There’s something about treatment that works much better than just deciding to go cold turkey. In fact, treatment is not just about quitting the use of drugs or alcohol. It is about understanding why addiction developed in the first place, learning coping skills to help stay sober once treatment concludes, and gaining the love for one’s self so that the addiction cycle can be broken. Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques utilized in drug or alcohol addiction treatment helps patients with all these necessary factors of a successful and long-term recovery.

Change your Mind; Change your Life

Individuals who suffer from addiction to drugs or alcohol will commonly produce negative thoughts that lead to negative emotions. Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques help these individuals to work on their negative thought patterns so that they can be more productive in treatment. Positive thinkers will be able to look at situations that could deter their success in recovery from a different angle. Also, those that think positively are more likely to be happy and as a result be more likely to be successful in long-term recovery.

Learn to Love Yourself

Many individuals addicted to drugs or alcohol will feel shame, guilt, and anger at themselves for their addiction. Some individuals have developed an addiction as a result of these emotions. It is not uncommon to see people struggling with addiction have low self-esteem. Self-esteem is feeling that the self has worth and being confident in one’s own abilities. Those that have low self-esteem will think that they are not worthy to live a life free of addiction and continue to behave in self-destructive behaviors. Success in recovery needs motivation, and people without self-esteem won’t motivate themselves to have a better life because they are not convinced that they deserve one. Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques allow for an individual to identify why their live does have worth so that they can be more successful throughout their addiction recovery journey.

Developing “No” as a Response

Those that try to wean off drugs or alcohol or just simply decide to quit cold turkey don’t get to develop helpful skills like how to say no when faced with peer pressure. Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques help individuals develop ways to face up to peer pressure so that they are able to resist reverting back to addictive behaviors once treatment is over. Along with learning the assertiveness necessary to refrain from using due to peer pressure, behavioral therapy also helps to gain other useful coping techniques that can be helpful in preventing a relapse in recovery. This means that individuals will be able to handle stressful situations by utilizing certain methods learned in therapy without reverting back to drug or alcohol use.

Identifying the Causes of Addiction

Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques allow for an individual to actually search for the underlying causes of their addiction. Those that quit cold turkey are likely to relapse and revert back to using drugs or alcohol because they don’t understand why they are addicted in the first place. If one can identify the causes of addiction, they are more equipped to fix those causes so that addiction is no longer a continuous cycle that needs addressing. Through self-examination, the causes of addiction can be sorted and confronted by an individual in therapy so that they can move on with their lives.

A Gradual and Final Approach to Treatment

Another fantastic characteristic of cognitive behavioral therapy techniques is that they can be tailored to fit the needs of individual patients in drug or alcohol addiction treatment. Patients can learn from therapy and take as long as they need to master the certain coping and relapse prevention strategies. Additionally, therapy does not have to be a certain time frame or limit, so only those that are comfortable with what they have learned and grasp all the concepts can move forward. But, those that take longer have the time that they require to graduate treatment.

Receiving Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques

If you or a loved one requires treatment for drug or alcohol abuse, The Wellness Retreat Recovery Center is here to help! We bring cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to our patients so that they have the best chance for recovery success! If you would like to learn more about our programs and services, please visit our website and call us at 1-855-762-3797.