CBT for Addiction
CBT for addiction can help you:
- Identify thoughts, beliefs, feelings and situations/events that lead to addictive behaviour.
- Monitor patterns of unhelpful thinking and unhelpful behaviour linked to addiction.
- Identify conflicted behaviour and its consequences – while one might know that it is safer and healthier to avoid addictive behaviours and substances, they engage in the behaviour anyway. This can lead to regret, but inability to stop the repetitive behaviour. The individual may genuinely want to change the addictive behaviour but find it extremely difficult to do so.
- Learn how to challenge negative thoughts and shift unhealthy beliefs linked to addictive behaviours, and adopt rational ways of thinking, and more realistic beliefs. This restructuring of cognitions can influence the altering of related addictive behaviour.
- Learn how to look at situations realistically and adopt healthy coping skills that will ideally replace the unhelpful addictive behaviour.
- Learn coping skills to deal with cravings, stress and relapses.
- Learn coping skills to deal with daily stressors in a more constructive way.
As we know, CBT looks at the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. When used to treat addictions, CBT focuses on initially understanding where the addictive behaviour/substance use comes from. We do this by first identifying related thoughts, feelings and situations/events that trigger those thoughts and feelings. We can then begin to change the automatic cognitive processes that sabotage our efforts at changing the addictive behaviours. We will explore repetitive patterns of thoughts and feelings and change these over time using cognitive restructuring tools that will allow you to take a more rational, realistic perspective that does not automatically lead to negative emotions and resulting cycles of harmful behaviours/substance use. As you begin to adopt more healthy behaviours and do this repeatedly, over time, the healthier behaviours become more associated with positive emotions and become more automatic. It will then become easier to pull away from the addictive behaviour/substance use and maintain the change. The positive cycle that develops as a result then reinforces more positive thoughts and emotions, and further positive behaviours. As this is repeated, the ‘need’ or the desire for the harmful substance/behaviour dies down. Of course, this is not an easy process and there will be ups and downs along the way; however, with the right support, it is possible and everything in between will only help enhance the brain’s learning.
As you learn to identify the thought patterns and beliefs associated with addiction/substance use, you will be able to take steps to counter them and change your behaviour. The skills that you learn in CBT can provide you with lasting benefits that can prevent relapse in the long term.
CBT may be used alone or with medication.
