Drug Addiction Recovery
For those who suffer from drug addiction, recovery is a challenging road. Many often there are serious health problems that the addict has to deal with. Some of these problems may even require hospitalization! Others are irrevocable and can only be dealt with on a day to day basis. Other challenges to now sober addicts are the reemergence into a society they have alienated, or have felt alienated by, a lack of acceptance by their peer group, and subsequent depression this may bring with it. After all, drug addiction recovery quite often means to let go of a peer group altogether. On the one hand, the former addict needs to stay away from possible temptations, but on the other hand the members of that peer group will generally no longer welcome him or her and actually look down on this individual simply for seeking help.
For this reason, animal assisted therapy has proven to be such a successful component of many drug rehab facility! Pet therapy, as it is quite often referred to, may be something as simple as a visitation program at a rehab facility where pet owners will visit a group and bring their animal simply for socialization. Recovering drug addicts will be able to focus attention and affection on the animal, which in turn will reciprocate. The therapeutic benefits of this exercise are enormous since, perhaps for the first time in many days, the individual will feel loved and appreciated without a condition being attached thereto. This in turn will encourage her or him to continue the therapy, and replace some of the old patterns to seek approval from other. Other times, pet therapy may actually be an animal assisting the rehab director in focusing the group’s healing progress. Many times we think of dogs, and sometimes cats, when we hear of pet therapy. Yet birds, rabbits, and horses are also quite often utilized!
As you can see, drug addiction recovery has many components, and pet therapy may be just another aspect that will ensure further success to the recovering individual. In addition to the foregoing, it is quite possible that animal assisted therapy or simply a visitation program may pick up and ensure success, where temptations are waiting. If you like what you read, why not volunteer for one of these services and see whose lives you may be changing?
Disclaimer: Cliff Schaffer does not personally endorse or support any of the comments made within the writings of this article. |
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