When it comes to addiction treatment and recovery, cognitive behavioral therapy is a very common therapy that is used to help addicts overcome their issues. Regardless of what substance a person is addicted to, CBT can work alone and with the help of other treatments. Dealing with the mental health aspect of addiction is very necessary for long term recovery. A large majority of people with addictions also deal with things like:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder
Even if a person doesn’t realize it, a properly trained CBT professional can help uncover mental health issues that are contributing to substance abuse. There are plenty of ways to acknowledge what’s going on at a mental level, heal from that pain and move forward with letting go of that baggage.
Addiction is not a simple thing to get over, but cognitive behavioral therapy is used all over the U.S. to determine where negative thoughts are coming from, what’s driving a person to use and why someone has trouble remaining clean and sober. Relapse is something that happens to many people, but CBT can help prevent that from happening. This is especially true if a person continues their work with a therapist long after they’ve gotten clean. Most addicts can trace back time to the first time they used. There may be a major traumatic life event that resulted in this behavioral. Trauma before that point may also have led to substance abuse. It’s important to work through these events and situations to full heal from what happened. We can carry emotions with us for a very long time. A professional can help you safely work through your trauma with beneficial results.
What is the role of CBT in addiction treatment?
Our thoughts have the ability to influence our feelings and behavior. Since cognitive behavioral therapy is a combination of therapies that focus on behavior and psychotherapy, people learn how to overcome challenges and emotions by examining why they feel and think something specific. Understanding the cause of certain emotions or cravings can help fight the urge to use. The cycle of addiction isn’t something that can easily be broken, but CBT can assist with understanding why things are the way that they are. Negative self talk is something that many people inflict upon themselves when they are an addict. Not having a proper sense of self worth through this self talk will lead to using drugs or alcohol. It can also lead to relapses in treatment. Reprogramming inner monologue makes a big difference, but not everybody understands how to do this.
When we reach our adult years in life, we may be carrying baggage with us from our childhood. Some of this baggage can be more harmful than others. There are many of us that have been programmed to believe that we’re not worthy of being happy, we’re not smart enough to stay clean and we’re not strong enough to get through difficult times without drugs or alcohol. CBT has the ability to stop these beliefs in their tracks, replacing them with much more rational and productive thoughts. The negative thought patterns are what lead to substance abuse. It may be uncomfortable, but confronting these negative thoughts head on once and for all can help with addiction treatment and recovery. Learning how to encourage yourself on a daily basis is key when it comes to the long term benefits of CBT.
People enjoy the fact that cognitive behavioral therapy can provide fast results in many instances. While one issue is tackled at a time, it’s relatively simple to work through them quickly. Certain issues may need to be revisited time and time again, but there are achievable goals that you can set with your therapist. The end goal is recovery from addiction. CBT can increase your changes of lasting sobriety. If you’re ready to get started on the road to recovery, you can contact us today at 833-820-2922. We’re happy to help connect you with a counselor that can help you fast track your addiction treatment plan so you live a healthier and happier life for years to come.