What propels you to use substances? For some, addiction and dependency drive the underlying need to turn to substances. For some people, it starts with a negative thought or emotion, and spirals into thinking poorly of themselves. You give in and turn to the substance. Treatment can help stop this process.
One of the most common types of drug treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. It is a form of talk therapy designed to help, not just encourage, you to stop using substances, but to help your brain make better decisions. The Ranch at Dove Tree offers CBT treatment as one of many types of therapies.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
CBT is the most commonly used and respected type of psychotherapy. Used along with behavioral therapy, it helps to change a person’s thought processes in a meaningful way. Though the process itself is a bit different for each person, it focuses on controlling:
- What you think
- How you behave
- How other people make you feel
The goal is to learn how to notice negative, often inaccurate thoughts and change them before they lead to negative behaviors. Consider why CBT is so important.
The Benefits of CBT for Drug Addiction
CBT is often used for SUD treatment. Developed in 1960, it is one of the most impactful ways to control many of the negative thoughts you have that simply are not accurate. Consider what happens when you engage and use this therapy.
#1: Recognize Negative Thoughts
Automatic thoughts are those that happen immediately after a bad experience. They are reflexive. When they happen, they trigger an inaccurate thought process that leads to destructive drug use. CBT teaches you to notice when those negative behaviors are happening. By simply recognizing them as inaccurate, reflexive thoughts, you’ll be able to make better decisions.
#2: Learn to Identify Triggers
Something spurs and causes those negative, automatic thoughts to happen. Many times, this is due to some type of exposure or trigger. It might be a person, place, smell, sound, or other factors. You may start to think negative thoughts when you are around certain people, for example. With CBT, you’ll learn what your triggers are. That means you can both avoid them and know how to properly react to avoid negative thoughts.
#3: Solve Problems More Effectively
Another advantage to using this type of therapy is that it works very well to teach you problem-solving skills. That seems simple, but if you’re focused on these reflexive thought processes, you may not have well-defined problem-solving skills. That can change. With the use of CBT, you’ll learn to spot those negative thoughts as they start and then apply better strategies for solving the problem.
#4: Learn New and More Effective Coping Strategies
CBT is a very hands-on process. You’ll work closely with your therapist to develop strategies for coping with your triggers and negative thoughts. These are meant to be practical solutions that work in daily life and real-world stressful situations. The goal is to have a way to handle those stresses without resorting to using substances.
#5: Improve Overall Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is a big part of the drug treatment recovery process, but it’s also quite hard to do. With CBT, you’ll learn steps and develop tools to better manage emotions. That keeps you in better control over your life’s decisions. It can help you manage anxiety and depression as well as high-stress moments.
#6: Boost Your Self-Esteem
With the use of CBT, you’ll gain more confidence in yourself. You’ll be better in control of your thoughts and decision-making. For many people working on recovery, building self-esteem is critical to preventing relapse, and it is also incredibly challenging. The tools you’ll learn here will help foster your ability to build strength over time.
#7: Prevents Relapse
CBT is a component of your release prevention therapy. That is, it is a strategy that helps you avoid being in the same mental and physical spot that you might be in now, struggling to get out. With CBT, you’ll have tools and real-world, actionable insights that can help you avoid giving in to cravings.
Let The Ranch at Dove Tree Guide You
By incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy into your drug addiction treatment in Lubbock, you’ll be working towards a better future. At The Ranch at Dove Tree, we prioritize providing our clients with exceptional insight and support, including mastering the coping skills you’ll learn through CBT.
Contact us now to learn more about the strategies available to help you on your path to recovery.
