Many different therapies are used in the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD). Most programs use therapeutic interventions to help make a difference in the long-term treatment of addiction. One of these forms of therapy that can make a difference in the treatment of SUD is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Some people turn to substances when they have overwhelming feelings and struggles in their lives. CBT helps individuals work through their thoughts and change their behavior. Bright Mission Recovery aims to offer therapies that will make an effective difference in the lives of every client who stays with us.
Achieving sobriety can feel overwhelming to some. Choosing sobriety requires making life changes and conscious participation in treatment. These changes must stem from the inner strength of each client who stays with us. The ultimate goal of treatment is to give each of our clients the skills they need to manage SUD once they leave us. CBT can make a difference in understanding the individual motivation behind substance use. This gives our clients the skills they need to go forth and live healthily.
How Does CBT Help With Understanding SUD?
According to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), CBT is “a treatment that focuses on patterns of thinking and the beliefs, attitudes and values that underlie thinking.” CBT is one of the most common forms of psychotherapy, also known as “talk therapy.” It is done between a mental health provider and an individual. CBT consists of treatment to help change thinking patterns. Often, people develop unhealthy thinking patterns around substance use. When substance use goes unmanaged and untreated, it can develop into SUD.
These thinking patterns can be difficult to break, especially without help. Understanding what causes each individual to develop SUD means working through the underlying thoughts and feelings around addiction. Some people may turn to substances to avoid painful feelings or memories. Others may use substances as coping for life’s stresses. Using CBT in treatment will allow providers to help people get to the bottom of their cravings and why they turn to substances.
This can help clients understand their SUD and make the necessary changes to recover from it. Understanding SUD and why someone turns to substances will help in making the first changes toward sobriety. Using CBT to achieve sobriety means understanding the thought patterns that caused the SUD in the first place, and working to put healthier thinking patterns in place. This means using CBT to identify cravings and triggers and help to avoid them.
Identifying Thought Patterns to Overcome Cravings and Triggers
Using CBT, people can notice their thought patterns and feelings around certain subjects. Watching our thought patterns means that we can recognize when a craving or trigger is coming on. Adapting back into life after getting sober means being exposed to different triggers and feelings that were present before going to treatment. The goal once our clients leave Bright Mission Recovery is to stay sober and avoid relapse.
Understanding and avoiding each individual’s triggers is one way of staying sober. Triggers consist of anything that makes someone feel like they should go back to using substances. For some people, a trigger may be a specific memory or a specific person. Learning to avoid these triggers is something that clients can do through the work of CBT.
CBT works to identify thought patterns and feelings and make a difference in how the brain responds to these triggers and cravings. Having triggers is just as normal as having cravings during the early stages of sobriety. Cravings may come and go as someone adjusts to living sober. People may fall into old patterns or be exposed to similar situations which cause the brain to crave its old ways. To overcome cravings and work through trigger exposure, we use CBT to teach each client how to rework their thoughts and behaviors to align with their new values.
Using CBT to Maintain Recovery Success
Many people who stay with us come for treatment of co-occurring mental health disorders and SUD, also referred to as dual diagnosis. Treatment for dual diagnosis consists of therapeutic intervention to give each person who stays with us the skills they need to stay sober. People who struggle with mental health may feel that it is difficult to get sober and find ways to cope with their mental health. Psychotherapy and talk therapies like CBT give power back to our clients to make positive changes in their lives.
Some people may struggle with using substances as a form of unhealthy coping. CBT provides them with the ability to work through their thoughts and feelings and make changes in response to their behavior. This gives people the ability to change their behavior around addiction and stay sober.
Understanding each individual’s reasons for turning to substances and developing SUD is deeply personal. To heal, each person must do the work that uncovers the thought patterns and feelings that led them to addiction in the first place. CBT allows our clients to make a lasting difference in their lives. This type of therapy allows our clients to learn more about how their mind responds to stresses and emotions and work with a provider to learn the best ways to change these thinking patterns. Changing our thoughts allows us to control our behavior and live a sober life. If you are interested in learning more about CBT, get in contact with Bright Mission Reovery today at (747) 444-3284.