Mental health problems are complicated. Using drugs is more than just a bad habit. It affects how your brain works, changing your emotions, thoughts, and actions in ways that might be hard to understand fully.
But there’s always hope when dealing with mental health and drug problems. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is one of the best ways to help you get better.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a popular choice in substance abuse treatment programs. It has a clear and organized way to help with addiction and mental health issues. Problems can be complex, often involving many parts and deeply rooted negative thought patterns. CBT techniques focus on the root causes, giving you all the tools you need to fight this tough battle.
CBT is a type of talk therapy that examines how thoughts, feelings, and actions are connected. It operates on the fundamental tenet that thoughts shape feelings, and feelings typically dictate actions. When you deal with substance use, it’s not only about cravings or actions. It’s also about the thoughts that drive these habits.
This evidence-based treatment relies on some important ideas. These ideas include:
CBT may vary from person to person as it is frequently combined with other types of therapies. Cognitive behavioral treatment for substance use disorders (SUDS) focuses on changing harmful thoughts and behaviors.
These thoughts and behaviors contribute to addiction. The goal is to identify and modify them. This is how it operates:
A big part of CBT is learning to notice the negative thoughts that make you want to use substances. These thoughts could be things like:
With CBT, you’ll learn to recognize these types of thoughts and understand how they can lead to substance use.
When you use CBT to fight drug addiction, focus on finding and challenging negative thoughts. These thoughts can include, “I can’t handle stress without drugs” or “I’ll never be able to quit.” The goal is to really look at those beliefs, question if they’re true, and then replace them with something more positive and realistic. For example, telling yourself, “I can handle stress in healthier ways” or “I have the strength to stay sober.”
This shift in mindset helps you break free from self-doubt, build more vital coping skills, and gives you a better chance at staying on track for the long haul. It also helps you see things more clearly and make decisions based on what’s true, not just how you feel or what others want.
One great thing about CBT is that it helps you identify what triggers your desire to use substances. This includes certain situations, people, or feelings. It also teaches you how to deal with them. CBT addresses these triggers in three main ways:
CBT does not mean lying on a couch and listening to someone talking. CBT for drug addiction is a very active, direct, and action-oriented type of process. It could also be stimulating and exciting. The goal is to help you become your therapist and continue healing independently.
Therapists build CBT on a foundation of principles similar to other therapies. Here are some of these fundamental principles:
For example, you might think, “I can’t handle stress without using drugs,” or “Drugs are the only thing that helps me feel better.” These thoughts can create feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, or numbness. This may lead you to use substances to escape.
These thoughts and feelings can lead to actions. You might seek out drugs, use them repeatedly, or put yourself in dangerous situations just to get them. Then, after using, feelings of guilt, shame, or failure creep in, reinforcing the cycle and making you feel like you’re stuck.
CBT helps you recognize these harmful patterns. It helps you question automatic thoughts. These thoughts say that drugs are your only way to cope. You can replace them with healthier and more realistic ways of thinking.
You might not realize it, but your pessimistic thoughts have a big impact on your struggle with addiction. Often, these thoughts are linked to fundamental beliefs about oneself, others, or the world around us. These automated cognitive processes can impede your ability to make good health choices without your conscious knowledge.
One suggestion is to begin noticing these negative thought patterns. Have you ever observed the simplicity in which one can slip into a negative mindset when faced with adversity? You may interpret situations in a way that fuels your distress without questioning it.
Below are some common negative thought patterns. Take a look—do any of these feel familiar? If so, you might want to try rethinking them when they pop up.
Here are a few common negative thoughts to watch out for:
CBT is great at helping you learn how to question and challenge these beliefs. It prompts you to want to know:
By spotting these harmful patterns, you can see how they affect your feelings and actions. This helps you start making positive changes.
Simply changing your thoughts isn’t enough. CBT excels at helping you change your actions. It’s about taking new ideas and making them into actual behaviors. CBT enables you to break free from bad habits and replace them with better, more positive ones.
Before we look at how CBT can help with addiction, let’s first make sure we understand what addiction really is. Addiction is more than just being physically dependent on something; it also includes mental, emotional, and behavioral parts.
Addiction is a long-term issue. It happens when a person cannot control their urge to use a substance or engage in a certain behavior. This continues even when it leads to problems.
Addiction isn’t just about substance use disorders like alcoholism or drug addiction, even though those are the most common. It can show up in other forms and look different depending on what someone is hooked on. When we consider substance addiction, the World Health Organization (WHO) identifies different types. There are various categories of addiction.
Other common types of addiction include:
You may know about behavioral addictions. Here are some important ones for you to think about:
People often get addicted due to a mix of their genetics and the environment they grow up in. Your genes and body may explain about half of the problem. The other half could come from your environment and the people around you. Each person’s situation is different, but some things tend to be similar:
There are some essential things to watch out for. If you see someone not taking care of their duties, staying away from family or friends, or doing dangerous things, take notice. Addiction can make a person care only about their addiction and lose interest in everything else.
Addiction may not always be obvious. A clear sign is when someone keeps using a substance or doing certain behaviors.
This happens even when they want to stop. When a person uses drugs often, their body begins to adjust to the substance. This process is called developing tolerance. Over time, their tolerance grows.
It means they need higher doses to achieve the same effect, which leads them to consume more in search of that same high. Unfortunately, this behavior increases the risk of overdose.
You may also observe something odd in their physical features. At times, their appearance, demeanor, or overall well-being can give it away. Be vigilant for these indicators; they may not always be readily noticeable, but they are possible red flags:
Behavior changes, like those listed below, are sometimes linked to problematic substance abuse:
We know that cost is a major factor for most people when seeking treatment for drug & alcohol abuse in Virginia. Novara Recovery Center works with most major insurance plans to help cover up to 100% of the costs associated with treatment at our program. To find out your personal options for treatment, get a free verification of insurance benefits right now by clicking the button below.
This psychotherapy option can help with your addiction in many ways, including:
Addiction isn’t something that occurs in isolation. It usually comes up because of specific high-risk situations, feelings, or stressors. You’ll figure out the triggers with CBT and develop fresh ways to handle them.
You can find better ways to deal with stress, anxiety, or sadness. Avoid using drugs to cope with these feelings.
Finding healthy ways to cope can be hard. It is especially tough when you want to overcome addiction. You might feel tempted to fall back on old, harmful habits.
CBT is useful. It offers different methods like mindfulness, journaling, exercise, and meditation. These can help you face life’s challenges without using substances.
Most of the time, addiction is not isolated. People who struggle with this situation usually have underlying emotional or psychological problems. CBT programs help tackle those underlying issues like trauma, low self-esteem, phobias, depression, or anxiety. If you address these underlying reasons, you’ll be able to recover and steer clear of any future issues.
CBT isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. There are a variety of techniques used to help individuals overcome addiction. Here are some of the most common methods:
Cognitive restructuring in substance use disorder treatment helps you find and change harmful thinking patterns. These patterns can lead to addictive behaviors. As a critical component of CBT, it helps in:
In therapy, your therapist will help you see that you can do things without using self-destructive behaviors. You will do direct assessments to examine and substantiate your ideas and assumptions that motivate drug use. Experiments are designed to give strong information that challenges negative beliefs. This helps change how people think and encourages them to act differently.
For example, you have come to believe that socializing without drugs or alcohol is either impossible or not enjoyable. Your therapist will help you enjoy life with loved ones. You will learn to spend quality time with friends. You can do this without relying on substances.
They will also support you in exploring your feelings. A well-executed behavioral experiment should help you enhance your decision-making skills in the long run.
Role-playing and practicing let you test new ways of acting and dealing with things in a safe place. In role-playing, you act out situations that might tempt you to do things you shouldn’t. This includes dealing with pressure from others or feeling stressed.
This helps you try out better reactions, feel more confident, and solve problems better. These activities can help you recognize and manage negative thoughts.
They can also reduce things that worsen your addiction. This leads to better choices in your daily life.
You need to practice these skills. This will help you handle tough situations without using drugs or alcohol. This is especially important when you go back to your normal life.
Exposure therapy, often used for anxiety, phobias, and trauma, can be adapted to help with addiction as well. Cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy for drug addiction use cognitive techniques and exposure strategies. These methods help you manage cravings, calm your mind, and lower the chance of relapse.
In this approach, you will learn to identify and challenge negative thoughts that fuel your addiction. For example, you might think you can’t cope without substances. If you slowly face situations or triggers that make you crave something, you will become less sensitive to them over time.
Anxiety and pressure really fuel addiction. Deep breathing, relaxing your muscles, and practicing mindfulness are good ways to relax. They help you healthily manage stress and emotions.
Beating SUDs can be tough, but with the right support, you can definitely make lasting changes. At Novara Recovery Center, we offer holistic programs based on evidence. We use methods like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and contingency management (CM) to help you or your loved one achieve lasting recovery.
It may take a little time, effort, and the right plan of action, but you’ll definitely get back on track. Think of CBT as an ally in this journey of change.
If you’re ready to take the next step, reach out to Novara Recovery Center today. Call us at (703) 705-7870 or email info@novararecovery.com.
We can provide more information about our CBT therapy and other effective treatments included in our program. These can help you on your journey to healing and growth.
Written By:
Mental Health Writer
Geoffrey Andaria is a seasoned writer and editor specializing in mental health content. With a B.A. in English and Journalism, he possesses a solid foundation in crafting freelance articles and conducting research. Geoffrey has also completed courses in social work. He dedicates himself to providing valuable and informative content for individuals impacted by mental health challenges and addiction.
Medically Reviewed By:
Expert Contributor
Dr. Williams is currently a board member for two non-profit service organizations. He holds a Master’s degree in Human Services from Lincoln University, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He possesses a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Union Institute and University, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds a license to offer addiction counseling in both New Jersey and Connecticut. Additionally, he has submitted an application to become a licensed psychologist in New Jersey.
