Fentanyl addiction is a complex disease to recover from. Understanding the addiction and learning how to fully heal from it is crucial for sustaining long-term recovery and sobriety. The goal of recovery is to lead a self-directed, happier life without restrictions and dependence on drugs. One element of treatment that is important for recovery is learning relapse prevention skills.
The Buena Vista Recovery Cave Creek, Arizona facility offers numerous services to help clients heal from fentanyl addiction. In their therapy programs offered, relapse prevention skills are taught to clients. Buena Vista Recovery curates personalized treatment plans for each client in order to produce the most optimal recovery results. The staff, made up of doctors, therapists, and specialists, work in unison with each other and clients to provide care, support, and guidance while healing from fentanyl addiction.
Understanding Fentanyl Addiction
Fentanyl is a drug that can be both prescribed as well as be illegally obtained. When the drug is prescribed, it is typically used to ease pain in clients and is commonly used after surgery. Clients struggling with chronic pain may also be prescribed fentanyl. Synthetic, illicit fentanyl, on the other hand, is a substance most often associated with drug overdose. This type of fentanyl is often unknowingly combined with other drugs such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA.
When a person is addicted to fentanyl, they may notice that their tolerance levels have increased and are unable to achieve the same desired effects of the drug. This causes clients to increase the dosage of the substance they are using. Dependence on fentanyl can occur because of consistent use and desire to feel euphoric effects. An addiction may be noticeable when experiencing withdrawal symptoms after not using the drug for a certain period of time. These symptoms include:
- Muscle and bone pain
- Sleep problems
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Cold flashes or goosebumps
- Uncontrollable leg movements
- Severe cravings
Since these withdrawal symptoms can be very severe and uncomfortable, it is difficult for clients to stop using the drug on their own. This is why it is important to seek treatment and heal in a safe, secure environment for optimal recovery results.
Healing From Fentanyl Addiction With Buena Vista Recovery
At the Buena Vista Recovery Cave Creek, Arizona facility, fentanyl addiction is treated with utmost care and support. This facility offers medically monitored detox, intensive outpatient programs (IOPs), outpatient therapy, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and virtual care. Moreover, an in-state treatment facility offers the most accessibility and reinforcement for recovery.
Another important aspect of recovery is learning how to lead a self-directed journey, especially when clients exit treatment. Since addiction is such a consuming part of one’s life and often very controlling of their thoughts, behaviors, and overall lifestyle, it is important to use therapy and treatment as a way to learn how to heal oneself. Thus, relapse prevention skills are learned in therapy in order to help clients with self-directed recovery.
Relapse Prevention Skills Learned at Buena Vista Recovery
Individual substance abuse counseling is a great way to learn about relapse prevention skills. In this program, clients learn more about themselves and their addiction. They become more aware of their triggers and the root causes of their addiction. Then, clients begin constructing a plan as to how to maintain abstinence and avoid, or cope with, triggers. The clients’ main focus is on maintaining sobriety and gaining new coping mechanisms that support their sober lifestyle.
Individual counseling has a number of benefits that support relapse prevention skills, including:
- A better understanding of themselves and triggers
- Developing new, healthy coping skills to help manage cravings
- Improving stress tolerance
- Increasing self-confidence
- Improving their ability to handle challenges
- Having the opportunity to identify and work through issues contributing to their addiction
The Benefits of Relapse Prevention Skills for Optimal Recovery
Relapse prevention skills are important as clients learn what life after treatment entails and how they can really focus on their recovery as a transformative process. Clients are able to recognize the early stages of their progress, understand the process of personal growth, develop healthy coping mechanisms using therapies as guidance, and stay focused on the “rules” of recovery. These “rules,” or points of focus are creating a new life, being completely honest, asking and reaching out for help, practicing self-care, and not bending the rules.
Relapse prevention skills also address how clients can relapse in different ways. Further, relapse can occur in three stages: Mental, emotional, and physical relapse. While most clients only believe that physical relapse – a return to substance use once substance use has ceased – is the only type of relapse, there are mental and emotional blockages that may occur in recovery. Becoming aware of these situations and learning how to navigate them is a staple of addiction treatment, and clients learn how to address these mental-emotional barriers to avoid physical relapse. Relapse prevention skills help change the client’s thinking patterns and habits in order to produce, overall, healthier behaviors.
Here at Buena Vista Recovery, we incorporate relapse prevention skill learning into our therapies. At the Cave Creek facility, clients are provided with numerous therapies that may benefit their recovery from fentanyl addiction. For instance, cognitive-behavioral therapy and medication-assisted treatment are two services offered. In therapy, the client learns to address their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in order to produce an overall healthier lifestyle. Clients often feel mentally or emotionally stuck in recovery, and this can lead to physical relapse. However, when tackling recovery with self-direction and a plan, clients are able to face challenges in constructive ways. To learn more about relapse prevention skills for fentanyl addiction, please call us at (480) 741-9414.
