Individuals who come to treatment are often conflicted. Substance abuse has negatively impacted their lives, but they cannot imagine a better or different future without it. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is to help individuals change their lives by placing more emphasis on things they need to value, rather than what their addiction is telling them to value. CBT helps them envision how their lives would improve if they pursued aspirations aligned with their values. When individuals reflect on their values and aspirations, they can see their actions’ short-term and long-term effects. As a result, individuals are motivated to change old habits and adopt healthier lifestyles.

1. Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy for
Substance Abuse
Recovery

3. Individuals who come to treatment are often conflicted. Substance abuse has
negatively impacted their lives, but they cannot imagine a better or different
future without it. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is to help
individuals change their lives by placing more emphasis on things they need to
value, rather than what their addiction is telling them to value.
CBT helps them envision how their lives would improve if they pursued
aspirations aligned with their values. When individuals reflect on their values
and aspirations, they can see their actions’ short-term and long-term effects.
As a result, individuals are motivated to change old habits and adopt healthier
lifestyles.

4. The management of emotions is a vital therapy goal. Long-term use of
substances can make a person numb to life’s events, and people who stop
using substances may find it uncomfortable to discover they can feel a
plethora of emotions again.
To learn to control their feelings more effectively, individuals can establish a
sleep schedule, adopt a healthier diet, and modify the physical aspects of their
emotions. Activities such as relaxation techniques and mindfulness exercises
can effectively help people tolerate and manage emotions they haven’t felt for
a long time. There is no limit to the number of people who can benefit from
these techniques, regardless of their background or history related to
substance abuse.

5. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a popular form of psychotherapy, or “talk
therapy.”
A trained therapist helps the client explore feelings and behaviors in a safe,
confidential setting to learn effective coping strategies. The technique is
widely used in addiction treatment, rehab, and recovery to identify substance
abuse triggers and develop methods for controlling them. By learning to
connect thoughts, feelings, and actions, CBT helps people recovering from a
substance use disorder become more aware of how these things affect their
health.
What is CBT?

6. Powerful and Constructive: According to the American Psychological
Association, CBT can teach clients how to modify destructive thoughts
and behaviors that lead to substance abuse. The clients develop a more
positive attitude toward life, leading to more productive and healthy
experiences.
Organized: Each CBT session has a plan, and clients learn what
techniques they will use each session. The CBT process enables
individuals to establish and achieve tangible life-after-addiction goals.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is:

7. Collaborative: During CBT, both the therapist and client must be actively
involved. Therapists can help clients determine how to make positive
changes in their lives once they reveal what they wish to change.
Flexible: CBT focuses on flexibility, and even clients enrolled in
outpatient programs who don’t attend sessions frequently can benefit
from it.

8. Substance Use Disorders (SUD)
Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD)
Depression
Anxiety disorders
Panic disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Eating Disorders: Examples include anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge
eating disorder.
A wide variety of mental and behavioral health disorders can be treated with
CBT, including:

9. Negative behaviors or mental health disorders often plague a person
struggling with an addiction. CBT is based on understanding the relationship
between feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. All these factors influence daily
decisions, actions, and overall well-being; therefore, a person’s recovery can
be positively impacted by increasing awareness of these factors.

10. Dismissing false beliefs and insecurities that cause substance abuse
Providing tools for self-improvement
Developing effective communication skills
In order to overcome drug addiction and alcoholism, CBT consists of the
following steps:
As a result of addiction, individuals often develop negative beliefs about
themselves and their abilities. Known as instinctive negative thinking patterns,
they result from misconceptions and internalized feelings that can lead to
doubt and fear.
How Does CBT Help in Recovery?

11. Often, people will self-medicate by abusing alcohol and drugs in an attempt
to regulate their automatic thoughts. At times, these thoughts are associated
with painful memories and past traumas, but these connections can be
unlearned by revisiting them regularly and processing them during therapy.
A client also learns to anticipate potential problems, such as triggers, and
how to cope with them if they arise. CBT involves exploring the
consequences of regular drug use and practicing identifying and avoiding
situations that might trigger a relapse.

12. Thank You
Learn more at: https://discoverypointretreat.com/blog/understanding-cognitive-
behavioral-therapy-for-substance-abuse-recovery/
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