“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
-Marcus Aurelius
According to a recent study, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for substance abuse disorder may help patients stay sober and continue their recovery despite relapse triggers and urges. CBT improves efficiency in the parts of the brain that coordinate cognitive control, goal setting, and focus.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy may not be able to heal your illness or eliminate a painful circumstance. It can, however, provide you the ability to cope with your condition healthily and make you feel better about yourself and your life.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Dr. Aaron T. Beck founded the cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) classification of mental health counseling in the 1960s. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy that can help with various mental health disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse. CBT promotes creating and adopting healthy coping strategies in one’s life and modifying negative thinking patterns to change behaviors.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for addiction can be especially beneficial. Changing a person’s thoughts and beliefs is the first step toward changing their behavior. Simply by changing the way you think and respond to events, you may improve your health and wellness by taking the time to develop insight into your negative thought patterns.
When you are ready to stop relying on alcohol and drugs to cope, we are here for you. Contact us to learn more about your options.
Changing Negative Beliefs One Step At A Time
The first step in cognitive-behavioral therapy is learning how to recognize when these automatic thoughts occur. The goal is to catch yourself in these negative patterns. In doing so, you will then be able to change your thought patterns to alter the outcome.
There are several advantages to recognizing and modifying harmful thought patterns. For instance, it may help to:
- Reduce your anxiety and stress levels
- Improve your communication skills and create more healthy connections
- Remove destructive coping techniques such as drug abuse
- Re-establish self-esteem and confidence
Learning New Ways To View The World
You must be able to recognize the negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to modify an unproductive mental habit. The capacity to detect the beliefs that cause bad sentiments and mental processes is crucial to cognitive reorganization. Although anyone can use cognitive restructuring techniques to improve their mental health, many people find it helpful to collaborate with a therapist. Your therapist will decide on the appropriate CBT tactics after consulting with you. Some standard methods used during therapy sessions include:
- Cognitive restructuring or reframing
- Guided discovery
- Exposure therapy
- Journaling and thought records
How We Can Help You
During addiction recovery, an individual must sort through a lot of information. Having the correct tools and resources is critical if you want to offer yourself the greatest chance of recovery. For some, having an evidence-based treatment program is essential. You’ve come to the right place for cognitive-behavioral therapy.
We encourage you to explore the opportunities for improvement that this type of treatment can offer. Many men and women find that CBT helps them overcome negative thoughts as they occur. By empowering yourself like this, you can better avoid the risk of using drugs and alcohol as self-medication. We can help you determine if this is the proper treatment for you at Ethan Crossing Addiction Treatment.
