Positive Psychology and Recovery

Here’s an excellent piece on the value of positive psychology in strengths-based treatments for addiction. A successful journey out of addiction must go beyond symptom reduction to utilize our unique strengths and insights. Recovery is an opportunity for transformation and rapid growth!

"In effective addiction treatment, positive psychological approaches play an important role in achieving long-term addiction recovery goals. Traditionally, addicts are told that they have a disease; that they will have to manage it for the rest of their lives; to expect relapse and that from a statistical perspective, most will die from their illness. This is a tremendously demoralizing prognosis to provide to someone. A positive psychologist would reframe the situation, suggesting that addiction is a behavioral disorder and even the most entrenched behaviors can be changed. While not denying the negative statistics surrounding addiction recovery, a reframing of the opportunity to recover into something attainable is empowering and motivating to many who suffer from substance abuse."