For those living with substance use disorder, the recovery process is often easiest and most successful when the underlying causes of addiction are addressed. Men living with trauma who’ve turned to drugs or alcohol to alleviate their mental and physical suffering must find outpatient programs that are capable of meeting their full range of needs. If your trauma is a past trauma, you may want to search for a rehab program that offers services for co-occurring disorders or comorbidity.
With these, you’ll get therapies and support for both addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When PTSD is properly diagnosed and treated, many people find that the desire to use unhealthy substances to self-medicate gradually abates. However, men seeking outpatient addiction treatment who are currently dealing with trauma due to abusive relationships should always first seek services that are designed to extract them from toxic and potentially harmful living environments.
Absent of a stable and abuse-free living environment, the path to recovery will be unnecessarily complicated. True healing and self-discovery cannot begin until patients are in a safe and comfortable space. The good news is that there’s a vast range of programs and services available for meeting this very specific range of needs. By carefully considering your options, you can find an outpatient program and secondary solutions that vastly improve your life-quality and put you on the path to success.
Establishing a Solid Plan for Success in Outpatient Treatment
One of the primary benefits of inpatient treatment is that it provides people with a safe and stable living environment throughout the duration of their programs. With this, patients can escape the stress and other triggers of toxic and potentially abusive living situations. This gives them the ability to focus entirely on getting well, rather than worrying about social or romantic relationships, and other outside connections. If you’re eager to move past addiction but are currently dealing with active trauma, the source of your trauma is the first thing that you need to address.
Although domestic violence against men has long been stigmatized, this is a very real problem and one that countless men live with. You may want to start by searching for short-term living arrangements that place you in an environment that’s actually conducive to your success in recovery. It’s important to note that halfway houses and sober living homes typically require entering residents to first undergo the detox and withdrawal process. Drug and alcohol use are strictly prohibited in these locations.
Taking these initial steps shows that residents are committed to their recoveries and that their presence in these environments won’t derail the recovery efforts of others. Fortunately, all intensive outpatient addiction programs include detox as part of their offerings whether these are received through a secondary provider via referral or as part of a comprehensive suite of services. When the trauma that fuels your addiction is the result of past events, your current housing arrangements will likely be far less of a concern. With access to a stable, substance-free, and abuse-free living environment, you should be able to complete addiction recovery right where you are.
However, in this case, your goal is to look for outpatient addiction services that include treatment for comorbidity or co-occurring disorders. When a person has two or more simultaneously occurring mental health issues, both problems must be addressed to prevent relapse. Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a common underlying cause of substance use disorder.
People often turn to drugs or alcohol to alleviate the symptoms of trauma. PTSD symptoms can include:
- Insomnia
- Flashbacks
- Periods of aggression
- Depression
- Chronic anxiety
- Physical pain due to compounded emotional stress
With treatment for comorbidity, you can learn how to manage your PTSD in healthful, safe ways and without relying on harmful substances. Dual-diagnosis centers that address comorbidities effectively take away the need to rely on substances as a way of self-medicating. These services also teach patients better coping and stress management skills, and strategies for avoiding environments and relationships that heighten the symptoms of PTSD. Dealing with drug or alcohol addiction is never easy.
When people are weighted with the additional burden of either current or past trauma, life itself can feel overwhelming. With the right options in outpatient addiction treatment, it’s possible for men to regain their freedom, their sense of peace, and their overall well-being. If you’re ready to tackle trauma and drug addiction head-on by taking part in an intensive outpatient recovery program, we can help you find the right services, support, and resources for your needs. Call us today at 833-680-0165.