What Type of Therapy is Best for Addiction?

Addiction is not a choice, rather, it is a condition that is can be caused by a range of different genetic and environmental factors. In order to treat addiction, you also need to treat the underlying cause. Clinical research and reviews have shown a number of different therapies can provide positive outcomes. There is a wide range of therapies that a drug and alcohol rehab may offer, so let’s take a look at them and find out what the best therapy is for addiction.

Behavioral Therapies

The first type of therapy is behavioral therapy. This is a type of treatment that works by helping clients recognize what leads to high-risk behaviors and how to avoid them. Clients will also develop coping mechanisms and tools for avoiding situations that could lead to relapse. Behavioral therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) are the most widely used forms of therapy at addiction rehab facilities across the country. CBT is particularly helpful for addictions to alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and nicotine.

Motivational Therapies

An approach that has shown effectiveness in clients addicted to alcohol, motivational therapies use an incentive system to promote sobriety and health choices. This type of treatment is usually combined with behavioral therapy and is probably the 2nd most common form of therapy used in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Motivational therapies include:

• Motivational Enhancement Therapy
• Contingency Management and Motivational Incentives
• Community Reinforcement

Family Counseling and Therapies

We all must take responsibility for our actions, and sometimes this means taking responsibility for how our actions have affected others. It also means recognizing how other people and their words or actions have affected our own words and actions. Through family therapy, the client and their loved ones will receive guidance in recognizing specific actions and words that can lead to high-risk behaviors, as well as how to communicate more effectively. Family Counseling and therapies include: 

• Family Behavior Therapy
• Multisystemic Family Therapy
• Multidimensional Family Therapy
• Brief Strategic Family Therapy
• Functional Family Therapy
• Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach
• Assertive Continuing Care

12 Step Programs

Although not the most commonly used in rehab, 12 step programs are probably the most widely recognized therapy in the world of drug and alcohol addiction. These programs are centered around a few specific ideas. These ideas include that an addict must admit they have no control over their addiction, they must surrender to a higher power, and they must regularly attend support group meetings. 12 step programs for substance abuse are broken into 2 major categories: Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

In support of the 12 step methodology, many treatment facilities host 12 step meetings.

Holistic Treatment & Alternative Therapies

An approach to addiction treatment that has been growing in support and popularity is holistic addiction treatment. Holistic therapies, regardless of what they are treating, address all parts of a human’s wellbeing. The idea behind it is that our overall wellbeing is controlled by our mental, physical, and spiritual states of being. If we want to treat a disease, we must address its manifestations in all 3 of these areas. In order to do this, treatment centers do not forego western medicine and psychiatric treatment, but they add additional alternative treatments. The following alternative treatment methods help clients heal their body, mind, and spirit.

• Yoga
• Acupuncture
• Massage
• Chiropractic Therapy
• Sound Therapy

No one treatment plan will work for every person. The best addiction treatment plan is a combination of the above types of therapies based on an individual’s circumstances, background, and relationship with addiction. 

At Level Up Lake Worth, clients have found great success with our holistic approach and incorporation of common rehab therapies as well as alternative therapies. If you are ready to get started with your personalized treatment plan, contact our admissions office today!