What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? How It Helps with Addiction

When it comes to addiction treatment, professionals use various therapies, with cognitive behavioral therapy being among the most effective. However, what is cognitive behavioral therapy? Learn how therapists and counselors use it to aid in addiction treatment.

Also known as CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most beneficial forms of psychotherapy. After many years of research and studies surrounding the disease of addiction, methods like CBT have been proven to help. Now that we know how the addicted brain works, therapies like CBT are designed to heal parts of the brain associated with addiction. CBT revolves around changing destructive thoughts and behaviors based on how our learning systems work.

We survive based on a habit loop that involves the following cycle:

• Trigger
• Behavior
• Reward

Each time you go through this cycle, the brain lays down a stronger and stronger memory that urges you to drink or use. By participating in CBT, you begin swapping out old behaviors with new ones. Over time, this begins to retrain your brain so that your reactions to different triggers are much healthier.

The first step in this form of addiction therapy is to begin identifying all of your different triggers. If you’re someone who has been using for a significant amount of time, you’re naturally going to have more triggers. Someone in the early stages of addiction may only have a few triggers, but you may have a few dozen. Triggers can involve thoughts as well as sights, sounds, smells, situations, emotions, and much more.

As you begin identifying your triggers, you’ll be able to begin changing the behaviors your brain associates with those triggers. You’ll also learn how to avoid certain triggers to make your recovery easier.

Here at Serenity Lodge, we offer gender-responsive addiction treatment programs for men and women who want to begin a new life. Aside from evidence-based treatment methods and other addiction therapy approaches, we want you to feel comfortable and at home. Our facility has a wide range of amenities for you to enjoy as well, and some of them include:

• Movie theater
• 12-person sauna
• Gym
• Meditation pyramid
• Professional recording studio

What is cognitive behavioral therapy? For men and women struggling with addiction, it could be the key to a better life. Find out more about CBT and the rest of our programs by calling 866-379-4365.