Doctors or medications can mostly help with the physical side of addiction. But is it enough to recover when someone has lost their identity to addiction? Probably not!
How you recover through addiction most often than not depends upon how a person thinks, feels, and behaves during rehab. That is why behavioral therapy is a crucial facet of rehab programs. Behavioral therapy helps people by altering the patterns that led to substance use.
If you are ready to begin professional rehab or find a supportive recovery community, Rehab Seekers can connect you to the best centers in California that offer a combination of expert care and behavioral therapy.
What is Behavioral Therapy?
According to a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) study, behavioral therapies are one of the most important aspects of successful addiction treatment. In many cases of addiction with no approved medication available, the therapy can be the primary treatment approach. This therapy teaches those in treatment to identify and steer clear of high-risk situations, manage cravings, cope with triggers such as stress and relationship problems, and develop healthier coping strategies for life outside of drug abuse.
Behavioral therapists don’t consider addiction as a medical problem but rather a psychological one. They help you regulate your emotions, behaviors, and social connections because addiction almost never recovers in isolation.
Types of Behavioral Therapies in Rehab
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is utilized most frequently by clinicians. It is helping the therapist and addicted person understand what lies they are believing that lead to substance use. CBT teaches you to understand your thoughts and know what impact they’re having on your feelings and behavior so that you can stop them.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Another popular therapy used by many professionals is Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It’s a subdivision of CBT, where you focus on more mindful practices. This therapy helps you regulate your emotions and use interpersonal relationships to regain your normal self.
DBT has shown successful results in cases of people who suffer from emotional instability or trauma alongside addiction. Such people are dealing with intense feelings to suppress which they suppress by resorting to substance use. Therefore, DBT provides tools to manage them without relying on addiction.
Contingency Management (CM)
Contingency management is another behavioral therapy that uses positive energy. In this therapy, therapists provide some rewards and privileges if you meet a goal they determine. This method promotes sobriety and keeps people motivated to complete the treatment without a hitch. It also assists in setting a fresh set of good habits that replace the destructive ones.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)
Some rehab programs also use motivational enhancement therapy specifically in the early stages of treatment when people are still deep into their addictive habits and need some motivation to keep going. Therapists usually understand your condition and help you come up with a good reason to recover rather than relying solely on external pressure.
How Behavioral Therapy Fits Into a Treatment Plan
Behavioral therapy does best in combination with other elements of rehab like medical support, detox if required, mental-health care, social-support work, and aftercare planning. With someone recovering from opioid use disorder, for instance, medication-assisted treatment could be used to help control withdrawal symptoms and cravings, while they also engage in CBT or DBT to develop new coping skills and prevent relapse.
In case of substance use for which there is no medication treatment available, like for some stimulants or cannabis (in the case of opioids), a behavioral therapy-only plan can be the most effective option.
Why is Behavioral Therapy So Important Today?
Addiction doesn’t affect a person individually, it grows in relationships and can affect the lives of others around them. Behavioral therapy targets the roots that are triggering substance use. It teaches people not just what to stop doing, but how to do something new, how to make life-affirming instead of life-diminishing choices, how to develop the capacity for resilience under stress, and how to regulate emotions, form healthier relationships, and create your life worth living.
Today, the percentage of relapse is around 40-60% during rehab treatment because there’s more social pressure and mental health struggles. With behavioral therapy, people can have a strong foundation of recovery to manage all ups and downs of life without relying on substance use.
Final Thoughts
Although behavioral therapy is not going to replace medical or detox care completely, it can definitely supplement it. When your recovery plan includes physical and mental care, it becomes easier to change yourself for good. If you or someone you know needs help, consider a rehab program that includes behavioral therapy in both individual and group sessions.