Cognitive Distortion Stinking Thinking and Addiction Recovery
A major sign of addiction is that substance abusers can’t stop using despite their best intentions. The body itself changes as it adapts to alcohol and drugs, setting up a cascade of chemicals that causes physical cravings and withdrawal. By learning about these mental obstacles, we can identify them as they occur and put in practice effective methods of getting our minds back on the right track. Our mental well-being in recovery depends on our ability to manage our thoughts, regulate our emotions, and behave productively and responsibly despite our circumstances. In this article we hope to help you identify some of the common thinking errors and provide some ways to challenge your thinking.
- All research on the Coastal Detox website, including images, texts, and graphics, is strictly for informational purposes.
- While every person’s thought patterns, including cognitive distortions, are different, the 10 major cognitive distortions could relate to alcohol addiction in the following ways.
- The one most suited for someone depends on factors such as the severity of the addiction and if co-occurring disorders are present.
- For a drug addict, one snort or hit is enough to set the whole addiction cycle spinning into gear again.
- It’s like joining a team where everyone is working towards the same goal.
- Cognitive distortions are biased ways of thinking about oneself and the world.
Skin Addiction: Understanding Compulsive Skin Picking and Treatment Options
A polarized thinker with an addiction believes they must either abstain from the substance entirely or keep using it—with no in-between. All-or-nothing thinking, also known as black-and-white, is another cognitive distortion with extreme, problematic views, often perpetuating addiction and preventing recovery. This type of thinking pattern among addicts causes them to believe their only option is to get sober through complete abstinence for the rest of their life.
What Are Cognitive Distortions?
- It’s all about replacing those distorted thoughts with more balanced, realistic ones.
- There’s a good chance that someone you know and love is addicted and in need of treatment.
- In the context of addiction, thinking errors are like mental traps that distort an individual’s perceptions and decisions, often reinforcing the cycle of substance abuse.
- Remember, recovery is a journey, and it is normal to encounter cognitive distortions along the way.
- Overgeneralization involves taking a single event and seeing it as an unending pattern of defeat.
We spend the most time thinking about what we prioritize the most. When an addict has negative or irrational thoughts about addiction, also known as cognitive distortion, this hinders recovery. Our thoughts can lift us or tear us down, and cognitive distortions will only fuel our anxiety and push us closer to substance abuse.
Behind the Canvas: Addiction Recovery for Visual Artists
There are many ways you can relax and let go of stress without drugs or alcohol. Just because you can hold down a job and stay sober at work doesn’t mean you don’t have a substance abuse problem. There are many substance abusers who abuse drugs or alcohol once they’re outside of work, but they can remain completely sober while on duty.
Drug Counseling As A Tool for Overcoming Cognitive Distortions
Addiction can change the way we think, the way we feel, and the way we behave as well. Holistic approaches to cognitive restructuring can also be incredibly effective. This might include practices like mindfulness meditation, yoga, or art therapy. These approaches recognize that healing the mind often involves nurturing the body and spirit as well. Minimizing can keep a person out of treatment or keep them in treatment longer.
Following Beck, psychologist Albert Ellis furthered this understanding with his Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), highlighting how irrational beliefs lead to emotional distress. Black and white thinking is an all-or-nothing perspective on life. Black and white thinking limits your choices to find creative solutions to life’s problems. This thinking error is dangerous because it can damage relationships if you’re not willing to be open minded to new solutions or can never see more than one side of a story.
Here are 11 harmful cognitive distortions overgeneralization examples that individuals struggling with addiction might experience. Recovering from substance use disorder is a multifaceted process involving more than abstaining from substances. It requires individuals to address and challenge their cognitive distortions, which can hinder progress and perpetuate negative beliefs. The thinking patterns of an addict play a significant role in maintaining or exacerbating addictive behaviors.
“I’m under a lot of stress — it’s okay to kick back with this stuff and relax.”
Everyone likes to be Sober House Rules: A Comprehensive Overview relaxed, happy, energetic, or whatever the feeling is that substances give you. For a drug addict, one snort or hit is enough to set the whole addiction cycle spinning into gear again. When you tell lies to yourself, you protect yourself from seeing the truth and from acting to correct something painful or unacceptable in your life. That’s the most likely answer to the question, “Why do drug addicts lie?
To combat this, try to recognize the gray areas in situations and focus on progress rather than perfection. By recognizing these errors in thinking, you can work towards retraining your mind to process information more accurately and positively. Angie Carter, CRADC, SAP is a certified reciprocal alcohol and drug counselor and DOT certified Substance Abuse Professional. She is in private practice at Carter Counseling & Consulting Services.