Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Your Mental Health during Your Recovery

Addiction treatment helps you get to the bottom of why you are using, helps you to identify and manage your triggers for abusing drugs or alcohol, and helps you establish healthy, new habits for a sober lifestyle. But if your Peoria addiction therapy is going to be successful, it has to do more than address the addiction itself. It also needs to address your overall mental health.

Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t ignore your mental health during your recovery:

Mental Health Issues Fuel Your Need to Use

Many people report using drugs and alcohol as a way to cope with strong feelings – many of which are brought on by mental health issues. For example, people who suffer from severe depression can use drugs and alcohol to fill the emptiness that they feel. People who have anxiety use drugs and alcohol to cover up those feelings and help them get through social gatherings or even just get through their day.

A variety of mental health issues can cause you to reach for drugs and alcohol as a way of self-medicating or coping with overwhelming feelings. If you are trying to quit using drugs or alcohol, you may have a hard time since those feelings will still be there – but now you don’t have those self-coping strategies to help you. You need to get ongoing therapy in conjunction with your Gilbert addiction counseling to treat those mental health issues. Otherwise, you are likely to just start using again when things become too overwhelming.

Both Problems Can Have Genetic Causes

You can be predisposed to addiction because of your genetics. Likewise, you can be predisposed to having certain mental health issues because of your genetics. In many cases, the genes that predispose a person to one condition make them predisposed to the other.

By getting mental health treatment in Chandler, you are also getting addiction treatment. You can’t change your genes, but you can change the way you deal with the outcomes they cause, just like you would change your diet or take medicine to mitigate your chances of a heart attack if heart disease runs in your family.

You Can Learn Other Strategies for Socializing and Coping

As we’ve shown, mental health issues and addiction can be closely linked. When you get the right Scottsdale addiction therapy, you also get therapy that will help you through your mental health issues. You will learn strategies for coping with your emotions in a healthy way, which will not only alleviate the symptoms of your mental health problems but will also help you on your journey to recovery. You’ll learn to identify your triggers, better manage your stress, and develop healthy coping strategies for a variety of situations that might arise.

In therapy, you’ll also learn tips for healthy socializing, which many addicts and people with anxiety and other mental health issues can struggle with. You’ll learn how to create healthy boundaries and create healthy relationships, as well.

Addiction and mental health issues are so closely related that you cannot expect to be successful in overcoming your addiction if you do not get mental health treatment, as well. In many cases, Phoenix addiction counseling will include mental health counseling, allowing you to treat both at the same time. However, if you have more severe mental health issues, you may need to see a specialist for more intensive treatment. Talk to your Phoenix addiction counselor about what treatments would work best for you. You may need to get an official diagnosis to identify the right treatments.

Call Corebella Health and Wellness to meet with an addiction counselor and learn about your options for mental health and addiction treatment. We offer a variety of addiction therapies so that you can get the right treatment. If you need more extensive mental health treatment to help you in your quest for sobriety, we can make referrals within the community. We also offer a wellness clinic that offers services to promote general health and well-being long after your initial addiction treatment. We offer services to those throughout the Glendale and Tempe area. Call us today to learn more about what we have to offer and how we can help you beat your addiction and create a healthier lifestyle.