Overcoming substance addiction of any kind is a lifelong battle. Studies show that addiction is quite similar to chronic diseases like Type II diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, which means genetics and environmental factors play a vital role. Due to this reason, people with addiction are prone to relapse and require more than medicines to overcome addiction. Group counseling has proven to be highly effective when it comes to overcoming substance addiction.

Here we give you a low down of how group therapy can help overcome addiction.

What is group counseling?

Group therapy is a treatment method wherein people going through a similar addiction come together to understand their problems better and find out means to overcome them. Group therapy was developed during the end of world war II to treat soldiers of war.

What are models of group therapy?

There are five models of group therapy that are used to treat substance addiction. They include:

• Cognitive-behavioral groups
• Skills-development groups
• Interpersonal process groups
• Psychoeducational groups
• Support groups

All these models focus on different aspects of addiction and use various techniques to help overcome it. Your therapist can help you decide which model works best for you after determining the severity of your addiction.

What are the benefits of using group counseling?

There are several benefits of opting for group therapy to overcome substance addiction. Some of them are as follows:

Witnessing recovery

During group counseling, you get to talk to and understand the journey of other people who are suffering from a similar addiction like yours. Watching them recover gives you hope. You can also get guidance as to what helped them control their urges.

Reduces the sense of isolation

Addiction can leave you feeling alone and isolated from your friends and family, and cause depression and hopelessness. Going to group therapy can curb that feeling of isolation when you find yourself amid people who understand and accept you.

Develop coping skills

During this phase of life, you may have to go through many conflicts with other people. It can damage your personal and work-life relationships. Group counseling helps you cope with such conflicts, reduce their occurrences and find coping mechanisms that are not destructive.

Structure and discipline

When addiction takes a severe form, you give up all your regular routines and your days pass in a haze of craving your choice drug and dealing with its effects. Group counseling helps you find back the earlier healthy habits by establishing rules and consequences of breaking them. 

Feedback

During group counseling, expert therapists are also present, and they provide you regular feedback on your progress and help you cope with any setbacks. They can help you boost your confidence and change any wrong perceptions you may have to help overcome your addiction.