At The Right Step Houston, we understand that overcoming addiction requires more than just detoxing the body—it requires changing the mind. The efficacy of behavioral therapy for addiction treatment lies in its ability to help you shift your thinking to change your reactions, actions, and behavior. Often considered the go-to strategy for helping people with substance use disorders (SUDs) begin a lasting recovery, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a powerful tool. By addressing the underlying thought patterns that contribute to substance use, behavioral therapy empowers individuals to build healthier coping strategies, improve emotional regulation, and reclaim control over their lives.
Behavioral therapy for addiction
Brain science recognizes that thoughts and beliefs lead to specific actions and behaviors. If thought patterns can be transformed, so can behaviors. It’s more than simply deciding to change your thoughts, because thoughts are often automatic.
Think of some things your mind says to you without your realizing it:
- When your friend cancels at the last minute, you may think, “I’m a loser,” or “I’m not worth her time.”
- When you struggle to understand a complicated concept in your math class, your brain may believe, “I’m so dumb,” or “I’m definitely going to flunk.”
- When you plan to refrain from drinking tonight, but end up drinking anyway, you might think, “I’m weak,” or “I have no self-control.”
Damaging self-talk reflects underlying beliefs about yourself that you’ve accepted over time. They may be based on past difficult or traumatic experiences. You act based on those thoughts and beliefs. Though your thoughts guide you to move through the world presenting as unlovable, or stupid, or weak, you aren’t any of those things. Thinking that you are is just the habit you’ve formed. The grooves in your mind where these thoughts move easily and constantly are like hard ruts in the road created by constant traffic. The wagon wheels automatically fall into the ruts. To move out of the ruts, you must consciously choose to create another pathway. This can be done with the support of a trained cognitive-behavioral therapist.
Habitual harmful thinking and self-talk can be shifted in a goal-oriented, behavioral approach like cognitive-behavioral therapy.
How cognitive-behavioral therapy works
Cognitive-behavioral therapy operates on the belief that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are deeply interconnected. When it comes to addiction, CBT is grounded in three core ideas:
- Reflects inaccurate thoughts and beliefs
- It is based on patterns of behavior that have been learned over time
- It is a behavior that can be overcome by shifting your thoughts and beliefs
In CBT, you’ll work with your therapist to become more aware and intentional in your thinking until new habits form. This starts with awareness, finding alternatives, and using specific exercises designed to help you develop healthy thought patterns, manage emotions constructively, and act within your own life as a conscious agent of transformation and mental health.
The benefits of CBT
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for addiction recognizes that addiction doesn’t go away. It is a chronic disease that isn’t cured, but managed. It helps you develop skills and thought patterns to live a long, sober life.
Self-awareness
By working on your thinking patterns, you become more aware of how your mind acts. It can be an ally or a foe. CBT turns your thoughts into assets that allow you to live according to your principles instead of your fears. Self-awareness helps you identify relapse triggers and also guides you to the underlying issues, such as trauma or anxiety, that may interfere with your well-being.
Managing setbacks without substances
CBT guides you to develop the skills to manage life’s challenges without relapsing. Awareness of your emotional responses, psychological triggers, and unhelpful thought patterns helps you replace old patterns of behavior that didn’t serve you with new, healthy behaviors.
Relapse prevention
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for addiction focuses on your lifetime, not just the next six months. What you learn in CBT can grow with you throughout life. CBT isn’t a trick to use when faced with drugs or alcohol, but a way of managing your thoughts so you don’t form rigid ruts in the road that prevent you from traveling the best path as you move through life.
The sooner you start using CBT techniques for recovery, the better. In a rehab setting, you can benefit from the support of peers and professionals.
Call The Right Step Houston today to get started on CBT for addiction
How can we help? At The Right Step Houston, our staff is ready to offer you evidence-based treatments such as behavioral therapy to help you start your recovery. Wrap-around care, medical detox, peer support, and expertise in treating co-occurring disorders are all here for you.
We can help you decide if you want gender-specific treatment, an inpatient or intensive outpatient program, or dual diagnosis treatment. Calling 1.844.768.0169 today reflects clear thinking and a healthy belief that you deserve to be well. You can also reach out using our online form.