The right treatment ought to take into account a person’s goals, and give them the care, guidance, and support to create the life they want. Within the substance abuse treatment community, there are two basic approaches as to how this is best achieved in drug rehab: abstinence-based models or harm reduction-based models.

Abstinence-Based Drug Rehab

Abstinence-based treatment models view addiction as a disease, and focus on completely eliminating the use of a given substance. 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, among the most popular recovery models, advocate abstinence as key to their methodology. The first step of AA demonstrates why many believe total abstinence from drugs or alcohol is necessary for recovery; it is an admission that one is powerless over a given substance, and that it has made one’s life unmanageable.

For those struggling with addiction, abstinence ensures that a substance never has that sort of power over one’s life again. In terms of treatment, abstinence models avoid the use of methadone, Suboxone, and other opioid-based treatments. Supporters of abstinence-based models feel that these treatments present their own risks for misuse and addiction. Additionally, they believe that replacing one drug with another – even if that drug is intended to help – is ultimately not solving the root problem.

Harm Reduction as Concept and Treatment Approach

The concept of harm reduction began as a public health initiative that did not advocate the complete elimination of substances for users of drugs or alcohol. Instead, Harm Reduction International writes that the aim is to “reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences of the use of legal and illegal psychoactive drugs without necessarily reducing drug consumption”. Some popular applications of harm reduction models include the establishment of clean needle exchanges, where users of drugs need not fear risking infectious disease.

In terms of treatment, some centers using a harm reduction approach use medication-assisted treatment, with drugs like methadone or Suboxone, to treat opioid addiction which can help with withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Harm reduction-based treatment centers often still work with the goal of ultimately stopping substance abuse, but use evidence-backed medications to achieve that end.

Why Choose Abstinence Over Harm Reduction?

Harm reduction and abstinence-based approaches both have valid and legitimate applications. However, there are compelling reasons why an individual may opt to recover with a fully abstinent approach. Many are uncomfortable with the idea of using opioids to get off opioids or alcohol, given their addictive qualities and the fact that some individuals who begin Suboxone or methadone treatment end up using those drugs long-term. Abstinence also signals a shift in one’s entire lifestyle, worldview, and health. It demonstrates self-control, willpower, and a dedication to recover and stay recovered.

Effective Abstinence-Based Addiction Treatment

Granite Recovery Centers uses both abstinence-based approaches and harm reduction-based approaches during drug rehab and throughout the continuum of care. For each individual, we create a plan around their unique needs that will provide the best support for reaching long-term sobriety.

We provide each individual with the support, community, treatment, and care that sets them on track for true, sustained recovery. Our unique approach combines the best of 12-step care with proven clinical modalities in order to give the individual everything they need to promote such a recovery.

Call our admissions staff for help at (855) 712-7784.

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Components of a Therapeutic Alliance

Counseling Today quotes American Counseling Association member, John Sommers-Flanagan, in describing the basic components of a therapeutic alliance, as:

• goal consensus between counselor and client
• collaboration on counseling-related tasks
• and emotional bonding

A goal consensus means that the counselor and client are on the same page, in regard to the client’s current concerns and issues, as well as any desired outcomes of treatment and related expectations. Collaboration requires the client to show up, be present, and put forth their best effort in any tasks the counselor uses. Similarly, the counselor must be willing to reasonably accommodate the client and work through initial hesitance or difficulties that may arise. Finally, emotional bonding involves counselors creating an atmosphere of calm acceptance and empathy, where the client is comfortable to share their experiences and the counselor is receptive, understanding, and supportive.

How Does a Therapeutic Alliance Impact Recovery?

As with any relationship, a therapeutic alliance is not a one-way street. Clients and counselors both need to try and be as open-minded, empathetic, and goal-oriented as possible. Specific counseling techniques and methods may not matter as much as a strong therapeutic alliance. Counseling Today noticing that one comprehensive study found “a strong therapeutic alliance was more closely correlated with positive client outcomes than any specific treatment interventions”. A healthy therapeutic alliance is linked with higher retention of clients, an obviously critical key to continued recovery. In the context of substance abuse, a strong early therapeutic alliance was to be a strong predictor of longer term retention and engagement. Interestingly, some studies have found a closer relation between “patient contribution to the alliance” and treatment outcome than between therapist and outcome. In other words, in some cases, it may matter more what a client brings to a therapeutic relationship than what a counselor does. This shows that individuals seeking help for substance abuse must try and be open to positive change, as difficult as facing one’s problems and implementing healthy strategies in therapy may be.

What to Look for in a Therapist

When searching for the right therapist, clients and their loved ones should seek someone empathetic, flexible, and understanding, who makes them feel they are being genuinely listened to and taken seriously. People struggling with substance abuse may be resistant to the idea of therapy, so finding someone who is patient, experienced, and willing to work past initial emotional roadblocks is can be key. Family, friends, and loved ones may speak with the addicted individual about the uses and importance of therapy and its role in helping one recover.

Therapy as a Part of Drug Rehab Treatment

The therapeutic alliance is the foundation for a great deal of recovery work. No matter the style or format therapy takes, finding that trust, emotional safety, and compatibility is crucial for any client; especially, in the case of recovering from addiction in a drug rehab environment.

Granite Recovery Centers offers numerous levels of addiction recovery care across 12 New Hampshire drug rehab facilities, many of which feature a number of evidence-based clinical modalities from caring, experienced professionals. With years of experience in helping those struggling with addiction achieve lasting, real recovery, we will give you or your loved one the necessary tools and strategies to beat addiction and any underlying emotional issues that are holding you back from the life you want. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction (or a co-occurring disorder), call our admissions specialists at (855) 712-7784. We can help.

Call (855) 712-7784 for Immediate Help

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A Typical Day at Rehab

Wake Up, Eat, Meditate

So, a typical day here for any of our residential clients is that they’re woken up early in the morning at about six-thirty and they’ll do a morning meditation. Then they’ll go about starting their day. They’ll get breakfast, they’ll get medications, take care of themselves, clean up their living space, all that. And they begin groups at nine-thirty.

Group Therapy and the 12 Steps

Pretty quickly, within their first full week here, they’ll start what we call Little Big Book. And that is a pretty intensive, week-long series of groups. At the end of that, they would take a Third Step, which is essentially, like, handing their will over, becoming willing to engage in the process.

The Fourth Step-The Hard Part

And then they move on to beginning their Fourth Step (of the 12 Steps). So the Fourth Step is a writing out of – initially, all your resentments. So you write out all the people, places, principals, anything that you resent. Anything that’s played a role in your life in keeping you sick. And then they’ll go through and sort of start owning their side of the street with that.

So they’ll look at, things such as: How have they been selfish? How have they been dishonest? How have they been self-seeking? And what are they afraid of? The Fourth Step is definitely the most intensive. It takes a long time; it’s a lot of work; and it brings up a lot of emotions for a lot of the clients here. It can be incredibly difficult. It’s a sort of processing of everything that’s ever happened in their lives and sort of owning their own part. But it’s crucial to getting past the triggers of use to a life of purpose.

Other facilities will sort of touch on the steps, they don’t actually do any work through them. They’ll tell people that there is a solution but they won’t get them started in the footwork to get that. And the more our reputation spreads as being a center that actually helps achieve that, the more people are interested in coming in the doors.

Watch the full video: If you or a loved one is considering getting help for your addiction, the first week of rehab may seem daunting, but it will be worth it. Give our admission specialists a call at (855) 712-7784.

Call (855) 712-7784 for Immediate Help

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