A Better Today

Developing
Life Skills

How Does A Better Today’s Substance Abuse Treatment Help the Client Develop Life Skills?

Many drug and alcohol treatment facilities claim they heal the whole person; that their treatment heals the mind, body, and soul. But what does that really mean when it comes to substance abuse? Sure it is easy to say that you practice client-focused treatment, but what ABT has realized is that they never really explain how their treatment supports their claim.

A Better Today is more than happy to explain how our approach to treatment really does heal the whole person and it all starts with attention to detail because sometimes it really is the little things that make the biggest impact in our lives. ABT not only provides our clients with individualized treatment plans that focus on their needs and qualified therapists that look for co-occurring disorder symptoms; we also focus on life skill building.

Many substance abuse treatment centers just see the disease and assume that if you address the disease everything else is fixed too. This is actually far from the truth. Many people who have been struggling with a meth or heroin addiction for years or even better part of a decade, struggle with developing a healthy set of life skills.

That is the attention to detail that makes or breaks long-lasting treatment. You may have went through the steps of getting clean, but what is the quality of life like if you do not know how to communicate with others, set goals that are realistic and achievable, and develop a health routine that sets you up for your own version of success.

Drug & Alcohol Abuse Alters Expression of Brain Chemicals like Serotonin and Dopamine

Your Brain on Drugs: the Addicted Brain

When a person gets lost in drug and alcohol abuse, their brain changes. Some of these changes are permanent and some are situational. These changes can affect the individual’s self-esteem, their concept of what is enjoyable, their desire to eat and enjoy the taste of food, whether they can trust others, and even their desire to set life goals.

ABT can’t even express the frustration we feel when we hear clients say, “after 5 years of abusing heroin I thought I was going to die from it, why would I have set goals. My goals were to get my next fix. That was good enough for me.”

It is our job, it is the quality of our treatment, that needs to pay attention to those details. Again, even though they have taken the steps of getting sober, it is really about the quality of their life and the ability to capitalize on the drug-free potential that keeps the client on the right path of recovery. It all begins with the brain and how it functions.

Proper brain function relies on the regulation of chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. Many drugs like ecstasy and heroin alter the natural expression of those chemicals. For examples, serotonin is responsible for the well-being and mood of a person, and dopamine controls what a person considers is pleasurable through-out their day. A disruption in those chemicals changes how a person thinks, what a person thinks is enjoyable, and how they feel in general. For more information about the addicted brain check out the video and know that treatment for drug and alcohol abuse doesn’t stop with getting sober.

How Does Substance Abuse Affect Communication Skills?

In the midst of active addiction people tend to lose their connection with their family, friends, and coworkers. Relationships with others lose their value when drugs and alcohol become the focus of life. Being able to communicate their feelings, develop healthy relationships, and reciprocate trust and respect become less and less important as they become more dependent on the substances they are abusing.

For those who have jobs or careers when they begin to abuse drugs and alcohol; their performance, mood, and motivation to succeed dwindle as they slip further and further into their addiction. Communicating with co-workers and supervisors can become an irritation or a trigger to abuse. The relationships that do last, tend to be stretched thin as manipulation and desperation wear them down to the point of breaking.

These types of behaviors in active addiction haunt the individual when they are getting help for their substance abuse problem. The raw emotions of guilt, betrayal, and manipulation are hard to overcome, especially if abusing drugs or alcohol are used to numb the senses to begin with.

Having an individualized treatment plan that helps the person work through these destructive behaviors and relearn more socially acceptable behaviors in rehab is just as important as step-work. A Better Today understands that paying attention to those details encourage long-lasting recovery and a better quality of life.

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Setting Achievable Goals & Having a Positive Outlook on Life

One of the most worst things active addiction can do is focus the individual’s whole life around obtaining their next fix. Nothing is more heart breaking to ABT than hearing someone say they didn’t care if they lived or died, as long as they had their next fix they were okay. When a person gets lost in their addiction, they no longer dream of obtaining success, they do not set short and long-term goals, and most of all, their self-esteem is crushed by the weight of their own guilt and shame.

A Better Today feels passionately about changing that mind set of each and every client. Utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT), our masters level therapists work with the client to process the raw emotions that are trapping them in the negative mind space and focus their attention on positive things, setting achievable goals, and avoid the negative thoughts that could provoke relapse.

Again, it is these little details about ABT’s rehab that makes the world of a difference. Graduating a substance abuse treatment plan with a strong aftercare plan and positive outlook on life ensures each client can and will achieve their own version of success. Check out ABT’s data of treatment success rates to see how much of a difference it actually makes.

Developing Healthy Routines: Chores & Cooking

A Better Today understands that no one likes doing chores or cooking, but when active addiction has robbed the client of the value of a healthy routine and comfortable living arrangements; teaching them the joy of these simple daily activities is important.

Many individuals that have struggled with a heroin addiction give up the safety of their home to hit the streets in search for the next fix. Not everyone experiences this level of addiction but for those who have, know that paying bills, having 3 square meals a day, and a roof over their head are no longer logically when they crave the only thing that brings them joy; drugs.

Encouraging that healthy routine of eating every day and taking care of household responsibilities is part of ABT’s individualized treatment plan. Many clients in recovery have dreams and aspiration of getting their family back together while in treatment. Convincing child protective services that they are stable enough to get their children back once they graduate is tough.

That is why ABT’s approach to treatment has the clients cooking and doing chores during treatment. We want to prepare every client for the real world and the potential stressors that may come their way. Developing these healthy routines while in treatment, eases them into the role of parent without suddenly overwhelming them fresh out of treatment.

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Why Should This Matter in Substance Abuse Treatment?

When it comes to providing quality treatment that heals the whole person, know that A Better Today knows how to do it right. Our individualized treatment plans encourage long-lasting treatment because we focus on the little details that set the client up for their version of success.

That may look like going back to school to become a nurse or proving to the court system that they deserve their children back; either way ABT is there to help. We help each client find stability and security that prepares them for success. Whether that involves a sober living establishment or continued intensive outpatient with their therapist, we are there for the long haul.

A Better Today helps our clients develop the life skills necessary to be productive members of society. We offer comprehensive individualized treatment, continued aftercare programs, sober living options, connections with sponsors and fellowship organizations, and alumni programs to ensure that once they walk the path of recovery they are surrounded by influences that keep them on that path toward a better quality of life.

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