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When someone is in recovery from addiction, they often have to deal with socialization and psychological issues to maintain their sobriety. Part of the recovery process is learning to engage with others in social settings that do not involve drinking or using drugs. As such, adventure therapy for addiction recovery is becoming an essential part of treatment programs. At Inner Voyage Recovery Center, our Atlanta rehab center provides an alternate approach to help you create a new life for yourself – adventure therapy.
What is Adventure Therapy for Addiction Recovery?
Adventure-based counseling (ABC) is a group therapy program utilizing experiential learning opportunities and engaging group activities. Combining nature, community, and daring exercises, adventure therapy is an effective tool for helping clients navigate a wide range of addiction and co-occurring mental health challenges.
Adventure therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses outdoor activities and adventure-based challenges as part of the treatment process. Adventure therapy helps people to develop life skills such as problem-solving, communication, and teamwork. This form of therapy may also help individuals learn how to confront their fears and take risks to achieve personal growth.
At Inner Voyage Recovery Center, we utilize adventure therapy in our three levels of care that include:
How Does Adventure Therapy Work for Addiction?
Adventure therapy combines some type of outdoor activity with one or more therapeutic methods. For example, when people spend time in nature, they often feel more relaxed.
As a result, they are more open to talking and engine with others. For someone with an addiction, this allows them to become more open and trusting of counselors and their peers. As a result, it helps them feel at ease when speaking about their addiction.
However, this is just one aspect of the benefits of using adventure therapy as part of addiction treatment. Other benefits the individual could experience include:
- Achieving personal growth.
- Building resilience to overcome challenges.
- Learning how to build trust and trust others.
- Developing effective coping skills to face difficult situations and triggers.
- Learning how to enjoy activities without relying on drugs or alcohol.
- Increased self-confidence and a sense of purpose.
Who Isn’t a Good Fit for Adventure Therapy?
In general, adventure therapy is not a good fit for people that do not enjoy the outdoors. Adventure therapy is not recommended for individuals with certain medical or psychological conditions. People who have difficulty managing stress, a fear of heights, or physical limitations may not be suitable candidates for this type of therapy.
It should be mentioned that individuals with disabilities can participate in adventure therapy. It is possible to alter various activities to make them accessible to anyone, regardless of their disability. So, if the individual enjoys spending time outdoors, adventure therapy is an effective treatment for addiction recovery.
