Addiction affects you on multiple levels. It not only distorts the way you think and feel about yourself and others. It also distorts your behavior in dysfunctional ways. One of the main goals of substance rehab is to undo these damaging changes. One of the main tools for achieving this goal is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The benefits of a cognitive-behavioral therapy program typically begin while you’re still in substance treatment. Crucially, they continue to support you once you’ve completed your rehab program.
For more information about the benefits of CBT and how it could help, contact Northpoint Colorado today at 888.231.1281 or online.
How CBT Works
CBT is both a school of psychotherapy and a therapy method. It gets its name from its two overlapping areas of focus. The first of these areas is your cognition, i.e., the way you:
- Think
- Experience reality
- Use your thoughts and experiences to understand yourself and the world
The second is the way you act as a result of your cognition. As a rule, people with substance problems develop dysfunctional patterns in both areas. These patterns reinforce your drug or alcohol use. They also make it harder for you to recover when you try to quit.
In CBT, you take practical steps to restore healthy cognition and behavior. This process starts by teaching you about addiction and its typical effects. It then shows you how to recognize your harmful patterns of cognition and behavior. CBT also shows you how to escape those patterns and think and behave in healthier ways.
The Key Benefits of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT is perhaps the number one therapy choice for substance rehab. It holds this place because it provides multiple advantages for your recovery. Some of the most important CBT benefits include:
- Giving you a better picture of addiction’s true impact on you
- Helping you think in clearer, more realistic terms
- Showing you how to cope with negative influences on your sobriety
- Improving your sense of self-mastery
- Helping you take control of your recovery process
When you understand how addiction affects you, you help decrease the difficulty of overcoming those effects. That’s true, in part, because you can think more clearly and honestly about your situation. Effective coping skills are essential to your ability to stay drug- or alcohol-free when you leave rehab. When you make good use of them, you typically feel more in control of your actions. In turn, you may find it easier to play the lead role in your sobriety journey.
Other Important Benefits of CBT
The list of cognitive-behavioral therapy benefits doesn’t end there. Other typical advantages include:
- A greater sense of belonging and self-esteem
- An improved ability to process anger and other distressing feelings
- A generally more hopeful outlook on life and the possibility of change
- The relatively short amount of time needed to experience improvements
CBT helps people recover from all manner of drug and alcohol problems. It can also help you recover from co-occurring disorders. These disorders arise when you’re affected by another mental health condition on top of your substance problems.
Contact Northpoint Today for More on the Benefits of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
The benefits of cognitive-behavioral therapy are supported by a mountain of scientific evidence. In fact, research shows that CBT benefits most people who receive it while enrolled in substance treatment. There’s a good chance that it will play a part in your or your loved one’s recovery.
Want to know more about cognitive-behavioral therapy’s benefits? Talk to the treatment professionals at Northpoint Colorado. We’re happy to explain every aspect of the benefits of CBT. We can also show you how we use this valuable therapy in our customized treatment plans. Just call us today at 888.231.1281 or complete our online contact form.