People who go to rehab are in for a lot of therapeutic support. The reason for therapy is to help them adjust to living sober and see some of the underlying causes of their addiction. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is widely offered so people can learn more about themselves, their thoughts, and feelings, and how it relates to their world. Find out why it is used for people with addiction and how it helps them navigate recovery.
How it Works
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) demonstrates that many harmful actions and emotions are not rational. These feelings and behaviors may come from past experiences or environmental factors. When a person with addiction knows why they behave a certain way, they are more equipped to overcome addiction. CBT therapists work with recovering persons to identify thoughts that are negative. Often people self-medicate to avoid their feelings, memories, and thoughts. CBT uncovers these thoughts and feelings to help them cope with life better.
Therapeutic Treatment
The root causes of addiction and anxiety are thought to be based on automatic responses. This means automatic thoughts can make someone more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol as well. Helping to dismiss false beliefs and insecurities, providing self-help tools, and teaching effective communication skills is important for healing from addiction. Triggers are responses to the environment that drives people to use drugs. CBT helps people deal with triggers better.
How it Differs
From other therapeutic techniques, CBT can seem unique in its approach. It offers a hands-on alternative to less engaging therapeutic methods. People in recovery do more than talk with therapists during a CBT session. Therapists do not passively sit by during sessions. They work together and co-create the experience of recovery together. CBT is founded on a rapid treatment program where many 60 to 90-day programs provide CBT to help people cope with the challenges of addiction. CBT is adaptive, making it effective for people in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Many people who are therapists make use of recovery principles alongside CBT outside rehab to help those in recovery from healing. There is a lot of freedom to move with CBT guidelines, according to what the person needs. They can gain what they like and it is also used in group settings, where it can be highly effective. Many therapists and addiction treatment centers provide several techniques to use, but this is one of the more sought-after techniques for offering a wide range of support to many different types of people in their recovery journey. The path is not the same for people, so it is helpful to have a therapy they can come around for support.
A Step in the Right Direction provides quality care for clients seeking support for addiction recovery. We utilize various techniques, including CBT, to encourage people in recovery from addiction. For more information on sober living programs for men and women as well as recovery programs, call (877) 377-3702