How Healthcare Workers Balance Work and Home Responsibilities During the Holidays

Work and home responsibilities often feel more overwhelming during the holidays, when many people feel constantly on the go. Healthcare workers are at a higher risk of experiencing physical and emotional exhaustion and burnout during the holidays unless they prioritize self-care. Driftwood Recovery encourages staff members to create a healthy balance between personal and professional responsibilities during busy times of the year, including the holidays. 

The Need for a Balance Between Work and Home Responsibilities

Healthcare professionals must find a healthy balance between work and home responsibilities to reduce their risk of burnout or mental health issues. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “The primary concern for burnout is not being able to emotionally take care of each patient individually or uniquely.” During the holidays, when staff often feel the most emotionally drained, clients frequently experience more challenges. Addressing the risk of healthcare worker burnout ensures clients receive appropriate care. 

Creating a work-life balance involves doing the following: 

• Setting specific times for work hours and personal time 
• Focusing on time-intensive and high-priority tasks first 
• Openly communicating needs and concerns with supervisors and family members 
• Using time management tools, including apps and calendars, to track responsibilities 
• Taking regular breaks 
• Setting realistic personal and professional goals

The more steps a person takes to separate work from their home life, the easier it is to create a sense of balance. Healthcare workers frequently face workplace stress, and the holidays cause additional stress in their home lives. If left unaddressed, the combination of pressures may interfere with a person’s ability to function. 

Maintaining Healthy Boundaries With Supervisors and Coworkers

Boundaries at work allow people to say “no” if they are asked to work additional hours or perform tasks that might negatively impact their mental and physical health. The holidays involve shopping for gifts, preparing meals, connecting with distant relatives, and other time-intensive activities. Healthcare workers must allow themselves to take the time they need to do these tasks without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. Setting clear boundaries reduces stress and will enable professionals to enjoy their holiday plans while remaining productive at work. 

How Work and Home Responsibilities Can Affect Mental Health

Some of the ways work and home responsibilities impact mental health during the holidays include: 

• Higher caseloads, holiday staff shortages, and increased hours increase workplace demands
• Long and irregular hours reduce time spent with family 
• Holidays often intensify emotional reactions to client discomfort and pain
• Missing family traditions or events may lead to guilt, stress, and resentment 
• Reduced access to support networks due to traveling or other holiday plans

Healthcare workers can take steps to protect their emotional wellness by preparing for these potential challenges before the holidays arrive. Informing loved ones of possible shifts in work hours, completing holiday shopping in advance, and doing other things to lower stress around the holidays can help healthcare workers maintain emotional stability. 

Avoiding Unnecessary Tasks

The holiday season is full of personal and professional tasks people must complete to meet their goals. Avoiding unnecessary tasks can give people additional time to complete other things they must do at home or work. 

Some examples of unnecessary tasks people can delegate to others or avoid entirely include: 

• Household deep cleaning to impress family or neighbors
• Last-minute shopping trips 
• Overly complex or extensive holiday decorations 
• Personally preparing every dish for a holiday meal
• Sending personalized holiday cards to friends and family 
• Attending all social events 
• Responding to nonemergency work calls during time off.

Professionals significantly minimize holiday stress and anxiety by reducing home and work responsibilities. 

Spending Time With Loved Ones During the Holidays

Social engagement is essential to positive mental health. Professionals are less likely to feel burnt out if they spend time with loved ones during the holidays, making new memories and enjoying the company of the people they care about most. According to Plos One, “[S]ocial connectedness protects and promotes mental and physical health.” Driftwood Recovery ensures staff members have the time to disconnect from work and spend time with their loved ones. 

Practical Ways to Avoid Burnout From Work and Home Stress

Staff with mental health disorders have an increased risk of developing more severe symptoms during periods of heightened stress. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “64 percent of individuals living with a mental illness reported that their conditions worsened around the holidays.” Prioritizing self-care and taking the time to reenergize each week helps healthcare professionals avoid burnout from the combination of work and home stressors. Using self-care to address symptoms and lower stress levels can help healthcare workers with mental health disorders experience fewer side effects during the holidays. Driftwood Recovery supports staff experiencing additional stress during the holidays, ensuring they have the resources to create effective work-life boundaries. 

Balancing work and home responsibilities is difficult for healthcare workers during the holiday season. Some individuals may have large family get-togethers or mandatory work events interfering with their ability to remain productive while connecting with loved ones over the holidays. Workplace stress may also interfere with personal relationships unless people establish firm boundaries between their work and home life. Driftwood Recovery supports employees’ mental health by encouraging staff members to create strict limits that set apart their personal and professional responsibilities during the holidays. Management has an open-door policy and is always available to help staff cope with stressors. To learn more about our workplace culture or treatment programs, call us today at (512) 759-8330.

Many healthcare facilities treating substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health issues see a spike in clients during the holidays. The increased caseload has the potential to cause burnout and additional stress for healthcare workers unless they take steps to prioritize their mental and physical health. Driftwood Recovery encourages staff members to create a healthy work-life balance and work as a team to address any increased client load during the holidays. 

What Causes an Increased Client Load During the Holidays?

Holiday social gatherings may lead some people to realize their need for help. In addition, families that may not connect throughout the year often meet for holidays. Sometimes, families take the opportunity to prompt loved ones to get help. The holidays also create a sense of fellowship in many communities, causing people to reach out to individuals struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues. 

Holiday plans may significantly reduce the number of healthcare workers available to take new cases. Time off for family vacations and traveling causes some departments to have fewer people available to keep up with increased client loads. Flexible scheduling and other solutions support staff without sacrificing the quality of client care. 

Interventions Are More Popular During the Holidays

Many people seek treatment during the holidays. Families often use the holidays as an opportunity to host interventions or urge loved ones to get the help they need to manage substance abuse and mental health disorders. Frequently, people go directly from the intervention location to a treatment center, causing a spike in potential clients for some healthcare facilities during the holidays. Intervention specialists may contact rehabilitation programs and facilitate the transfer of intervention clients on behalf of families. 

How Can Healthcare Workers Manage an Increased Client Load During the Holidays?

Clients may come all at once or as a steady stream of intakes. Healthcare professionals must find ways to manage the increased client load. Additional personal responsibilities during the holidays may make it more difficult for some professionals to focus at work. Combining additional responsibilities and more clients can stretch some people’s skills to breaking. Healthcare professionals need to plan for these moments and develop strategies to avoid emotional burnout during busy seasons. 

Some of the ways staff at rehabilitation programs manage a large influx of clients during the holidays include:

• Temporarily increasing staff or cross-training to fill empty spaces in schedules
• Implementing a more streamlined intake process to more quickly assess and treat new clients 
• Offering additional group therapy options to accommodate more individuals in treatment programs 
• Providing flexible scheduling 
• Offering telehealth services for individuals who do not require in-person care
• Partnering with private and community-based services 
• Consistently communicating with families to facilitate family engagement during the holidays 

Healthcare workers and supervisors can take many steps to improve the experience for clinicians and clients, reducing stress and increasing the effectiveness of treatment. 

Setting Realistic Expectations and Strict Work-Life Boundaries

Professionals must set realistic expectations with clients, coworkers, family members, and friends to avoid feeling pulled in multiple directions. The best way to do this is by being specific and considering all factors affecting their ability to achieve the goal. 

Clinicians treating SUD and mental health disorders often talk to clients about creating S.M.A.R.T. goals. Professionals can use the same principles to develop realistic expectations for work and home. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives is a good way to plan the steps to meet” short and long-term goals.

Making S.M.A.R.T. goals involves doing the following: 

• Clearly defining what you want to achieve by setting specific goals
• Identifying criteria for tracking progress 
• Setting attainable goals 
• Ensuring smaller goals align with larger objectives 

Structured and realistic goals set healthy expectations and increase the likelihood of success. 

Effectively Navigating an Increased Client Load Without Compromising Treatment Quality

Driftwood Recovery is a leading rehabilitation center with luxury accommodations and high-quality services. The clinical team maintains high standards and provides world-class treatment programs. Staff members learn to effectively navigate increases in client loads without compromising treatment quality or client engagement. Professionals use their support network to develop healthy strategies for remaining productive with a large workload. 

Practicing Self-Compassion and Self-Care

Healthcare professionals must treat themselves with grace and compassion to avoid feeling overworked and underappreciated. The holiday season is a difficult time for many people. Some professionals feel guilty for working longer hours and spending less time with family during the holiday rush. Practicing self-care and self-compassion can help healthcare professionals develop a more positive mindset. 

Clients and coworkers benefit when clinicians give themselves the time and space to reenergize each week. A few examples of self-care people use to manage higher stress levels at work include: 

• Spending time alone meditating or practicing mindfulness 
• Participating in hobbies or other enjoyable activities 
• Spending time with pets, loved ones, or social circles
• Setting clear boundaries 
• Getting quality sleep each night 
• Eating balanced, nutritious meals

Healthcare workers can provide exceptional care while maintaining positive mental health during the holidays. 

During the winter months, many treatment facilities get inundated with new clients, contact from potential clients and their families, and alumni needing additional support navigating their first holiday sober. The increase in workload significantly impacts the emotional and physical health of clinicians and support staff. Management at Driftwood Recovery encourages employees to develop a work-life balance and set boundaries to support their mental health during the holidays. Staff need to prioritize their own well-being to provide high-quality care to clients recovering from addiction or mental health disorders. To learn more about our facility and how we support staff members during the holidays, contact our office today by calling (512) 759-8330.

Shame and guilt are common self-conscious emotions that most people will experience throughout their lives. Both emotions are deeply intertwined, and when left unchecked, one often leads to the other. Together, guilt and shame can be detrimental to your well-being. Understanding their entangled relationship is important for overcoming shame and guilt in addiction recovery.

At Driftwood Recovery, we know true healing starts with fostering a healthy connection to self and others. Through connection, you can find healthy attachments to alleviate the distressing emotions that can accompany recovery. We are dedicated to taking an attachment approach to recovery because connection is the foundation for understanding yourself and others. 

In recovery, feelings of guilt and shame can bubble up and manifest as social withdrawal. Yet, at Driftwood Recovery, we know recovery cannot be done in isolation but within the embrace of a strong support network. A network of peers and loved ones can offer mutual support and community to help people overcome shame and guilt and thrive. However, you may question how finding connections in alumni can help you in overcoming shame and guilt. Dismantling the harm of addiction in your life starts with understanding the roots of your distress. 

What Is Shame and Guilt?

In general, shame is an intense feeling of embarrassment or humiliation that arises from the perception that you have done something wrong. Further, shame leaves you feeling like you are a bad, unworthy, or inadequate person. Some additional symptoms of shame include:

• Worrying what others think of you
• Desire to withdraw from others 
• You always feel like an outsider

On the other hand, guilt leaves you feeling remorse or a sense of responsibility for doing something wrong or the perception that you have done something wrong. Guilt is unlike shame, which does not have to stem from a specific situation or behavior. Rather, guilt often stems from a specific intentional or unintentional action. Overcoming shame and guilt means understanding their similarities and differences. 

Understanding Differences Between Shame and Guilt

According to Europe’s Journal of Psychology, shame and guilt are self-critical emotions associated with self-reflection and self-evaluation. At the core of shame and guilt are negative self-evaluations and distress born from your perceived failures or transgressions. Listed below are some of the major differences between guilt and shame:

• Guilt focuses on negative moral self-evaluation
  • Considers your behavior, goals, beliefs, or traits
  • You evaluate yourself positively or negatively based on whether the behavior, goal, belief, or trait is seen as beneficial or harmful
  • Can drive you to amend your mistakes
• Shame focuses on nonmoral, negative self-evaluation
  • Is concerned with a perceived discrepancy between your actual and ideal self
  • You evaluate your self-worth based on your place in society
  • Can drive you to hide from others

Guilt and shame can have adaptive properties that contribute to differentiation in emotional responses to different forms of self-criticism. Yet, it is often the maladaptive aspects that make overcoming shame and guilt difficult.

Impact of Shame and Guilt on Addiction and Recovery

Shame and guilt can play overlapping roles in addiction and recovery. In addiction, shame and guilt made it difficult for you to believe you were worthy of healing and powerless to change. You overcame countless barriers to seek treatment, and now, in recovery, overcoming the shame and guilt that remain is vital to sustained recovery. When left to fester unaddressed, shame and trauma can impair your well-being. Listed below are some of the ways shame and guilt impede recovery:

• Risk for relapse
• Depression
• Low self-esteem
• Perfectionism
• Low self-worth
• Social withdrawal
• Impede healthy relationships

Further, shame and guilt can be detrimental to the connections you share with loved ones and recovery. As noted by BMC Psychiatry, most families are not equipped with the knowledge to adapt and appropriately respond to addiction, which disrupts the family’s normal system and functioning. Addiction exposes the family to a range of challenges, including socioeconomic, mental illness, abuse, conflicts, and dysfunction, among other issues. The family challenges born out of addiction can persist in recovery as shame and guilt. Some of the ways shame and guilt hinder healthy families and recovery include:

• Poor communication
• Low help-seeking behavior
• Dysfunctional family dynamics

Overcoming shame and guilt is not only valuable to you but for healing the whole family.

Overcoming Shame and Guilt in Recovery

Your ability to heal by overcoming shame and guilt is rooted in the power of connection, self-awareness, and self-understanding. Listed below are some of the ways you can work on overcoming shame and guilt to thrive:

• Practice mindfulness
  • Deepness awareness of the self and emotions
  • Understand the source of your guilt and shame
• Journal about the specific things you feel guilty or ashamed about
  • Helps acknowledge your guilt and shame rather than avoid it
  • Cultivates self-compassion, self-forgiveness, and acceptance to support moving forward
• Foster positive relationships by surrounding yourself with mutually supportive people
  • Talk to trusted loved ones about how you have been feeling
  • Surround yourself with people who value you
• Reach out for support
  • Attend self-help groups
  • Engage in therapy

Engaging in practices that promote dignity, respect, empathy, and trust in yourself and others is an important step toward overcoming shame and guilt. With positive connections in an alumni program, you are reminded that you are not alone in recovery.

Family Cohesion: Overcoming Shame Together to Heal at Driftwood Recovery

Overcoming shame and guilt in recovery supports family cohesion for sustained recovery. Positive family cohesion and connection with peers can support leading a courageous life in recovery for the whole family. At Driftwood Recovery, we believe in breaking the cycle of suffering through a peer-driven alumni program. Through alumni, you can find the encouragement, accountability, and service needed to overcome shame and guilt. With a commitment to connection, you and your loved ones can use long-term resources and services like weekly meetings, family dinners, and our family support group for sustained recovery.

Shame and or guilt are common emotions. Guilt can encourage you to make positive changes and amend mistakes. However, in recovery, shame and guilt can create a cycle of harm to your well-being. Feeling ashamed and guilty about your addiction or the choices you made before treatment can convince you that you are not worthy of healing or connection with others. A poor sense of self can contribute to relapse and greater family dysfunction. Overcoming shame and guilt through connection with others is invaluable to sustained recovery. At Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing resources that support connection with loved ones and peers in alumni to cultivate self-compassion and forgiveness to heal. Call us at (512) 759-8330 today.

The holidays can be triggering and often leave people feeling uncertain about the future. Healthcare providers often fill a critical gap for clients who lack a support system at home. Clients with less support from friends or family may experience additional stress, loneliness, or anxiety during the holiday season. Addressing these issues immediately reduces their impact on a client’s rehabilitation. Staff members at Driftwood Recovery support clients by providing additional emotional and practical support during the holidays. 

Providing Emotional Support to Clients During the Holidays

Healthcare professionals play an essential role in empowering and uplifting clients during their recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) or dual diagnosis. Professionals in healthcare do this by providing emotional support to clients during the holidays. Many clients in treatment do not have family members able or willing to spend the holidays with them during the treatment process. The lack of family support may cause some clients to backslide and rely on maladaptive coping mechanisms to make it through the holiday season. Healthcare workers reduce the risk of relapse and keep clients moving forward in their recovery by providing additional support and encouragement during the holidays. 

Managing Triggers and Reducing Stress

The holidays are when many people get together with friends and loved ones to celebrate the year. Past events may have involved alcohol or other addictive substances, causing clients to experience intense cravings during the holiday season. People also experience additional stress related to holiday get-togethers.

Some of the most common stress triggers clients experience during the holidays include: 

• Questions from loved ones about the future 
• Loneliness 
• Being separated from friends or family
• Mourning the loss of a loved one 
• Cravings caused by holiday imagery involving alcohol 

Triggers may cause significant emotional distress and potential complications for clients in recovery. Healthcare professionals decrease the adverse side effects of cravings and other symptoms of SUD by helping clients manage triggers. Emotional support and therapeutic guidance help clients navigate holiday triggers without feeling overwhelmed or falling back into unhealthy patterns. 

How Do the Holidays Impact the Mental Health of Clients in Residential or Outpatient Care?

Mental health directly affects physical wellness and a person’s outlook on life. Individuals in outpatient and residential care may face different challenges during the holidays. For example, clients in residential programs may miss being able to travel to visit loved ones for the holiday, increasing feelings of isolation or shame. However, clients in outpatient programs may struggle to meet family expectations or feel overwhelmed by stigmas and triggers they encounter during holiday events. Healthcare professionals help mitigate these issues by preparing clients in advance and ensuring they have the skills to effectively cope with holiday-related stressors. Addressing mental health needs helps clients remain safe and move forward in their recovery journey. 

Family Pressure to Meet Recovery Goals

Intense family pressure to meet recovery goals is one of the most significant stressors for many clients during the holidays. Often, families are unaware of the realities of addiction, and they may believe a few weeks of treatment will “cure” their loved one. However, the disease of addiction takes time and effort to manage. Clients may struggle to communicate their experiences with loved ones or worry about letting their family down. People often experience shame, regret, anger, and other strong emotions about their choices and current circumstances during the holidays. Healthcare professionals provide an outside perspective and encourage clients to continue healing. 

Making The Holidays a Positive Experience for Clients

Everyone deserves to feel heard, understood, and encouraged during the holidays. Healthcare professionals help clients by making the holidays a positive experience. Putting in the extra effort to make every interaction uplifting and compassionate may inspire clients and make day-to-day tasks more enjoyable for healthcare workers. Mindfulness-based exercises and techniques improve positivity and reduce stress management. According to Cureus, “Mindfulness-based interventions have [. . .] demonstrated benefits.” For example, “Healthcare workers in qualitative studies have described benefits for themselves, their colleagues, and their patients, such as nurses who reported improvements in coping with workplace stress and developing feelings of inner calm.” Staff members at Driftwood Recovery use mindfulness-based techniques to improve productivity and provide higher-quality service to clients in rehabilitation. 

Celebrating Milestones in Recovery and Building Deeper Connections

Healthcare workers play an important part in motivating clients to make essential lifestyle changes that support lasting recovery. Celebrating milestones with clients during the holidays can uplift their spirits and give them additional motivation. The staff at Driftwood Recovery treats every client like a family member and takes steps to celebrate every single success in treatment, no matter how large or small. Focusing on the positives helps clients and clinicians remain healthy and purposeful in their actions. The holiday season is an excellent time to check in on treatment progress and make new goals for the future. Staff at Driftwood Recovery use the opportunity to help clients focus on the future.

Treating clients during the holidays requires healthcare workers to dedicate more time to clients who may not have others to support them. Clients may feel more lonely and separated from others if they are forced to attend residential treatment during the holiday season. Healthcare workers encourage those individuals by practicing empathy and compassion. The holiday season often significantly increases client cases, putting stress on treatment facilities and individual staff members. Driftwood Recovery provides additional services to help clients and staff navigate holiday-related stressors successfully. By addressing staffing concerns, management ensures clients receive the highest level of care. To learn more about our facility and thriving sober community, call our office today at (512) 759-8330.

Sustained recovery is not about just getting by or getting through the day. True whole-person recovery is about giving you the tools and support you need to thrive in every part of your life. As the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (ODMHAS) states, recovery requires a community for individual sustained recovery. Community engagement is an important and necessary process for healing and reintegration into society. 

At Driftwood Recovery, we recognize that an important part of sustained recovery is community integration. Through community engagement, you can reintegrate into your community and society to build a meaningful life without substances. When you continue to invest in yourself and community building in recovery, you continue to learn and grow. Yet, what is community engagement? 

Understanding Community Engagement

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), community engagement is the process of developing relationships that enable communities to work together to address health-related issues and promote well-being. Although community engagement can take many forms, the core principles that can be supported in a recovery community include:

• Transparency 
• Trust
• Diversity 
• Inclusion
• Collaboration 
• Shared purpose
• Openness 
• Learning
• Making a difference in the community

Through community engagement, you work together with other community members to address health issues and stigma to promote well-being. The work is done in collaboration with the community’s health in mind, which puts the value of whole-person healing at the forefront of recovery. When you utilize your alumni program to help others, you deepen your sense of purpose and connection with the wider community. Understanding what community-based treatment is can be invaluable to fostering sustained connection and recovery. 

What Is Community-Based Treatment?

In traditional outreach and treatment programs, the focus is placed on abstinence and reducing the risk of relapse. Abstinence and relapse prevention are important cornerstones of treatment and recovery. However, true recovery is about more than maintaining your sobriety. As noted in Frontiers in Psychiatry, treatment and recovery must also work to heal other domains of life like social rehabilitation and inclusion. By taking a community engagement approach to recovery, you can support healing the whole of your parts rather than one piece of the pie. 

Yet, what is community-based treatment? What does community engagement look like for lasting recovery? As further noted in the Frontiers in Psychiatry article, community-based treatment takes a recovery-oriented perspective to recovery. A recovery-oriented approach to community engagement understands that treatment and recovery services need to adapt to people’s needs instead of people adapting to service requirements. Many of the practices and services found in recovery-oriented models of community engagement include:

• Supporting special subgroups
  • Culturally responsive
  • Gender-specific
  • Comorbid disorders
• Housing security
• Supported employment
• Develop skills to manage symptoms
• Active involvement in local organizations

Whole-person care and community engagement can be invaluable to lasting recovery. Yet, much like treatment itself, some barriers attempt to impede your ability to reintegrate into society after treatment.

Addressing the Challenges of Reintegration in Recovery

In treatment, you learn and develop tools for self-efficacy, symptom management, hope, and empowerment. Despite the tools you developed in treatment, learning how to reintegrate into your life and society can be challenging. Many systems are not designed with the needs of different communities in mind. For many individuals in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD), there are stigma-based barriers that impede maintaining recovery. 

People in recovery often experience public, structural, and self-stigma that contribute to psychological and tangible resource barriers. As stated in the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, stigma exposure to societal prejudice and discrimination can harm recovery. Listed below are some of the ways SUD stigma impedes community engagement for reintegration:

• Increases stress
• Social withdrawal and isolation
• Decreases motivation
• Erodes self-esteem
• Decreases self-efficacy
• Internalizing stigma
• Feeling culturally disconnected 
• Identity crisis
• Employment and housing instability
• Poor access to healthcare
• Small or nonexistent support network

Barriers to sustained recovery can feel daunting. However, you can overcome obstacles to reintegration with alumni support. With support, you can lean on your sober community to help you access resources for community engagement and recovery.

The Value of Community Engagement in Recovery

Community engagement is important for helping you discover the sense of purpose and meaning needed for motivation to sustain recovery. You foster a sense of belonging by actively participating in services and resources like support groups, volunteer work, sober events, workshops, and community activities. Further, through community engagement, you can find support, understanding, encouragement, guidance, and accountability to thrive in recovery. Often, feelings of guilt and shame around addiction can convince you that you are not wanted or deserving of connection and community. 

However, community engagement, at its core, is built on the idea that social connectedness helps you feel supported, valued, and cared for in your relationships. The sense of belonging that connection and community offer is a fountain of positivity and courage that empowers you to grow and flourish. Community engagement reminds you that you are not alone in your recovery journey. You are deserving of healing and recovery.

Learning How to Reintegrate Into Your Community at Driftwood Recovery

At Driftwood Recovery, we know recovery is a journey that continues long after addiction treatment. A strong, active alumni community reminds you that you are not alone on your journey to recovery. With support, reintegration does not have to be a frightening thing. Rather, alumni offer compassion, service, accountability, and the encouragement needed to thrive in every domain of life.

You are worthy of self-love, you are worthy of recovery, and you deserve space for learning and growth to lead a fulfilling life. We are dedicated to providing an active alumni program to support community engagement and reintegration to lead a courageous life in sustained recovery.  

Community engagement fosters a sense of belonging that allows for whole-person healing and reintegration. Yet, it can be difficult to engage in the connection offered in community engagement due to barriers like public and structural stigma. Stigma can limit access to resources while contributing to guilt and shame, which leads to social withdrawal rather than engagement. Through a strong alumni program, you can access community-based treatment and other resources to address multiple domains in need of healing, like housing, employment, and interpersonal relationships. At Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing a peer-driven network where you can build lifelong connections in a community that celebrates you at every stage of recovery. Call us at (512) 759-8330 to learn more.

Individuals in minority groups may find it more difficult to access necessary treatment. Healthcare workers play an important role in connecting clients with the services they need to thrive in recovery. According to Health Services Research, “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are populations at elevated risk for mental health disorders, substance abuse, and psychiatric comorbidity relative to their heterosexual and cisgender peers.” Driftwood Recovery offers an affirming therapeutic space for LGBTQIA+ clients to heal from the effects of substance use disorder (SUD) and dual diagnosis. 

Addressing the Challenges LGBTQIA+ Clients Face in Treatment

LGBTQIA+ clients may face additional challenges during treatment and ongoing recovery. Healthcare providers must consider these factors during treatment planning and throughout rehabilitation. Individuals in minority groups often face greater stigma and social discrimination during treatment. In addition, many LGBTQIA+ individuals do not have a stable support system to help them navigate treatment and ongoing recovery. Staff members may need to step up and take on more of a support role, providing clients with additional resources and services to fill gaps in their support system. 

How Clinicians Support LGBTQIA+ Clients

LGBTQIA+ clients may need more one-on-one and community assistance compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers. Some of the practical ways staff support LGBTQIA+ clients during treatment for SUD include: 

• Offering access to gender-specific and LGBTQIA+ support groups 
• Providing access to LGBTQIA+ relevant aftercare resources 
• Using inclusive and gender-affirming language
• Creating a safe and non-judgmental environment 
• Ensuring privacy and confidentiality regarding sexual orientation and gender identity 
• Providing trauma-specific care for clients who may have experienced discrimination 

Driftwood Recovery educates the community on how to combat stigmas and discrimination, creating a more inclusive space for client healing. Healthcare workers provide guidance and motivation for minority clients struggling with the effects of SUD or dual diagnosis. Personalizing support services to address the unique needs of LGBTQIA+ individuals ensures a better treatment experience for clients and clinicians. 

Healthcare Professionals Create a Safe Space

LGBTQIA+ clients may find it more challenging to open up about their experiences. Healthcare professionals can break down that barrier by building trust and creating a safe space where clients feel comfortable expressing themselves. The relationship of trust starts during the initial intake interview.

Some of the ways healthcare workers create a safe space for LGBTQIA+ clients include: 

• Displaying inclusive symbols of support, including pride flags or ally signs 
• Using intake and assessment forms that include diverse forms of gender identity and sexual orientation 
• Including LGBTQIA+ cultural competency training for all staff members 
• Building partnerships with LGBTQIA+ organizations that offer support services for clients 
• Using inclusive language in all reading materials and treatment sessions 

Healthcare professionals play a significant role in normalizing positive and affirming conversations about gender identity and sexual orientation. 

Building Trust and Developing Personalized Care Plans

Personalized care plans allow clinicians to address unique issues impacting clients and their recovery from substance use or mental health disorders. Tailoring treatment also builds trust by showing clients that clinicians care about their comfort, safety, and personal goals. Culturally competent care is essential to ensure positive treatment outcomes. 

Studies have shown that “[t]he healthcare needs of the LGBTQ community should be considered to provide the best care and avoid inequalities of care.” Healthcare professionals use comprehensive assessments and other tools to create effective care plans addressing the needs of LGBTQIA+ clients. 

How Driftwood Recovery Supports LGBTQIA+ Clients

Driftwood Recovery welcomes individuals of all cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds. Staff members receive sensitivity training and other instructions to help them best serve each individual in their care. The thorough intake assessments and client-focused programs at Driftwood Recovery provide clinicians with the necessary tools to ensure clients receive the care they need to heal. 

Addiction and mental health professionals address the needs of LGBTQIA+ clients by doing the following: 

• Using inclusive language and respecting client pronouns, names, and gender identities 
• Addressing risk factors that disproportionately affect LGBTQIA+ individuals 
• Identifying and addressing any heteronormative or cisnormative assumptions in treatment planning 

Every client deserves to feel respected and valued during treatment. Healthcare professionals can consult with community-based support programs and services focused on providing care to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Access to An Affirming and Empowering Community

Driftwood Recovery offers clients access to an affirming and empowering community of peers. Healthcare professionals collaborate with clients to ensure that peers engage with one another and actively participate in the treatment process. LGBTQIA+ individuals may struggle with low self-esteem and self-confidence. Empowerment through evidence-based and alternative holistic therapies promotes more positive thoughts and healthier behaviors. Recovering from substance abuse and mental health disorders is more manageable when people feel comfortable speaking up about their needs. The inclusive community at Driftwood Recovery encourages clinicians and clients to support and uplift one another. 

Individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+ often face additional challenges during and after treatment for substance use and mental health disorders. LGBTQIA+ clients also have a higher risk of experiencing co-occurring conditions and severe symptoms. Healthcare professionals can take steps to create a nurturing space for LGBTQIA+ individuals, reducing their risk of relapse and improving treatment outcomes. Driftwood Recovery offers a safe and welcoming space for anyone seeking treatment. Staff members receive culturally sensitive training and offer trauma-specific care to help clients heal and build a healthy foundation for sobriety and positive mental health. To learn more about our inclusive programs and how our experts support LGBTQIA+ clients, call our office today at (512) 759-8330.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), seven in ten  (72.2% or 20.9 million) adults with substance use disorder (SUD) consider themselves to be recovering or in recovery. Yet, addiction relapse is an all too common occurrence in addiction recovery. The presence of relapse has led people to view addiction as a chronic relapsing condition, which can create a skewed narrative of recovery. Therefore, fear in recovery is not a surprising challenge that many face post-treatment. 

At Driftwood Recovery, we know that preventing relapse and dismantling fear in recovery starts with a strong foundation. You can build a strong foundation for sustained recovery with support found in connection and community. We are committed to providing an attachment approach that allows you to foster connections with peers and other resources to heal. Our alumni community learns from each other as everyone imparts compassion, understanding, accountability, and guidance to each other. The connections you find in alumni can give you the courage to overcome fear in recovery and thrive in your life.

Yet, you may question how connection can help you prevent relapse and squash fear in recovery. How can an alumni program support your recovery? First, understanding addiction relapse and fear in recovery can provide insight into the value of an active alumni program for lasting recovery.

What Is Addiction Relapse?

For many people, relapse is a part of the recovery process. As noted in Addiction Relapse Prevention by Nicholas Guenzel and Dennis McChargue, approximately 50% of people with SUD relapse in the first 12 weeks after an inpatient program. The thought that your treatment program can end in relapse is a clear fear in recovery. Yet, what is an addiction relapse? What does it mean to relapse when you are in recovery? 

In general, many think of relapse as a return to the consumption of the substance that caused dependence. However, relapse is much more complex than consumption. In reality, relapse is a process that unfolds across three major stages: emotional, mental, and physical relapse. As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notes, recovery is a lifelong process in which changes across multiple life domains must occur to maintain recovery. Yet, why does relapse happen? 

Several different risk factors can contribute to relapse, like exposure to triggers and poor social support. Moreover, difficulty coping with the challenges recovery and life throws at you is rooted in fear. Learning about fear in recovery is an important step toward dismantling its hold on you and supporting relapse prevention.

Understanding the Roots of Fear in Recovery

For centuries, fear has been a basic primal and adaptive emotion that impacts how you think, feel, and behave. In many cases, fear can alert you to both real and perceived physical or psychological harm. Fear can also be a source of harm to your well-being. You are harmed when fear impedes your health, relationships, and opportunities for personal growth. In the case of addiction, numerous fears can impair your recovery when left unaddressed.

Addressing Types of Fears in Recovery

Fear in recovery can be the thing that can lead to the relapse you have feared. Thus, understanding how fears like failure, success, and relapse in recovery happen can provide insight into overcoming fears to thrive. The fear of failure in recovery is rooted in the unknown. You may fear that you do not have the strength to meet the challenges recovery and life will throw at you. Will I be able to say no to a drink at the family holiday party? 

Much like fear of failure, fear of success is also rooted in the unknown of change. When you have experienced so much harm in addiction, it can make it difficult to believe in yourself. You may believe you do not deserve to be successful, making it easier to engage in self-sabotaging behaviors. A fear of relapse is a reflection of your fear that you are destined to relapse and that relapse equals failure. However, relapse and recovery are more complex than the black-and-white of success and failure. 

Yet, how do you demystify all these fears in recovery?

Learning How to Demystify Fear in Recovery

According to the “Demystifying Relapse” series from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, recovery is rarely brief or straightforward. Throughout your recovery, you will experience improvements and setbacks in the process of healing. Thus, your mindset is an important component in demystifying fear in recovery. Listed below are some of the things you can do to support dismantling fear:

• Journaling
  • Identify and reflect on your fears
• Change the way you think about recovery
  • Look for and anticipate the positive changes
  • Celebrate big and small milestones
• Focus on gradual changes and growth
  • A fulfilling life in recovery does not happen overnight
• Lean on your social support network
  • Talking with those you trust about your fears
  • Spend time with loved ones
• Make space for a well-rounded self and life
  • Life in recovery is not only about recovery
    • Foster passion for hobbies and interests 

With support, recovery does not have to be a source of fear. 

Overcoming Fear in Recovery With Alumni at Driftwood Recovery

At Driftwood Recovery, we believe access to a peer-driven network gives you the tools to thrive post-treatment. With a strong, active, sober community, you are reminded that you are not alone on your journey to recovery. Although everyone’s experiences are unique to them, you and your alumni peers are united by a common challenge in addiction. Together, you can find the compassion, service, accountability, and encouragement needed to thrive in every domain of life. You are worthy of self-love, you are worthy of recovery, and you deserve space for learning and growth to lead a fulfilling life. We are dedicated to providing active alumni support to help you reintegrate and lead a courageous life in sustained recovery. 

Fear in recovery can be a major obstacle to sustained recovery. Although fear is a primal and often necessary emotion for survival, it can be detrimental to well-being when it rules over you. Many of the fears associated with recovery, like success, failure, and relapse, are rooted in the uncertainty of change and negative thinking patterns. Your challenges with addiction can make it difficult for you to believe you are worthy of recovery. However, it is fear and negative thinking that can lead you to relapse. At Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing an active alumni program built on compassion, connection, community, understanding, and accountability to support lasting recovery. Call us at (512) 759-8330 to learn more today.

Trust is vital to the client-clinician relationship during treatment for substance use and mental health disorders. People in treatment may have a history of negative experiences with medical personnel or authority figures. Establishing trust with the care team is a part of the initial intake process. According to BMC Psychology, “Trust and respect may be an important component of client-provider relationships.” The experts at Driftwood Recovery have created a safe and welcoming space for clients and their loved ones to receive treatment. 

Why Is Establishing Trust Important?

Trust keeps clients engaged and willing to open up with their care team. Developing that relationship early in treatment promotes faster healing and better outcomes. Healthcare professionals are responsible for providing clients with a safe and comfortable environment for healing. Creating a bond of trust facilitates a deeper connection between clients and staff members, ensuring clients feel confident following their care provider’s advice. People are more likely to engage with healthcare workers and actively participate in their recovery if they trust their care team. 

Trust is vital in developing a healthy therapeutic relationship with clients. Professionals in treatment programs foster trust by doing the following: 

• Creating a safe and supportive environment
• Actively listening to clients and responding to their concerns
• Maintaining confidentiality and protecting client records
• Respecting cultural, religious, and personal boundaries 
• Encouraging open and honest communication 
• Modeling healthy behaviors and interactions 

Healthcare workers guide clients through recovery, preparing them to transition out of structured care and into aftercare. Reintegrating back into the community is more manageable for clients who trust the interactions and advice of their care team. Clients are often more willing to develop new behaviors and routines if they feel supported by professionals who have their best interests in mind. 

Building a Healthy Client-Clinician Relationship

Treatment programs only work if staff find ways to engage clients. Collaboration between clients and staff requires trust and a willingness to make necessary lifestyle changes. Some people participating in treatment find it difficult to stop maladaptive behaviors or negative thought patterns. Clinicians who develop a deeper connection with clients help them overcome these barriers to recovery. 

A healthy client-clinician relationship involves the following: 

• Effective communication 
• Compassion and empathy
• Mutual respect 
• Collaborative goal setting 
• Consistent support and follow-up
• Regular progress monitoring
• Flexibility and adaptability 
• Offering constructive feedback 
• Cultural sensitivity and awareness 
• A non-judgmental approach to client care

Staff at Driftwood Recovery prioritize individualized care and offer clients one-on-one therapy sessions to help people heal from the effects of substance use disorder (SUD) or dual diagnosis. Clinicians benefit from encouraging client autonomy and empowering clients to make informed decisions about their care.

Challenges Clinicians Face When Establishing Trust

Some of the most common challenges addiction recovery and mental health experts face when establishing trust with new clients include: 

• Helping clients overcome hesitancy due to past trauma or negative experiences with treatment programs
• Resistance from clients who may be in denial about their condition and need for treatment 
• Stigmas surrounding treatment may make clients feel ashamed or have difficulty opening up about their experiences 
• Navigating cultural or language barriers during treatment sessions 
• Managing unrealistic client expectations and treatment goals 
• Creating professional boundaries to reduce the risk of miscommunication 
• Ensuring clients feel secure and safe sharing their experiences in treatment 

Clinicians use evidence-based and complementary modalities to address factors impacting client trust. Overcoming challenges involves tailoring care to client needs and adjusting expectations to reflect the realities of recovering from SUD. Driftwood Recovery encourages staff members to be open and transparent with clients to foster trust and build a stronger bond. 

Establishing Trust Between Clients and Clinicians at Driftwood Recovery

Clients often have expectations about treatment based on their past experience with medical professionals or rehabilitation programs. Sometimes, those expectations can get in the way of healing by stopping clients from fully engaging in treatment. Healthcare professionals at Driftwood Recovery address these problems by providing psychoeducation and other resources to clients. People are more likely to trust clinicians who display expertise in their field. Educational sessions also build trust and ensure clients fully understand what to expect from each stage of treatment. 

Developing a Deeper Connection With Clients

Healthcare professionals develop deeper connections with clients by doing the following: 

• Showing empathy and compassion 
• Creating a safe space where clients feel comfortable expressing themselves 
• Providing ongoing support and consistent care between treatment programs 
• Validating client experiences and offering affirmations to empower clients 
• Promoting a sense of partnership through collaboration 

Driftwood Recovery helps experts connect with clients by providing a multidisciplinary approach to client care. The care team collaborates closely with clients and their loved ones to build a foundation of trust and understanding. Strengthening the client-clinician relationship during treatment benefits everyone involved in the recovery process.  

Many people diagnosed with substance abuse or mental health disorders have experienced trauma that affects their ability to trust in their care team during treatment. A lack of trust seriously limits the effectiveness of treatment and strains the client-clinician relationship. Healthcare professionals can help clients feel more comfortable by learning to identify and address underlying issues affecting trust and interpersonal engagement. Addiction recovery and mental health experts at Driftwood Recovery receive training to help them navigate complex cases. Professionals use various resources and techniques to ensure clients and their loved ones feel safe, comfortable, and heard through every stage of treatment. To learn more about our treatment programs and how our facility supports a healthy client-clinician relationship, call (512) 759-8330.

At Driftwood Recovery, we know how important rebuilding a connection to self and others is for healing. Through an attachment-based approach to recovery, you have learned how to foster healthy attachments to the self and others. However, challenges with stigma can disrupt your ability to maintain your recovery. The impact of stigma can erode your resilience and impair your self-perception. We are committed to providing support services and resources through an active alumni program to rebuild those important connections.  

Yet, you may question how stigma can disrupt your recovery post-treatment. Although going through treatment is designed to help you build tools to overcome challenges, you are human. There will be challenges you face in recovery that will attempt to erode your resilience, such as stigma. 

Stigma, in particular, can make the tools you have learned inadequate. Without support, it can feel impossible to weather the storm of life stressors alone, let alone with stigma as well. Understanding the impact of stigma is vital to building individual tools and a strong support network to thrive in recovery.

What Is Stigma?

In general, stigma is a set of negative attitudes and stereotypes about an individual or group that impairs physical and psychological well-being. However, the impact of stigma is complex in how it exists and shapes society. As the Journal of Evaluation Clinical Practice notes, stigma happens at the axis where interrelated components converge. There are five converging components of stigma:

• Humans distinguish and label differences
• People label and link undesirable characteristics to negative stereotypes through cultural beliefs
• Negatively labeled people are placed in distinct categories to create separation
  • Results in othering by categorizing people as “us” and “them”
• Labeled people experience a loss of status and increased discrimination
• Stigma is dependent on social, economic, and political asymmetrical power
  • Those in different positions of power can identify differences, construct stereotypes, separate labeled persons into distinct categories, and execute disapproval, rejection, exclusion, and discrimination against labeled persons

The coverage points of stigma overlap and reinforce each other to cause great harm in every domain of life. 

Understanding the Impact of Stigma on SUD and Mental Health Disorders

Countless groups experience the impact of stigma, from race and ethnicity to sex and gender identity. However, individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health disorders often face overlapping stigma that impedes access to resources and services to support recovery. According to “Stigma toward substance use disorders” by Samer El Hayek et al., the impact of stigma from beliefs to language causes countless barriers to treatment, recovery, and reintegration into society:

• Discourages seeking treatment 
• Limits access to treatment options
• Impedes access to healthcare, housing, and employment
• Ignores co-occurring challenges
  • Mental health disorders

Further, the impact of stigma on mental health disorders that often co-occur with SUD is profound. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the consequences that result from the three main types of stigma, structural, public, and self, include:

• Structural: Discriminatory laws, policies, and practices negatively impact stigmatized groups
  • Prejudice and discrimination in public and private institutions create social, cultural, economic, educational, and political barriers
  • Restricted liberties
  • Discriminatory practices
  • Reduced privacy 
• Public/social: Negative stereotypes about a group perceived to have socially undesirable characteristics
  • Results in social segregation and diminished self-efficacy
    • Loss of financial autonomy
    • Restricts opportunities for independence, education, and relationships
    • Coercive treatment 
• Self-stigma: You believe the negative stereotypes about yourself
  • Negative self-perception further harms your mental health
    • Low self-esteem
    • Decreases self-efficacy
    • Increases embarrassment and shame
    • Erodes motivation 

Looking at the impact of stigma on your personal and public life highlights stigma’s role in recovery.

The Impact of Stigma as a Barrier to Recovery

As previously mentioned, one of the most profound impacts of stigma is the barriers it places on sustaining recovery. It is well known that stigma can impede help-seeking behaviors. However, that impairment to help-seeking can persist even after you complete treatment because of the guilt and shame stigma causes. Listed below are some of the ways the impact of stigma can impair your recovery:

• Increases risk for mental health disorders or exacerbates preexisting issues
• Higher rates of relapse 
• Prejudice and discrimination limit resources
  • Fewer support groups
  • Housing and employment 
  • Social exclusion

The impact of stigma in recovery can impair your sense of belonging, purpose, and hope to thrive in recovery. However, stigma does not have to be the end of your recovery. With advances in holistic support, you can utilize resources like digital media to reintegrate and thrive.

Dismantling the Impact of Stigma With Digital Media

Digital media, like social media, can be effective tools for addressing the impact of stigma on well-being. Social media and other digital media technologies allow information to be disseminated to a large, diverse audience. Therefore, digital media, like social media campaigns, can reach and dismantle stereotypes about SUD and mental health to support the well-being of the stigmatized and stigmatizers. Some of the ways digital media tools can help dismantle the impact of stigma include:

• Increase hope for recovery
• Support trust between the public and people in recovery
• Increase openness to seeking support during treatment and post-treatment
• Decrease perception of otherness
• Reduce depression, anxiety, and loneliness
• Enhance your quality of life
• Build resilience

Looking at the benefits of digital media for reducing the impact of stigma showcases the value of education in recovery. With alumni support, you can continue to learn and grow in your recovery.

Empowering Sustained Recovery With Education at Driftwood Recovery

We know recovery and reintegration are complex. At Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing a person-centered approach to reintegration during and after treatment. Stigma can leave you feeling ashamed and alone in your recovery. Through our active and peer-driven network of alumni, we remind you that you are not alone and deserving of a meaningful life. With an alumni program, you can find the service, support, accountability, and encouragement needed to build a courageous life in sustained recovery.

Learning to reintegrate into society can feel overwhelming. The impact of stigma can further complicate and hinder your ability to lead a fulfilling life in recovery. Stigma, in its many converging components like public, self, and structural stigma, can leave you feeling too ashamed and alone to seek support as you learn how to live in recovery. However, with education support resources like digital media literacy, you can build tools to combat the stigma that impedes opportunities to rebuild your life. With an active alumni program at Driftwood Recovery, you can find the support and educational resources needed to thrive in sustained recovery. Call us at (512) 759-8330 to learn more today.

Craving management is an essential skill for those recovering from addiction. The fact is that cravings happen and often continue to happen long after a person has detoxed from a substance. Why this happens can be a frightening mystery to many. Comprehensive addiction education is not as common as it should be, with many content to ignore the problem. An educated population reduces fear, shame, and judgment. This includes education about recovery and what a person can expect when practicing sobriety.

That’s why the staff at Driftwood Recovery work to spread education and awareness about addiction and its treatment. The more a person understands about addiction, the more likely they are to seek treatment. Understanding concepts like peer pressure and craving management keeps people in recovery by preventing relapses. Having a clear idea of what to expect reduces the fear of the unknown.

This is especially true for cravings. Examining why they happen and how they can be managed inspires hope that life can and will improve for anyone, including yourself.

Why Do We Experience Cravings?

A craving in the context of addiction recovery is defined by a strong urge or abnormal desire for a certain activity or substance. People are not born with an urge or desire to use substances. However, if a person uses substances regularly, the brain and body “remember” it. This is because when using substances, the brain is bathed with chemicals and induces a flood of dopamine, which is pleasurable. Over time, the brain and body are trained to accept this state as the new “normal.”

The body and brain will start craving the substance to keep feeling “normal” and “good.” It is similar to how you may crave water or leafy greens when thirsty or lacking an essential vitamin. It’s how the body and brain work to correct imbalances or encourage you to consume needed nutrition. However, not all cravings in this manner are healthy, such as cravings for sugar and, in this case, substances. After substance use, the body is so used to the substance being present that it tries to “correct” the perceived imbalance by reinforcing substance use. 

Cravings often occur after a person experiences common addiction triggers, such as high stress or experiencing environmental cues of previous substance use. Recent studies have identified a neuro marker called the NCS (neural craving signature), which may be able to predict how intense drug cravings will be for a recovering individual. Though cravings can be distressing, they will pass and decrease in frequency over time. Some common examples of cravings are:

• Intrusive and distracting thoughts about using substances
• A physical urge to use substances
• An inability to think about anything else but using substances
• Desiring positive mental or physical feelings from using substances

How Craving Management Works

Craving management works by guiding clients into making healthy choices in their lives. Firstly, a client must accept that cravings will occur, and it doesn’t make them a bad or weak person for experiencing them. It takes time for the brain and body to recover from the damage dealt by substance abuse. However, the brain can and will heal, especially when helped along by professional help. In a way, craving management “resets” the brain and trains it to get used to a healthy new normal. 

Much like how the brain gets used to substance use over time, so too will healthy coping skills and habits become equally ingrained. Clients in craving management spend time practicing coping skills until it’s second nature. Boredom is a major addiction and craving trigger, so clients learn how to keep themselves busy as part of recovery. Discovering new hobbies, establishing an exercise regimen, and practicing wellness are all examples of typical activities encouraged in craving management.

Sometimes, medications can be useful as part of craving management. Some drugs and substances are particularly potent and can be difficult to detox from fully. Medications may be used to relieve withdrawal symptoms, including cravings, so clients can detox as safely and comfortably as they can. These medications, however, are only to be used for a brief amount of time and not forever. 

Overall, craving management is a toolkit that gives clients several options for effectively coping with cravings in their lives. 

What to Expect From Craving Management at Driftwood Recovery

Craving management at Driftwood Recovery is influenced by its goal of comprehensive and holistic treatments. Clients can expect all aspects of themselves to receive equal attention as a part of treatment, which is the mind, body, and spirit. Psychotherapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), are utilized to help clients cope with and understand their cravings. Programs like relapse prevention are an integral part of craving management, as they help clients practice their skills to navigate addiction triggers that can result in a craving. Clients build confidence and self-esteem through team-building exercises, experiential therapy, and therapeutic recreation. 

Driftwood Recovery also teaches clients how to be healthier once they finish treatments. This includes learning about proper nutrition, establishing an exercise routine, and finding activities and hobbies that give them joy. All of this teaches clients that there is more to life than cravings. In time, clients learn how to allow cravings to come and go while remaining healthy and sober. Staying active in your recovery leaves little room for cravings, and Driftwood Recovery balances activity with times to rest and relax. 

Of course, the skills clients learn in craving management can help others. Clients may be called upon to assist fellow peers in learning how to manage their cravings. Young family members will observe how alumni healthily deal with their cravings. The staff at Driftwood Recovery work to spread awareness that anyone can recover from addiction. By demonstrating their success, alumni show others that healing and recovery are possible for everyone. That includes understanding the nature of cravings and not allowing them to rule your life. 

Cravings are an unfortunate and often difficult part of addiction recovery. The longer a person has abused substances, the more intense the cravings can be. However, it’s possible to manage these cravings so you can live your life in recovery without fear. Here at Driftwood Recovery in Driftwood and Austin, Texas, craving management gives clients back their lives. With an emphasis on holistic and comprehensive treatment, clients collaborate with mental health care professionals to create a successful treatment plan. Cravings may be distressing, but they don’t last forever. If you or a loved one is struggling with cravings, don’t wait to get help. Find out more about our addiction treatment program today by calling (512) 759-8330.