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Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Addiction in Aurora, IL

Table of Content

Table of Content

Woman speaking in a group therapy session

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Addiction is far more than a physical condition. Behind the impulse to use is a collection of false beliefs, thoughts and values about yourself and the world around you. To break free from substance misuse, you need to confront these misconceptions and learn vital coping skills. That’s the basis of cognitive behavioral therapy. At Gateway Foundation, we offer cognitive behavior therapy services as part of our holistic addiction treatment.

What is CBT?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment often used to help manage addiction and other deep-seated issues. During patient sessions, a trained therapist examines problematic and self-destructive behaviors, like substance misuse, and determines their link to underlying thoughts and feelings. CBT is more than talk therapy. It’s actionable and goal-oriented, ensuring patients take a more active role in their recovery.

The goals of CBT are:

  • Enacting change in thinking patterns and behaviors
  • Helping patients take control of their perception of their circumstances
  • Improving quality of life
  • Developing essential coping tools to address triggers that arise post-rehabilitation
Therapist listening to patient and taking notes

What is a Substance Addiction?

Addiction is a serious disease that impacts the brain both structurally and functionally. Substance addiction has a physical component, such as a strong dependence on that drug and intense cravings to use it. However, addiction also has a behavioral component. Those struggling with the disease know it’s healthier and safer to give up drugs or alcohol. They may even deeply regret their addiction — but they engage in the behavior anyway, sometimes without really understanding why. This is where cognitive behavioral therapy can help.

How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Helps with Addiction

To understand compulsive substance misuse, individuals need to examine the inaccurate thoughts and subsequent negative feelings behind addiction. CBT helps clarify how thoughts and emotions interact to change the automatic processes that sabotage an individual’s efforts to get sober.

At Gateway Springfield, we offer cognitive behavioral therapy to many of our patients because it’s incredibly effective in treating addiction. CBT works by:

  • Looking at thought patterns and feelings that those struggling with addiction repeatedly experience
  • Exploring how these thoughts and feelings may have led to addiction
  • Helping patients modify these destructive patterns
  • Teaching acceptance and emotional regulation
  • Providing strategies for dealing with triggers and other obstacles to recovery
  • Equipping individuals with relapse prevention tools
Man making a phone call

Find Out if CBT for Addiction is Right for You 

To understand addiction’s hold over your life, you may need to take a deeper look at the thoughts, emotions and behaviors that have driven your substance misuse to this point. The team at Gateway Springfield can help. If you would like to learn more about CBT and our other addiction recovery services, contact us today.

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