Grief may occur due to various major life changes such as the death of a loved one, the end of a
significant relationship, losing your job, dealing with a chronic illness, moving to a new home, giving up
an addiction, and other significant events. Essentially, grief therapy allows individuals to work through
their emotions and sorrow with the help of a trained therapist. A grief therapist is crucial in assisting you
to understand and manage your feelings, and learn techniques to cope with grief.
Addicts may still experience a sense of loss or grief despite knowing the benefits of giving up substance
abuse. For an addict, abstinence represents losing a coping mechanism or even a friend. As with any
significant loss, it is important to go through the grieving process, and the best way to navigate this is by
seeking help from a skilled therapist like those at Integrated Health and Recovery Center.
Acknowledging and processing emotions related to giving up drugs or alcohol in a healthy manner can
reduce the risk of relapse. The process of letting go of the relationship with drugs or alcohol is crucial to
starting a new sober life.
The healing process typically involves moving through five stages of grief, although not everyone
experiences them in the same order or time frame, and not everyone goes through all stages. It is
important to stay sober throughout the process of mourning the loss of addiction. How do these five
stages of grief relate to overcoming addiction?
The five stages of grief in relation to overcoming addiction are as follows:
It is unfortunately true that grief and substance abuse can be connected. People who are struggling with
intense emotional pain may turn to drugs or alcohol to alleviate their suffering. This is especially
common after experiencing the loss of a loved one, such as a parent, spouse, or child.
While it is normal to experience grief and feelings of sorrow, anger, and guilt after a significant loss, for
some people, these emotions don’t ease or improve over time. These individuals may suffer from
complicated grief or persistent complex bereavement disorder, which can make it difficult to recover and
move forward. Some symptoms of complicated grief include intense sorrow, difficulty accepting the loss,
detachment, and an inability to enjoy life or think positively about the lost loved one.
People with complicated grief may have a higher risk of turning to drugs and alcohol to cope with their
pain. However, suppressing or hiding grief does not make it go away, and substance abuse can often
make things worse. Negative feelings and thoughts, such as depression, anxiety, guilt, and shame, can
arise from substance abuse, leading to a dangerous cycle of addiction and relapse.
Moreover, unresolved grief coupled with other negative feelings related to addiction can impact
substance abuse treatment outcomes. It is important to address the emotions associated with grief in a
healthy way to prevent the development or recurrence of a dangerous relationship with drugs and
alcohol.
Enrolling in grief therapy for addiction can offer several advantages, such as:
The professional grief therapists at Integrated Health and Recovery Center are trained to help recovering
addicts deal with the intense feelings and emotions that arise when giving up an addiction. We
understand what you are going through and, via grief counseling, are available to help you deal with any
roadblocks along your way to sobriety.
Are you prepared to take back control of your life? Initiate your journey towards addiction recovery today
by taking the first step.
