Addiction Treatment

Cognitive behavioral therapy works in a very effective manner in the treatment of drug abuse, especially in adolescents. In young people, the drug addiction generally doesn’t reach very high levels.

Hence, drastic treatment approaches like drug rehab programs may not be required for them. Cognitive behavioral therapy is basically a counseling and guiding therapy that inculcates the values of sober living into the patients.The main premise of this therapy is to abhor the patient from returning to any situation that may recreate any part of their addicted life. Out of sight is out of mind – that’s very emphatically implemented in this program. Towards that end, the therapist would counsel and train the patient to stay away from the usual hideouts. Mostly, the therapist would enlist the support of family and friends in the therapy, which is more for monitoring the patient’s habits out of the therapy room than for anything else.

In order to make the therapy interesting for the young patients, the therapist may use a method of giving missions or assignments to the patient and rewarding him or her on successful accomplishment. They may provide an assignment like spending two hours playing football with friends, or preparing a written assignment on what the person will do when he or she is completely sober again. These apparently simple tasks work quite well as encouragement to the young people to stay away from their addiction. There is also the promise of a reward at the end of day.

Sometimes, in cases of severe addictions when drug detox becomes imperative, the cognitive behavioral therapy will be an adjunct to the entire treatment process. Its main effect will be felt after the detox when it becomes necessary to keep the person away from a relapse.