Grieving is a natural process after the death of a loved one. Most people are able to cope with the pain and sadness. Others, however, choose to turn to drugs or alcohol for relief. Grief and addiction go hand-in-hand sometimes when the pain is too much to cope with, and they choose to hide from their feelings instead of allowing the grieving process to continue. A grief counseling program can help men and women before their grief turns to addiction and creates a co-occurring disorder that is more difficult to treat.
At Promises Behavioral Health, we help men and women who are struggling with grief and are unable to stop their substance abuse. We understand how painful a loss can be and provide compassionate care that eases the grieving process. Our grief counseling program includes behavioral and holistic therapies along with medication-assisted treatment to lessen your symptoms. Call 844.875.5609 today or fill out our online form for more information about how we can help you through the grieving process.
Understanding Grief and Addiction
For some people, losing a loved one is too much to bear. As a result, they turn to drugs or alcohol to cope. Their substance abuse creates the illusion that everything is fine as long as they keep using.
Many people will turn to anti-depressants to ease the grieving process. If they start talking to a certified therapist to process their feelings, they will begin to feel better and no longer need the medication. If not, they may try oxycodone or heroin to continue avoiding their grief and cause a serious addiction.
At Promises Behavioral Health, we understand how grief can lead to addiction. As a result, we can help you with the grieving experience through our holistic and behavioral therapies. In the case of a serious addiction, medication can help reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings to allow the grieving process to begin.
Ways Grief Can Leads to Addiction
Grief and addiction are often synonymous, but they don’t have to be. Knowing how grief leads to addiction can help you avoid it from happening and give you the courage to talk to someone about your feelings.
Here are three ways how grief can lead to addiction:
Not talking about the grief you’re feeling
Keeping your feelings to yourself is not healthy and will prevent you from moving on. The best way to go through the grieving process is by talking with a trained professional or empathetic friend. These individuals can offer advice and a compassionate ear to talk about your grief.
Lack of communication skills
A grief counseling program can give you coping skills that allow you to process your feelings in a healthy way. At the same time, you will improve your communication skills and learn that it is OK to talk about the pain and sadness you feel.
Participating in risky behavior
Grief affects each person in different ways, and some people will begin to act out. They may form new relationships with people who encourage drinking and drug use as a coping mechanism, which can lead to other risky behavior such as random sexual encounters and trying harder drugs like heroin and meth.
Choose Promises Behavioral Health for Our Compassionate and Effective Grief Counseling Program
At Promises Behavioral Health, we provide compassionate grief counseling programs for men and women from all walks of life struggling with the death of a loved one. Our addiction treatment programs can ease your symptoms of grief and addiction. In addition, they allow you to process your feelings in a healthy way. Some of the addiction therapy programs we offer include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- 12-step therapy
- Grief counseling program
- EMDR therapy program
- Family therapy
- Equine-assisted therapy
- Art therapy
If you are using drugs or alcohol to cope with the loss of a loved one, call 844.875.5609 or fill out our online form today to stop your substance abuse and move on with your life in a healthy direction.