douglaston NY Psychotherapy,
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Health and Fitness
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Health and Fitness
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