Find Local Treatment Options
Call 888-646-0635 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.Who Answers?

The Effectiveness of Group Therapy in Drug Rehab Centers

Group therapy is a great part of different drug rehab centers.

Group therapy is a great part of different drug rehab centers.

Most rehab centers use a combination of individual and group therapy to provide an effective approach to addiction treatment. With group therapy being the foundation for most recovery models, one may wonder what it is that makes this type of therapy so important in all types of addiction treatment. While therapy can be helpful for just about anyone facing addiction to drugs or alcohol, group therapy provides a safe place for patients to come together and find ways to cope with the addiction and heal. Group therapy is most effective when it is paired with adequate individual counseling and therapy because this offers the addict a time of reflection where they can openly discuss what they have learned or thought during group therapy.

Group Therapy – What is it?

Group therapy is a type of counselling that brings together patients who are suffering from addiction or mental health conditions that are similar to each other. In most cases, group therapy will consist of multiple patients who all suffer from the same condition whether it’s alcohol addiction, heroin addiction, or depression. In some cases, the group will consist of various patients who are addicted to different substances but whose level of addiction is similar in strength or manner.

Group therapy is moderated by a professional therapist or counselor and all participants are encouraged to share their personal experiences with the group openly. Participants are also asked to share their knowledge and insight into the healing process of those in the group. Group therapy is a safe place for individuals to come together and work on recovery in an environment where they are not criticized for their addiction.

This type of therapy is typically offered on a time limit basis which means that the group meets at a certain time and closes the session at a certain time, typically about an hour later. Sometimes, drug rehab centers provide group therapy that lasts all day and members of the group will come and go as they complete their therapy each day. Regardless of the time frame or time span that group therapy takes place in, this type of therapy has been proven very effective for individuals suffering from a range of addictions and co-occurring mental illness.

The Effectiveness of Group Therapy

What makes group therapy so effective? For some, the initial experience of group therapy may feel awkward or uncomfortable because it can be difficult to open up to a group of people that you don’t know. However, over time, this awkwardness and discomfort will become less noticeable and the group therapy sessions will prove to be a very therapeutic part of the recovery journey. Members learn quickly that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about in group therapy because all participants of the group have suffered some of the same experiences and they have all struggled equally with addiction.

Group therapy sessions provide patients with a sense of community and a safe place where they can share their insight and hopefully help other members of the group to overcome the psychological issues and struggles that they have had as a result of drug or alcohol addiction. Group therapy can also help individuals who are used to only being social when they are using drugs or alcohol, to learn how to be social and react in social settings without the substances.

Finally, group therapy is also effective because it provides patients who are recovering from addiction with a safe place where they can learn how to trust others once again. Too often, people who suffer from addiction to drugs or alcohol find themselves unable to trust people for a variety of reasons. They have been shunned, discriminated and often frowned upon as a result of their addiction and this causes them to have a lack of trust on the world. Group therapy can help recovering addicts to rebuild this trust in people, the community and the world.

More Rehab Centers Resources

How to Provide Healthy Support to a Loved One in Recovery

If your loved one is on the path to recovery from addiction, you may be wondering how to best support that person, while also avoiding enabling or codependency. How can you provide the right kind of support in order to promote your loved one’s health and recovery? The Effects of Social Support A study reported….

Continue reading

What you Must Know About Dual Diagnosis

Dual diagnosis can be the best way to go in treatment for people with mental disorder problems.

An individual who suffers from dual diagnosis is considered to have both a substance abuse problem and a psychiatric illness at the same time. Dual diagnosis causes some additional challenges when it comes to treatment for addiction because both the chemical dependency and the mental condition of the individual must be treated in conjunction with….

Continue reading

Ten Reasons to Choose Inpatient Alcohol Rehab

alcohol abuse help

When a person decides to stop drinking alcohol after forming a dependency to it, they will go through withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawal symptoms can be painful and dangerous, which is why most people need help detoxing from alcohol. Common symptoms that people experience when they detox from alcohol include vomiting, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, depression, uncontrollable….

Continue reading

5 Reasons to Choose a Live in Rehab Facility

addiction recovery

As you compare inpatient and outpatient rehab facilities, you will learn about the pros and cons of both types.There are many reasons why a growing number of people are choosing a live in rehab facility. Before we get into the five top reasons for this decision, there is something you need to know: these types….

Continue reading

Can You Recognize the Physical Signs of Drug Addiction?

Drug addiction can cause physical symptoms and signs.

Struggling with drug addiction is a terrible situation that many people deal with alone. Isolation and feelings of helplessness or shame are all too common for those addicted to drugs. The good news is that nobody has to deal with drug addiction alone. If somebody that you love is addicted to drugs do you think….

Continue reading

What if Your Loved One Resists Substance Abuse Treatment?

addiction help

Feelings of denial can cast a wide net within the life of an addict. The effects of drugs on the mind make it all but impossible for addicts to acknowledge, let alone confront, how drugs have damaged their lives. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as of 2009, an estimated 23.5 million people….

Continue reading

Staging an Alcohol Intervention

alcohol addiction treatment

An estimated 66% of men and nearly 50% of women over the age of 21 drink alcohol in the United States. Many of those who drink socially will ultimately become physically dependent on alcohol and may need help to get sober. The American Academy of Family Physicians estimates that about 25% of all adults who….

Continue reading

Overcoming Your Binge Eating Disorder

Get treatment for your binge eating disorder.

A binge eating disorder is characterized by an excessive and overwhelming desire to eat. This desire causes the individual to eat very large amounts of food and is often paired with a behavior called purging in which the individual eats large amounts and then throws up the food, fasts or takes part in excessive exercising….

Continue reading

Still can't find the help you are looking for?Get Started Now
Accepted Insurances / View the full list
For inquiries call 888-646-0635 Who Answers?

Accepted Insurances Does My Insurance
Cover This?

Where do calls go?

Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser: Recovery Helpline or Alli Addiction Services.

By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.

I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOWI NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOW888-646-0635
Who Answers?

Pin It on Pinterest

Shares