Addiction is a complicated matter. It’s a condition that affects humans in a deep way; it affects the way they think, the way they feel, the way they behave.
| Reward, stress, and self-control brain circuits are being altered due to addiction. – National Institute of Drug Abuse |
Most addictions are connected, or at least serious addictions that negatively impact a person’s life, to substance abuse. Substance abuse that is tied to physical dependence. This dependence, which goes without saying, is difficult to recover from.
Recovery consists of three parts.
Addressing the emotional, psychological, and behavioral patterns. All the factors that contributed to the issue and that led to it growing. In those cases, behavioral therapy is a key factor. Behavioral therapy is also one of the most widely used approaches in addiction treatment; this is the case because it helps people clearly see the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and actions.
| Multiple behavioral therapy options were proven in measurably reducing substance abuse and relapse rates. – National Institutes of HealthStress and other similar emotional triggers strongly increase the risk of relapse in abuse patients. – National Institutes of Health |
Through specific techniques, people can identify their triggers.
By doing so, they can develop coping strategies and build the skills that are needed toward a path of full recovery and the skills that are required to stay on that path. The path of recovery is a complicated matter. It isn’t just about stopping substance abuse; it is about making changes in everyday life.
Changes in a person’s relationships and their overall mental well-being and health.
The Purpose of Behavioral Therapy When It Comes To Addiction Recovery
When it comes to the main focus of behavioral therapy, it’s usually on identifying and changing behaviors that negatively impact a person’s day-to-day health (mental and physical). And addiction treatment uses this a lot where therapists help people see patterns that fundamentally lead to substance abuse.
Usually, the best alternative to this is to replace those patterns with other, healthy ones in order to elicit a change and take a step toward recovery.
When it comes to substance use, the factors that are usually connected to it are:
- Stress and emotional distress
- Trauma or unresolved experiences
- Environmental triggers
- Unhealthy coping mechanisms
- Negative thought patterns
- Difficult relationships
Each of these factors needs to be addressed in order for anyone who’s suffering from substance abuse to be able to develop awareness and gain control over their actions.
This is different from approaches that simply focus on symptoms of the said addiction because behavioral therapy aims to address the reasons behind the substance abuse; it aims at dealing with the underlying causes and not just the end result.
And it also gives the tools that support that journey.
Here’s a piece of statistics from 2023. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA for short, around 48.5 million Americans aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder. That’s a worrisome number; it’s approximately 16.7% of the population.
Due to these rising and concerning numbers, every state has a number of facilities specifically designed to deal with this issue.
Delaware, for example, alone has around 61 substance use treatment facilities that offer various levels of care, in pretty much each city. So it’s no wonder you can see specialized facilities for specific addiction types such as meth rehab in Milford, DE, or Wilmington Behavioral Hospital for Alcohol Abuse, Newark Outpatient Program, and many, many more.
Facilities such as these are much needed to combat addiction in the world’s population and to promote a healthier style of living.
Addiction Treatment Relies on Different Types of Behavioral Therapy
There are multiple ways behavioral therapy can be used to combat addiction and in this article we’ll go over the three of the most commonly used ones:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is designed to help recognize negative thoughts and beliefs.
During CBT sessions, patients are instructed to:
- Identify problem thoughts that are the main cause of substance abuse.
- Challenge and change unhealthy beliefs
- Develop new and better ways of dealing with stress.
- Improve and train their problem-solving skills.
- Create strategies that deal with issues of relapse.
| Key predictors of addiction recovery (e.g., coping skills, emotional regulation, problem-solving skills, etc.) were shown to be improved by CBT. – National Institutes of Health |
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy focuses on controlling emotions. Especially intense emotions. It can help anyone who has difficulty controlling their impulses.
DBT teaches skills such as:
- Manage emotions that are hard to deal with
- Improve communication and let the conversation begin.
- Dealing with stress and other hard-to-deal-with situations
- Developing healthier relationships
| DBT is effective in increasing emotional regulation skills and reducing impulse behaviors. – National Institutes of Health |
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing is an approach that helps people comprehend the reasons why they want to change. It’s a process of encouragement and not directing.
Motivational interviewing can help:
- Build confidence, which can inspire people to change.
- Can help answer the question of whether the treatment will work or not
- Help with the commitment and with the confidence to do it.
| Motivational interviewing is very effective in increasing treatment engagement in substance users, leading to a higher percentage of recovery. – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration |
What About Behavioral Therapy AFTER Recovery?
As any addict knows, recovery is a life-long process. It never ends and you’re always at risk of being tempted and relapsing.
Once the worst part of addiction has been dealt with, the rest of the recovery process can be also eased by continuing behavioral therapy (the type that works best for you).
The entire idea is to strengthen and to hone the skills required to manage everyday life.
This is much like working out. You can stop working out, and your body will gradually weaken and physical activity will start to become more difficult.
Your skills required for managing addiction recovery (e.g., trigger recognition, stress management, emotional intelligence and regulation, coping strategies/techniques, problem-solving skills, impulse control, communication skills, etc.) might be top-notch. But if you don’t continue training them, they’ll weaken, and you’ll be at higher risk of relapse.
This is where behavioral therapy after the initial treatment comes in.
This has to do with the fact that long-term recovery isn’t straight up avoiding substance abuse. It’s more about building a lifestyle, it’s about building relationships, and it’s about maintaining all the skills needed to support your progress.
Conclusion
Behavioral therapy is a key player in the modern treatment of addiction. Its success is based on the fact that it both addresses psychological and behavioral factors that caused substance use in the first place and the same factors that are responsible for its prolonged use. It is exactly by helping people manage their thoughts and emotions that it is the reason behind most of its success.
This is done by healthy coping strategies and the tools to support that change.
Addiction is challenging. It’s hard.
But it’s not something that can’t be beaten.
But with appropriate support, professional guidance, and a commitment to recovery, behavioral therapy can help people who need help get that help and get the results to lead a more productive, happy, and healthy life.
It’s more about finding the balance and keeping that same balance.
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