Addiction treatment has made many strides over the last decades. Many evidence-based treatment options have proven to be effective in helping people overcome addiction. Cognitive-behavioral therapy was discovered in the 1960s as a way for doctors to help patients change their ways of thinking. During the session, doctors would help turn negative thoughts and behaviors into more positive and productive ones. Using cognitive-behavioral therapy in addiction treatment has helped countless people overcome addiction and create a better future for themselves. But how can it help you or your loved one beat addiction?
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Addiction Treatment
Many people research cognitive-behavioral therapy by typing it into Google and wonder why they haven’t heard of it before. Look at the news section and you will find that everything seems to be helped by cognitive-behavioral therapy. Back pain, trauma, mental health disorders, addiction, stress, diabetes, cancer, autism- all kinds of diseases and health conditions can be supported with cognitive-behavioral therapy. The therapeutic practice is relatively new, having just been developed in the last few decades. Today, it is a leading form of therapy across all of medicine and considered a leading form of treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. Considered an evidence-based treatment method, the numerous studies into the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy in addiction treatment have proven it successful for reducing symptoms of cravings, depression, and anxiety, while equipping addicts and alcoholics with the tools to stay sober.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy was developed to bring together different forms of therapy into one practice. Instead of being strictly behavioral or strictly cognitive, the CBT practice combines philosophy from both disciplines to create a solution-focused treatment method. When there is a life-threatening or life-debilitating issue like an addiction at hand, traditional talk therapy which can take months for a breakthrough is not sufficient. CBT instead focuses on specific problems by creating action-oriented treatment plans for discovering the underlying causes of the problem. For example, CBT targets the surface level problem of abusing drugs and alcohol, while looking at the underlying causes of addiction and creating solutions to the behaviors. CBT creates change in behavior by creating changes in the beliefs behind the behaviors.
How Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Can Help You
Empowering each client to recognize their self-efficacy in changing their thoughts, changing their behaviors, and changing their lives, CBT is a powerful tool for healing the broken patterns of addiction. Reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, in addition to stress, helps people focus on solving their cognitive as well as their behavioral problems instead of being overwhelmed by their emotions and uncontrollable behaviors. By changing the behaviors of patients, we can help them find a better alternative to relying on a substance when things get hard. Rehab does not last forever. Eventually, every patient will need to go back out into the world on their own. Providing them with the tools to stay sober allows them to keep themselves out of situations that could lead to a relapse. Rehab takes just a few weeks but sobriety lasts a lifetime.
Addiction Recovery at Oceanfront Recovery
Addiction does not have to control your life forever. Help is available for those who need it. We offer a number of evidence-based treatment options to our patients in addition to cognitive-behavioral therapy in addiction treatment. These programs include:
- Family Therapy Program
- EMDR Therapy Program
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program
- Aftercare Program
- Intensive Outpatient Program
As we believe at Oceanfront Recovery, when you change your story, you change your life. We want to see your story of addiction end in a happy lifetime of health in recovery. Our treatment facility provides residential programming from medical detox to transitional living. For information, call us today at 877.296.7477.
