There comes a point in all our lives when we experience the loss of someone we love and care about deeply. For some, the overwhelming feelings of grief and loss that follow bereavement can trigger a return to destructive addictive behaviors. An inability to express clearly what someone is thinking and feeling, particularly when they’re not able to process those thoughts and feelings themselves, can result in a need to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs.

Communication is Key to Understanding Painful Feelings of Loss

Seeking to somehow ‘blot out’ or diminish painful feelings is not uncommon as a response to grief and despair. However, for someone with a history of addiction issues, grief can be enough to make them withdraw into themselves and look to make themselves numb from what’s going on around them. What is a totally natural response to an inevitable loss of life becomes a threat to sobriety and so it’s key that someone in this situation maintains clear lines of communication with their support network.

When a person is in recovery from addiction, they will have attended a specialized rehabilitation program, which will have equipped them with some of the coping skills they need to enable them to deal with trigger situations such as losing a loved one. One of these coping mechanisms is to talk. Group and individual therapy is an integral part of rehabilitation and also a vital component in building a solid support network once treatment has been completed and a patient returns to their daily lives.

Being able to openly talk about how they feel without the fear of being judged harshly, enables a recovering addict to better understand themselves, purely by giving them a platform to express their thoughts and fears. Having someone at the end of the phone or a few minutes’ away can be an essential lifeline to prevent recovering addicts from relapsing and also helps to alleviate the very real and painful feelings they are experiencing.

Find Out How to Deal with Grief in Recovery at Capo Canyon Recovery in Laguna Niguel, CA

When someone has addiction issues, whether in rehab or recovery, preventing relapse means learning and re-learning communication and coping skills. Capo Canyon Recovery provide specialist drug addiction treatment that includes an element of learning how to deal with loss in recovery as part of a rehabilitation program. Drug and alcohol addiction treatment at our specialist center has a strong family-oriented focus and we provide the tools for patients and their loved ones to build a stronger future in sobriety. If you or someone close to you is struggling to cope, please feel free to reach out to us in complete confidence and schedule a consultation.

Read More on the Blog: Why Addiction is a Family Affair