It’s common to experience negative emotions during drug and alcohol detox. A comprehensive residential detox program provides a variety of therapies designed to support detox and help you get through the first days of recovery. At Pines Recovery Life Detox in South Florida, dialectical behavior therapy is one of the treatment methods we use to help you process your emotions in a healthy way. Learn more about negative thoughts during addiction treatment and how to cope with them from our team by calling 800.263.3869 or completing our online form.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy at Pines Recovery Life Detox
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of talk therapy or psychotherapy to help you learn to handle negative thoughts during addiction treatment. Initially used to treat personality disorders, DBT therapy also assists those with substance use disorders. If you participate in DBT therapy while at Pines Recovery Life Detox, you’ll gain insights into transitioning back to normal life.
Negative Emotions During Drug and Alcohol Detox
Although each person’s experience during detox is different, there are some common negative emotions during drug and alcohol detox. These include:


Anxiety
Anxiety is our instinct to fight or flee under stress. Typically, anxiety is a natural response to a dangerous situation. However, with drug involvement, your body may go into fight or flight mode without sufficient reason. For example, many clients experience anxiety my thoughts of using their drug of choice threaten to overwhelm them.
Depression
When drugs that induce euphoria leave your body, you may become depressed. During detox, you may go into a severe depressive state. For some clients, this leads to suicidal thoughts. At Pines Recovery Life Detox, our team of therapists and medical professionals can help ease these feelings during withdrawal. Typical depression symptoms include:
- Loss of energy
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Reckless behavior such as drug or alcohol abuse
- Anger outbursts
- Sudden mood swings
Fear and Paranoia
Similar to anxiety, fear and paranoia often occur when detoxing or coming down from a high. This creates an imbalance and your brain chemistry that makes you remain afraid after you stop taking the drug. Our medication-assisted detox programs can reduce the pain and severity of withdrawal symptoms. Let our caring staff at Pines Recovery Life Detox guide you through the fear and paranoia that sometimes accompany detox.
Guilt
If you follow the example of many other clients, you may also feel guilt and deep regret. These feelings often revolve around family members or significant others. During detox, focus on getting well. Making amends often accompanies a long-term recovery program. For now, our therapists will help you put the guilt aside so that you can focus on making it through withdrawal symptoms.
Anger
You may also feel anger and resentment toward the person or people who put you into a drug detox program. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) allow you to talk about your feelings and learn to cope with them. Obviously, that’s a very powerful tool when you crave drugs or alcohol.

Boredom
You’ll learn about negative emotions you may feel during drug and alcohol detox. You may wonder why boredom makes the list. Feelings of boredom may seem mild compared to some of the more explosive emotions. However, many people relapse when they feel bored or purposeless.
Loneliness
Some people begin to use drugs due to feelings of isolation and loneliness. If you feel alone in the world, you don’t have to. Instead, contact our admissions team to find out how to get started at our recovery center.
Find Strength and Support in a Detox Program at Pines Recovery Life Detox
Our Pines Recovery Life Detox team provides therapy for mental health disorders co-occurring with substance use disorders if you’re ready to overcome negative emotions during drug and alcohol detox. Don’t hold in negative thoughts and feelings when help is available. Contact Pines Recovery Life Detox in South Florida by filling out our online form or calling 800.263.3869 today to sign up for detox treatment.