If you’ve struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, you probably feel very much alone. This may be the case even if you live in a house full of other people or go to work in a busy environment. Your relationships with others take a backseat when substance abuse controls you. In a rehab setting, you can begin to put the pieces of your life back together. Addiction specialists use various approaches in treatment, and interpersonal therapy, also known as IPT, is one method that can help you improve how you connect with people.
Uses for Interpersonal Therapy
IPT is generally a short-term therapy designed to explore the impact of interpersonal relationships on substance abuse issues and/or mental health disorders. Interpersonal therapy is beneficial in treating addiction, but it also helps people who are dealing with depression, trauma or an eating disorder.
Anxiety and depression are common conditions in those who abuse drugs and alcohol. IPT can work to treat the mental health disorders that are often connected to addiction. It’s also designed to help people improve their coping and communication skills.
Not everyone who benefits from interpersonal therapy abuses drugs and alcohol. Some people struggle to overcome anorexia or bulimia due to unresolved interpersonal conflict, and IPT is helpful for them as well. When someone feels like her family and friends are supportive, she’s more likely to have healthier outlets for stressful feelings instead of turning to food (or avoiding it) or drugs.
Identifying Specific Problems
IPT often focuses on a specific problem area, such as relationship deficits, unresolved grief, conflicts or role transitions.
Each person who’s battling drug and alcohol abuse has his own history and reasons for using. In IPT, skilled therapists work with clients to address their interpersonal problems and any conflicts they have.
Clients generally explore current and ongoing issues instead of focusing heavily on childhood traumas. While past relationships may be part of the discussion, they’re not considered as important as what’s going on with a client at the moment.
How Interpersonal Therapy Helps With Substance Abuse
Human beings are social creatures. In general, we enjoy better health — physically, mentally and emotionally — when we’re part of a social network. You don’t have to have a huge number of friends; what’s more important than the amount is the type of support your friends and family give you.
When someone feels that support is lacking, she might exhibit negative behaviors. She may abuse drugs and alcohol to escape the negative emotions that social isolation causes.
Addiction and all of its negative effects cause serious damage to the bonds people have with one another. Interpersonal therapy seeks to rebuild those bonds and helps clients do the following:
- Identify healthy methods of self-expression
- Develop a strong social network
- Improve mental health
- Recognize the interpersonal issues that lead to depression and/or addiction
During the course of treatment, clients begin to understand how any interpersonal problems they’ve had contributed to their substance abuse. This could stem from issues with their parents, spouse, siblings, coworkers or peers.
Lasting Recovery Begins With Us
Drug and alcohol addiction can make you feel hopeless, but it doesn’t have to be that way. With help from the compassionate team at TMS Therapy Now, you or a loved one can lay a strong foundation for lasting recovery.
We’re a treatment center for addiction and mental health disorders in Florida. Our facility is located right on the beach, so clients can enjoy a restorative, peaceful setting as they work toward better health.No matter where drug and alcohol addiction has taken you, you can always come back. Let the caring professionals at TMS Therapy Now guide you. From interpersonal therapy to hypnotherapy and more, we provide a range of options for anyone who wants to win the fight against addiction. Call us for more information at 866.305.7668.