group therapy for substance abuse

Such groups may include people of a particular ethnicity, all women, or a particular age group. Completing this worksheet in a group setting can help clients connect with each other and realize that they are not are common toads poisonous to humans alone in their negative thoughts and beliefs. It can be far too easy to believe that we are the only ones struggling and suffering from mental health or emotional problems, but this is far from the truth.

Positive Outcomes of Treatment

  1. The individual and community costs of drug use are estimated at over $193 billion [4, 5] and approximately $78.5 billion [6] for opioids alone.
  2. Relapse prevention carried out in group settings enables clients to explore the problems of daily life and recovery together and to work collaboratively to isolate and overcome problems.
  3. This paper reviews methodologically rigorous studies examining group treatments for interview-diagnosed drug use disorders.
  4. Relapse prevention groups focus on helping a client maintain abstinence or recover from relapse.

Some approaches focus more on behavior, others on core beliefs, still others on developing problem-solving capabilities. Regardless of the particular focus, the group therapist conducting cognitive—behavioral groups should have a solid grounding in the broader theory of cognitive—behavioral therapy. This basis is the framework from which specific interventions can be drawn and implemented. Training in cognitive—behavioral theory is available in many workshops on counseling skills and in many alcohol and drug training programs for counselors. For instance, over a 2-week period in 2002, the Rutgers Summer Schools of Alcohol and Drug Studies offered seven week-long courses that concentrated specifically on cognitive counseling theory and methods.

group therapy for substance abuse

Group-based cocaine use treatments for adults

Group members are encouraged to share and discuss their common experiences. Skills development groups typically emerge from a cognitive—behavioral approach. Second, the leader should encourage group participants to take responsibility for their learning rather than passing on that responsibility to the group leader. From the outset of the group, the leader can emphasize group self-ownership by allowing members to participate in setting agreements and other group boundaries.

Interpersonal Process Groups

Topics may include identifying warning signs, seeking help during a crisis, and developing a strong support system. More information is below about understanding relapse and preventing relapse after substance abuse treatment. Most substance abuse counselors have responded by adapting skills used in individual therapy.

group therapy for substance abuse

In interpersonal process group therapy, the leader’s job is to promote and probe interactions that carry a point. Since the leader should help build connections between members and emphasize what they have in common, it is useful for the leader to have participated in a support group and to have been supervised in support alcohol withdrawal delirium group work before undertaking leadership of such a group. Many reflect the 12-Step tradition in the substance abuse field, but other recovery tools, such as relapse prevention, can form the basis of a support group. Some support groups are based on theoretical frameworks such as cognitive therapies or spiritual paths.

Group Therapy in Substance Use Treatment

As long as respect and awareness are evident, the use of such practices will not harm the members of a particular culture. People often draw generalizations from their life experiences and apply the generalizations to the current environment, even when doing so is inappropriate or counterproductive. These “cognitive distortions” may serve to maintain habits people would otherwise like to change. Specific group techniques may appear to be less important for the leader of a support group, since the leader is usually less active in group direction and leadership. Helping clients in the precontemplative or contemplative level of change to reframe the impact of drug use on their lives, develop an internal need to seek help, and discover avenues for change. Clients choose a strategy for discontinuing substance use and begin to make the changes needed to carry out their plan.

The individual who is chemically dependent usually comes into treatment with an uncommonly complex set of defenses and character pathology. Any group leader who intends to help people who have addictions benefit from treatment should have a clear understanding of each group member’s defensive process and character dynamics. More than 20 years ago, John Wallace (1978) wrote about this important issue in an informative essay on the defensive style of the individual who is addicted to alcohol. He referred to these character-related defensive features as the preferred defense system of the individual addicted to alcohol.

Cultural prohibitions against substance use and cultural patterns of permissible use define, in part, what is reasonable use and what is abuse of substances (Westermeyer 1995). Risk factors such as cultural displacement or discrimination cause substance abuse rates to rise drastically for a given population. Problems that pervade particular cultures, such as racism, poverty, and unemployment, have an impact on the incidence of substance abuse and are appropriate focuses for intervention in substance abuse treatment (Taylor and Jackson 1990; Thornton and Carter 1988). Group leaders need to be able to monitor client participation to determine risk for relapse, to perceive signs of environmental stress, and to know when a client needs a particular intervention.

Research has demonstrated that relapse is common and to be expected during the process of recovery (Project MATCH 1997). Carroll also notes that relapse prevention groups seem to reduce the intensity of relapse when it occurs. 5 keys to going alcohol-free Groups also appear to be more effective than other approaches for clients who have “more severe levels of substance use, greater levels of negative affect, and greater perceived deficits in coping skills” (1996, p. 52).

Issues that do not specifically relate to the focus of the group are often considered extraneous, so discussion of them is limited. Support groups provide guidance through peer feedback, and group members generally require accountability from each other. The group leader, however, will try to minimize confrontation within the group so as to keep anxiety levels low. In cohesive, highly functioning support groups, member-to-member or leader-to-member confrontation does occur.

The structure of these groups can be open or closed to new members at any given time, depending on the type of group, treatment setting, and facilitator. Group therapy is an effective treatment for addiction, but it’s not without its potential drawbacks. Group therapy can offer a way for people with addiction to connect with and draw inspiration from others, as well as share personal struggles and successes in recovery.

Because of its effectiveness and economy of scale, group therapy has gained popularity, and the group approach has come to be regarded as a source of powerful curative forces that are not always experienced by the client in individual therapy. One reason groups work so well is that they engage therapeutic forces—like affiliation, support, and peer confrontation—and these properties enable clients to bond with a culture of recovery. Another advantage of group modalities is their effectiveness in treating problems that accompany addiction, such as depression, isolation, and shame. The fallout of problem drinking or opioid abuse is felt in different ways by different people. It can affect or destroy relationships, derail careers, worsen a pre-existing mental health condition, and damage physical health.

The term “cognitive—behavioral therapy group” covers a wide range of formats informed by a variety of theoretical frameworks, but the common thread is cognitive restructuring as the basic methodology of change. Theoretical orientations also have a strong impact on the tasks the group is trying to accomplish, what the group leader observes and responds to in a group, and the types of interventions that the group leader will initiate. Before a group model is applied in treatment, the group leader and the treating institution should decide on the theoretical frameworks to be used, because each group model requires different actions on the part of the group leader.

You can also reach out to your state, county, or local mental health and substance use agency to find other local resources like peer recovery. Statistics reveal high drug use rates among arrestees, varying patterns between violent and non-violent offenders, and historical trends in drug-related arrests and violence. The rates of substance abuse differ significantly between violent and non-violent offenders, with distinct patterns observed in the types of substances used. Through conferences or regional chapters, national associations provide training—both experiential and direct instruction—geared to the needs of a wide range of persons, from graduate students to highly experienced therapists.

Given the importance of understanding the current evidence base for group-delivered treatments for substance use disorders, the present review sought to provide a summary of the literature on the benefits of group treatments for drug use disorders. Group treatments are potentially cost-effective, widely disseminable, and adaptable to a variety of populations but are lagging individual treatments in terms of research attention. Thus, highlighting characteristics of group treatments that are potentially efficacious is of import to stimulate further empirical inquiry. The review is organized by drug type (cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, opiate, mixed substance use disorders; SUD) and co-occurring SUD and psychiatric problems.

However, one study demonstrated greater reductions in drug use among individuals with BPD and SUD who completed group DBT in comparison to TAU [96]. Further, BS groups were more effective than TS groups in improving psychosocial functioning and decreasing substance use [93]. Finally, CBT was more effective than DRM in reducing alcohol use, enhancing psychological functioning and improving social and family functioning compared to DRM and TAU among individuals dually diagnosed with SUD and a personality disorder [18]. Several limitations should be considered in the interpretation of this study.

Support groups can help people cope with significant life changes, such as the loss of a loved one. With this understanding, members can develop management strategies that support reduced use. Through feedback and self-observation, group members can gain awareness of the strengths and limitations of their interpersonal behavior.