If you’ve been struggling with a mental health disorder or a substance use disorder but haven’t been sure if or how you should reach out for help, make September your month to take the big step.
National Recovery Month
As National Recovery Month, September is a time to celebrate those who are in recovery and everyone who supports them: therapists, doctors, sponsors, mentors, peers, family members, and friends. September is also a time to encourage everyone who needs support to begin their recovery journey.
Here at Miramont Behavioral Health in Middleton, WI, we join the September celebration–but we also believe that every month should be Recovery Month. We are always committed to helping people recover from mental health and substance use disorders. We offer acute inpatient care, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient programs to teenagers, adults, and seniors. Our programs rely on evidence-based interventions: medication, individual therapy, group therapy, recreational therapy, and family therapy.
Our medical detox center allows clients to safely withdraw from addictive substances and gain insight, through psychiatric assessment and therapy, into what triggered the addiction. Substance use disorder can (and usually does) co-occur with mental health issues like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Whatever you or a loved one is struggling with, we are equipped to help you begin your recovery journey.
Recovery is a Lifelong Journey
If you’ve been through substance use or mental health disorder treatment, you’ve learned that there is no real cure for your condition. Such disorders are chronic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t thrive. What does it take to thrive in recovery? Here are two things we consider most important.
- Support – The quickest way to compromise your recovery is to disconnect from your support system. Support must be consistent and ongoing because our lives will continually bring forth challenges. We can’t just stop growing. Life won’t let that happen. To keep ourselves on a forward trend, we need help, on both professional and personal levels.
- Medication – it’s no stretch to consider medication as part of your support system if you’ve been prescribed it for mental illness. Follow your prescription. Meet with your doctor or psychiatrist regularly to assess progress and make adjustments as needed.
- Therapy – regular individual or group therapy with a therapist you trust will be crucial. It will help you continue to assess, reflect, learn, release, and heal. Your therapist can become the lighthouse in the storm, a safe place you can return to again and again as you navigate new waters.
- Peer support – free recovery support groups are available for people in recovery from substance use disorder and from mental health disorders. Meeting regularly with others who understand your situation reminds you that you’re not alone.
- Education – our understanding of addiction and mental health changes with more research and experience, so be a lifelong learner when it comes to your particular disorder. Learn the science behind your disorder, and read the stories of others who have struggled.
- Commitment to whole-person health – your body supports your mind, and your mind influences your body. Take care of your physical health with good food, exercise, and rest. Connect with others, nurture relationships, practice mindfulness. Exercise your creativity. Give yourself opportunities to experience awe.
Dealing with Bumps in Road
Are you in recovery but struggling? Slips and relapses are a natural part of the recovery process. That said, they can also be dangerous (a risk of overdose, if you’re in recovery from addiction, or a risk of suicide, if you’re in recovery from certain mental health disorders).
The trick is to see a relapse coming and reach out for the extra help you need to stay on track. What are some of the reasons a person may ignore warning signs?
- Shame & Guilt – You spent months in treatment and still can’t get it together? All that money wasted! If these are the types of thoughts you frequently have, kick them to the curb. Relapse rates are high for both mental health and addiction, so you are by no means alone. Relapse isn’t a signal of failure. It’s a sign that you need to meet with your support team to reassess your treatment.
- Resignation – Maybe you’ve relapsed more than once. Maybe you’re starting to feel like there’s no point in trying to stay mentally healthy and/or sober because it “never” works. Ask yourself: do you really believe that you’re doomed to failure, or are you using it as an excuse to return to your old ways?
- No Support at Home – Perhaps you are doing everything you can possibly do to support your recovery but are feeling overwhelmed by the challenges in your home environment. Maybe your partner actively tries to sabotage your recovery, accuses you of being selfish, or otherwise makes you feel conflicted about your commitment to recovery. If you don’t feel secure in yourself, you may compromise your self-care in order to preserve the relationship.
If you’re struggling with relapse for any of the above reasons, or any other reason, reach out to our team at Miramont. We would love to meet with you, hear your story, and offer a treatment plan catered to your specific needs. Don’t let September pass you by–reach out today.
