Recovery
Dr. Deborah Berberich is a psychologist practicing in Placentia, CA. Dr. Berberich specializes in the treatment of health mental problems and helps people to cope with their mental illnesses. As a psychologist, Dr. Berberich evaluates and treats patients through a variety of methods, most typically being psychotherapy or... more
Many, who struggle with addiction, have gotten clean but later relapsed without understanding what went wrong. People often think their relapse was due to one or two things, not attending enough meetings, not being serious or ready, or having too much stress. While all these factors likely contributed, the reasons behind addiction and relapse are complex and require a more comprehensive explanation to be helpful in understanding what went wrong.
Getting clean is only the first step in the recovery process. Understanding what preceded and maintained addiction is essential for long-lasting sobriety. In order to achieve sustainable recovery and health, it is important to understand underlying issues and emotional pain obscured by alcohol or drug use. No matter how many good intentions and warm feelings you have from completing a treatment program, without true insight into the core reasons for addiction, recovery is unlikely to last.
A very important factor often overlooked by the medical and recovery communities is the powerful connection between addiction and mental health. In many ways, addiction is a symptom or indicator of underlying emotional pain and mental health issues. The failure to understand this entangled relationship is the primary reason for treating addiction without simultaneously addressing pre-existing mental health symptoms is unlikely to achieve lasting success. The danger of not addressing the root causes of addiction is that every relapse has a profoundly negative impact on morale and can pull an individual deeper into a state of despair.
To be continued...
