A technique of psychotherapy that can be used to treat substance use disorders is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT has been proven to be effective in treating alcoholism and drug addiction in addition to the mental diseases it is frequently used to treat, such as depression, anxiety disorders, phobias, and others. This is especially true if it’s a component of a larger recovery program.
CBT teaches individuals to recognize the detrimental and self-defeating thoughts and behaviors that can fuel substance use. It is a targeted, short-term therapy technique that aids drug users in quitting use.
CBT: What Is It?
The foundation of cognitive behavioral therapy is the premise that ideas, rather than external inputs like people, places, or events, are what drive feelings and behaviors in an individual.
While you might not be able to alter your situation, you can alter your attitude toward it. Cognitive behavioral therapists claim that doing this enables you to alter your feelings and behaviors.
CBT can be beneficial in the management of alcohol and drug abuse because it can:
- hone your self-control
- Identify the circumstances that they are most likely to drink or take drugs in
- Avoid triggering situations if at all possible.
- Create coping mechanisms that will be useful in situations that cause cravings.
- cope with additional issues and actions that could trigger their drug abuse
Improved motivation, the acquisition of new coping mechanisms, the modification of ingrained behaviors, and improved pain tolerance are the main objectives of CBT in the treatment of substance addiction.
How It Works
Functional analysis and skill development are the two core CBT components used to treat alcohol and drug addiction.
Functional Analysis
Examining the causes and effects of behavior is a step in the CBT process known as functional analysis. Together, the client and therapist work to pinpoint the ideas, emotions, and situations that preceded and followed drinking or using. This aids in identifying the dangers most likely to cause a relapse.
When performing functional analysis, a therapist may interrogate the patient in order to gain insight into how they were feeling or thinking before the behaviors. They might inquire as to when the client last used a substance and then pose the following questions:
- What were you doing just before you ingested the drug?
- What mood were you in?
- What occurred just before?
- Did the behavior lead to any fruitful outcomes?
- What unfavorable effects did your activities have?
Functional analysis can also shed light on the initial motivations for drug or alcohol usage. People might reflect on the circumstances, feelings, and ideas that contributed to their drug or alcohol usage. This makes it easier to spot circumstances in which the person struggles to cope.
Skills Development
When people are dealing with challenging circumstances, life stress, trauma, anxiety, depression, or other issues, they may occasionally turn to drug or alcohol use as a coping mechanism. It is likely that someone who has reached the stage where they require professional therapy for their addiction uses alcohol or drugs as their primary coping mechanism.
CBT aims to help the patient unlearn harmful behaviors and relearn more effective coping mechanisms. By acquiring these abilities, people can then begin to put them to use in circumstances that would often lead to drug or alcohol use.
Training in skills operates by:
- assisting people in changing their bad habits
- learning how to do better abilities and habits
- educating people on how to alter the way they perceive their drug abuse
Learning new coping mechanisms for the settings and circumstances that caused their prior drinking or drugging episodes
Helping people develop stronger coping mechanisms for uncomfortable emotions is another benefit of skill development. Instead of abusing drugs or alcohol to get a quick fix, people might control their feelings of anxiety or sadness in this way.
CBT for Addiction Benefits
People who battle with an alcohol or substance use disorder may frequently experience unfavorable emotions or ideas that make rehabilitation more challenging.
CBT can aid a person’s outlook and develop abilities that enable long-term recovery since it focuses on identifying and replacing such thought patterns with more adaptive ones.
The following are just a few ways that CBT can help those who struggle with addiction:
- Recognizing self-destructive attitudes and behaviors
- figuring out how to keep an eye on such thought processes
- acquiring fresh, more flexible modes of thought
- utilizing acquired abilities in novel contexts and circumstances
- examining novel approaches to managing stress and challenges
Effectiveness
CBT can be a successful treatment for substance use disorders when used alone or in conjunction with other approaches. CBT often includes a variety of therapies that can be employed separately or in combination, such as operant learning techniques, skills development, and motivational factors.