Instead of looking backward, which is a very important thing to do in other kinds of therapy, it works well for people to gain insight as to why these things occurred,” explains Dr. Robin Hornstein, a Philadelphia-based psychologist who works with a variety of populations using CBT as well as many other therapies. CBT for AOD cbt interventions for substance abuse is a well-established intervention with demonstrated efficacy, effect sizes are in the small-to-moderate range, and there is potential for tailoring given the modular format of the intervention. Future work should consider mechanisms of CBT efficacy and key conditions for dissemination and implementation with fidelity.

Your addiction does not have to define who you are.

We will then focus on Stage 3 and 4 issues, reviewing the status of dissemination of CBT in clinical practice, highlighting challenges to dissemination and the promise of technology-based approaches to address the ‘implementation cliff’ (Weisz, Ng, & Bearman, 2014). Finally, we speculate how CBT may evolve during the next 30 years, if informed by developments in technology, cognitive science and neuroscience. It should be noted that this review will for the most part concentrate on “classical CBT” rather than its many variants, including behavioral couples training, adaptations for specific comorbid conditions (such as mood management interventions), or combined approaches (such as the Community Reinforcement Approach). In contrast to the ample evidence regarding CBT’s efficacy, far less is known regarding the mechanisms of how it exerts its effects (Kazdin, 2007). As one of the primary elements of CBT is cognitive and behavioral skills training, most early studies of possible mechanisms of CBT focused on the improvement of these skills as a mediator of treatment effects.

Can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Treat Alcoholism and Drug Addiction?

Let’s dive into the list of CBT group activities for adults recovering from substance use disorder and mental health issues. When you can identify these patterns, you start to work with your therapist on changing your negative thoughts into positive, healthier ones. You and your therapist will learn how to discover patterns in your thinking that are unhealthy, and how these thoughts have a negative impact on your behaviors and your own beliefs. We provide an overview of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) efficacy for adult alcohol or other drug use disorders (AOD) and consider some key variations in application as well as contextual (ie, moderators) or mechanistic (ie, mediators) factors related to intervention outcomes.

Phone, Video, or Live-Chat Support

It can help to look back and see how your thought patterns have changed over time. “You have to challenge your beliefs about what is a healthier strategy with your money, for your family, for yourself,” she adds. CBT can be very effective for addiction, including how well it can work against your triggers. In June 2020, 13 percent of people in the United States either started using substances or increased their use as a way to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. See Table 2 for a list and description of the studies reviewed in the following subsections. While we are unable to respond to your feedback directly, we’ll use this information to improve our online help.

People opting for group therapy and support groups are often looking for peers to offer guidance and support in their recovery journey. Lock and key activities can be fun to break the ice and allow peers to connect and share their experiences. Whether you are a recovering addict or a therapist looking to step up the group therapy experience, we have got you covered with well-researched, goal-oriented, and engaging activities for group therapy. You look at your thoughts, such as thinking about the worst case scenario or either-or thinking, and your therapist helps you reframe those thoughts into something healthier and productive.

If you have questions about your coverage, call the number on your insurance card to find out more information about your specific plan. Some cognitive behavioral therapists accept insurance, but others may not accept insurance. Others may be out-of-network (OON) but offer patients the option of paying their therapy costs up-front and then sending a superbill to their insurance company for reimbursement. In that case, the therapist gives the client the paperwork necessary to submit their insurance claim directly to their provider.

• People opting for group therapy and support groups are often looking for peers to offer guidance and support in their recovery journey.
• Cognitive behavioral treatments are one of the most frequently evaluated psychosocial approaches to treating substance use disorders.
• As Psychology of Addictive Behaviors marks its 30th anniversary, we review the evolution of CBT for the addictions through the lens of the Stage Model of Behavioral Therapies Development.
• Because CBT focuses on identifying and replacing such thought patterns with more adaptive ones, it can help improve a person’s outlook and support skills that support long-term recovery.
• In group CBT therapy, patients with similar conditions are placed in one group.

This includes participation in support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. Follow-up rates were also low (5.6% of the randomized sample were reached for 6-month follow-up assessment); making it difficult to make inferences regarding the efficacy of the program. The studies reviewed above highlight both the promise of technology-based interventions as well as their significant limitations, which include highly variable rates of retention and adherence and poor rates of follow-up, particularly for studies collected entirely on-line (Kiluk et al., 2010).

Skills Training

Many 60 to 90 day rehabilitation programs include CBT to provide people with immediate coping techniques. Cognitive behavioral therapy shows that many harmful actions and emotions are not logical or rational. These feelings and behaviors may come from past experiences or environmental factors.