Addiction very rarely operates strictly on its own. More often, it is accompanied by other illnesses, many of which are quite serious, including depression, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Common addictions to drugs and alcohol are also often accompanied by other kinds of addiction where we are addicted to a behavior, in what is sometimes referred to as process addictions or behavioral addictions, with sex addiction, gaming and gambling being common examples. Living with one kind of addiction means we’re also often grappling with some other equally debilitating conditions that affect us mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Our multiple conditions feed off of each other and compound one another, weakening our resolve to fight them, crippling our sense of self-worth, and driving us to self-destruct. Dual diagnosis treatment is the healing methodology of treating our various conditions together, approaching them holistically, in order to treat us as whole people rather than disparate symptoms. We learn that our issues are interconnected, interrelated, inextricably linked, and fueling each other. To heal from one, we have to heal from them all.
Part of dual diagnosis treatment is learning more about ourselves and all of the underlying issues that have been contributing to our addictions and mental health issues over the years. Before recovery, we often tried to suppress our emotions, keep our addictions a secret, and hide all of the symptoms we were experiencing. We were ashamed of our addictions and our depression, our mental and emotional instability, and our lack of groundedness. With dual diagnosis care, we learn that our illnesses are in fact quite common and that they affect so many people. There is nothing to be ashamed of, with any of our diagnoses. The more we learn to accept ourselves and the illnesses we’re experiencing, the more we empower ourselves to heal.
Learning about our diagnoses helps us figure out new ways of coping and enables us to learn new life skills that serve us in our recovery rather than aid in our self-destruction. We can have a hard time replacing our addictive habits and destructive patterns with healthier coping skills, but with time and practice, we see that recovery is in fact possible, even when we’re working to recover from multiple diagnoses, even when they feel insurmountable.
At The Guest House Ocala, our recovery programs include many experiential modalities including traditional therapy, conscious connected breathwork, equine therapy, somatic experiencing, art in healing, grief therapy, mindfulness and other forms of therapy. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.