How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Is Used To Treat Addiction

There are a variety of ways to treat addictions, but cognitive behavioral therapy is becoming an increasingly effective choice that many therapists choose for their clients. Why? The idea is that addiction is often accompanied by disordered thought patterns, similar to depression or anxiety, so treatment that works for the latter conditions, can also work for addiction. Learning to turn those negative thoughts around can help you live an addiction free life. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a method of treatment that involves changing your thoughts, which in turn, changes your behavior. The premise is that you spend time learning to understand your beliefs, which improves your wellbeing by helping you understand yourself better. During your CBT treatment, you will identify negative thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to your addiction. Then, you’ll work on replacing the negative with positive, allowing you to learn new and effective coping mechanisms, empowering you to recover from your addiction. This is an ongoing method of treatment that you will need to work on outside therapy, learning to utilize it in your normal daily life, creating new thought patterns and habits that benefit your recovery.

Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
The clear benefit of CBT is learning to cope and recover from your addiction, but there are plenty of other advantages along the way. Not only can it be used in individual therapy settings, but it’s also effective in group therapy, which is a treatment method that many addicts find success with. Sometimes it’s used on its own, while in other instances, it’s combined with other treatment methods. Here are some other benefits of CBT:

The past is examined as a way to change thoughts and behaviors for future success
CBT assigns homework, so you can use your new skills outside of therapy, incorporating them into your everyday life
Proven to increase the ability to cope, as well as enhancing the ability to make healthy choices going forward
Boosts self-awareness and self esteem, aiding in your recovery efforts
Treatment Options
As mentioned above, CBT can be used in both individual and group settings, but it can also be combined with other recovery efforts. Your treatment plan will be customized for your specific needs and may include some or all of the following:

Residential treatment
Outpatient treatment
Treatment for co-occurring disorders
Court liaison help
Mental health referrals, if needed
After care (continued treatment during recovery)

The combination of treatment methods you utilize will be personalized, based on your physical and mental health needs, your life situation and your past addiction treatments (what worked and what didn’t). Customized treatment is important because it’s more likely to lead to success.

Cognitive behavioral therapy can be quite effective for many people working to recover from addiction. Here at Canon Human Services Centers, Inc., we are here to help you determine if CBT is right for you. If you’re ready to work on your addiction recovery, contact us today and we’ll help you on your journey

Why Choose Residential Alcohol Rehab in Los Angeles

Struggling with an addiction can be scary and you may not know where to turn to for help. With the choices available to you, it can be difficult to determine which course of treatment is best for your needs. Do you need to recover in a residential alcohol rehab in Los Angeles, or would outpatient care be better? In many cases, success is higher when you choose residential treatment. Here’s why.

What is Residential Rehab?
Before we talk about why it’s a better choice, let’s talk about what residential rehab is. The simple explanation is that it offers a safe and secure environment for someone to start recovery in a way that offers support during the hard early days of quitting drinking. You will have access to constant care and support as you battle your addiction. In short, you’ll live in the center as you start the recovery process, then move back into the world as you continue kicking your addiction. Now let’s talk about its benefits.

24-Hour Support
One of the best benefits of choosing residential treatment is the presence of round the clock support. That means a professional will be available to you at all hours of the day or night so you can find support when you need it. This focused approach to recovery is often more successful than outpatient methods.

Routine and Structure
When you or your loved one is able to adhere to a routine, it can make recovery more successful. That’s because you learn to build a new life, separate from alcohol so you can mimic it when you go home. Residential rehab centers are able to provide daily structure and a schedule that keeps you on track. This can help you work through the physical and emotional symptoms that go along with recovery.

Physical and Emotional Support
In a residential treatment center, you will have access to medical care, as well as mental health care. During the initial detox portion of recovery, you will have physical support as you battle the side effects, and emotional support as you work through the feelings you experience as you begin recovery. The combination can give you the safety and support you need.

Separation From Triggers
When you enter residential rehab, you are separating yourself from the people, situations and other triggers that cause you to drink. This allows you to focus your time and energy on recovery as you build coping skills and new habits that you’ll take with you when you go home.

Long-Term Recovery
Part of residential treatment is access to continued recovery support, which increases the chances that you’ll stay successful with kicking your addiction. This includes aftercare support, group therapy and other support groups that are available after you leave the center and return to your normal life.

When you need a residential alcohol rehab in Los Angeles that you can count on, you need Canon Human Services Centers, Inc. We are here to help you or your loved one along the road to recovery. Contact us today to find out everything you need to know.