Many people think that the hardest part of overcoming a drug addiction is the detox from the substance they’re on. This isn’t the case, though. The withdrawal symptoms that an addict experiencestypically only last a short period of time, whereas their mental addiction can last much longer. People often turn to drugs in order to mask their feelings, memories or emotional struggles so that they can feel numb to the things that have hurt them.

Being able to overcome an addiction long term requires someone to make major changes in their life and knowing how to cope with possible issues that could arise in the future is essential. Experiential therapy has quickly become a tool that therapists use to help people achieve success in overcoming an addiction to drugs or alcohol. The following guide walks you through a few waysexperiential therapy may be able to help you stick with your sobriety after completing a rehabilitation program.

Learn What Triggers You to Want to Take Drugs

During the roleplaying that takes place in experiential therapy, you can develop insight as to what situations make you feel drawn to do drugs. It can be a circumstance surrounding you with certain people or even an environmental trigger that could cause the urge to do drugs again. Through this form of therapy, you’ll learn how to handle the urges so that you don’t fall back into your old cycles again.

Knowing what your triggers are helps you avoid them when you go back to your normal life. You may need to learn what placesand situations to stay away from, as well as which personalities avoid.

Gain Confidence in Yourself

Some forms of experiential therapy allow you to learn how to do new and interesting things. Many recovering addicts go through a period of self-loathing, resentment and even depression. This can make the recovery process seem even more difficult. If you use a form of experiential therapy that allows you to learn something new, you’ll gain self-confidence, which will help you stand up for yourself in the future.

There are many addicts who end up relapsing after they finish a recovery program because they feel like they aren’t good enough. They think that their addiction has ruined their life and that the choices they made when they were high are completelyunforgivable.Thisisn’t the case, though. There are many people who are willing to give second chances to addicts and havingconfidence in yourself will give you the boost you need to rekindle relationships with loved ones that have damaged during your addicted period of life.

See Yourself in a Different Light

One of the hardest things for someone to do when they recover from an addiction is to realize that they have value and they still have a future available to them if they put in the effort. Experiential therapy allows you to see that you aren’t the person you were when you were addicted to drugs. It can help you to forgive yourself so that you can move forward toward a brighter future. Seeing that you can make a difference in your life and in the lives of others can give you the motivation to set your life on the right path toward a bright and steady future.

Focus on Other Aspects of Life

Focusing on your addiction constantly can limit your ability to recover. You need to focus on other things and experiential therapy can be a great way to divert your attention away from the fact that you were once addicted to drugs, whilehelping you strengthen old skills and learn new ones. Dwelling on a drug addiction can cause you to relapse and being able to focus your attention elsewhere will help you move on from the past.

Prepare for the Chaos of Life after Addiction

Experiential therapy can help youlearn how to handle some of the chaos that will come when you’re back in the real world after a rehab program, as well. You can use roleplaying to learn how to handle negative attitudes toward your sobriety or learn how to answer questions properly when you go to a job interview. The more prepared you are, the easier the process will be.

Surround Yourself with Like Minded People

Many of the available experiential therapy options involve other people who are overcoming a drug addiction, as well. This provides you with an opportunity to talk about the way you’refeeling with people who understand because they’ve gone through the things you’re going through, too. This can give you peace and helps you avoid feeling judged or frowned upon during a crucial stage of your recovery. You need to believe that it’s going to be okay in the long run and talking to people who have overcome their addiction and turned their life around could serve as a great motivating factor for you.

There are many forms of experiential therapy, including drama therapy, equestrian therapy, art therapy and even adventure therapy. You may need to try different experiential family therapy models before you find the right one for you. You need to feel comfortable with the therapy that you choose and understand that it’s benefiting you in order for it to be the right option. It may take time before you start reaping the benefits of experientialtherapy, but it’s important to stick with it to ensure that you provide yourself the best possible opportunity for a bright future