Mandarina

Has anyone tried cognitive-behavioral therapy to deal with their drinking problem?

I'm researching the different programs available for alchoholics in my area and I find this very interesting.

LauraSFO1

Hi- yes, in a sense. I meet with a therapist once a week who has been sober for over 20 years. He got sober through Rational Recovery himself. I don't attend AA or any other support group, and get my support mainly through this site and my family. I do a lot of reading on sobriety to keep it fresh on my mind.

This works for me because I don't believe alcoholism is a disease, I don't believe I'm powerless over it, and I don't believe that only my higher power can resolve it for me. I think alcoholism is an addiction like any other- coke, heroin, niccotine, etc. I have created this addiction through my continued abuse of the drug. I am physically and mentally addicted to it. I do believe in God, and my faith has helped me, but I don't believe I can just turn this over to Him for me to be helped.

I have a very rational approach to life, so it works for me.

Jersey Nonny

The only "research" I ever did was in the rooms of AA...it worked very well for me.

LauraSFO1

AA has worked for millions of people, but there are other roads to recovery. Keep searching until you find the method that works for you. All that matters in the end is that you get sober and stay that way!

indigo

All the above.

sam79

My b/f has been on a waiting list for over 9 months just to see the psychiatric team at our local hospital never mind getting the CBT he needs! Its a total joke. People in the uk have to die before they get anywere and even attempting it yourself does'nt make them hurry your appointment along.

So i wish i could tell you if it does work but i doubt my b/f will ever get the chance!

Blake'sTyger

For those of us who don't really know, what exactly is cognitive-behavioral therapy?

I find the psychology of our alcoholic dilemma fascinating, and have done some reading on Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which includes advice like "Don't tell yourself 'not to drink', because then you'll be thinking about drinking. Tell yourself 'I'm living sober and it feels great' instead."
It's like if someone says "don't think of a black cat". What do you do? You think about the cat you aren't going to think about.
Is this a similar kind of psychology?

Jersey Nonny

Oh, Good Grief! Whatever happened to Keep It Simple? Don't drink, and go to meetings.

BTW...

Quote:

Keep searching until you find the method that works for you.

Seems like a lot of valuable time wasted.

Mandarina

I made an appointment with a psychologist on the 15th. She specialises in CBT and treatment of addicts.

I would really apprieciate any input from people who have some experience with therapy, good or bad.

Anna

Hi Mandarina,

I commend you for searching for a method of recovery that works for you. We are all trying to find our way.

I did try two therapists and neither worked for me, but I probably wasn't ready at the time. One of the therapists was an addiction counsellor and I felt like she didn't have a clue. Anyways, I know some people have had great success with therapy and counselling so I hope it works for you.

Anna

At SR we support ALL types of recovery.

Let's keep on topic of supporting Mandarina.

1963comet

Therapy worked for me.

I think the powerless part meaning is... You cannot stop after having the first drug or drink. I tryed it and failed.

I Think most programs require action, it just does not go away.

nandm

I did some reading on CBT, it is quite interesting. It appears that it has had some positive results in many mental health disorders, I was unable to find much information regarding its use in treating alcoholism.

Although I find it quite interesting and believe it would probably be a useful therapy for some people my personal experiences lead me to believe it would not have worked for me. For many years I tried the positive thinking, self help, bio-feedback, type therapies and none of that was able to stop my drinking for any significant length of time. It might have worked in my very early drinking career, I don't know but definately I would not have had any effect on my drinking in the end.

I am glad you are trying to work toward helping the addict/alcoholic. I wish you the best and do believe that the therapy will be useful for some. Good luck with your projects.

Autopathography

Hi. I did worked with a therapist who used a cognitive behavioral approach and it was very helpful. I can apply the principles I learned/techniques I practiced in many areas of my life, not just those related to recovery.

For the person who mentioned being on a waiting list (and others who may be interested)- my therapist encouraged me to purchase a book called "Mind Over Mood." Reading it and doing the exercises it contains was helpful as I re-learned healthy coping skills. I don't think I can post a link but it's available via Amazon: Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think (Greenberger & Padesky, Authors).

You might also want to look at the resources on the SMART Recovery website. Their "Tools and Homework" use some of the priciples I learned in CBT.

Jersey Nonny

I have apparently offended some folks with what appeared to be a callous remark...not showing sympathy for the dilemma of the newly sober alcoholic. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I apologize for any misunderstanding.

I guess my impatience reared its ugly head, in that I so want to see everyone here latch on to sobriety and run with it! The thought of doing "research" to find a program of recovery that "fits" just seems to complicate and prolong the recovery process. I'm certainly not opposed to in-depth counseling/therapy, which I took advantage of myself. But, I did it in conjunction with AA meetings, as recommended and supported by my alcoholism counselor.

I hope this clears up any misinterpretation...I'm only human, and subject to occasional "foot in mouth disease". In deference to those whose feathers I ruffled, and in an effort to add some levity to lighten the mood, I have taken the liberty of changing back to my old signature.

Kickit

I am at the start of CBT therapy, about to agree my goals and ways of achieving them. CBT helps to change your thoughts and behaviour and is one of the most powerful therapies for dealing with mental health - as I suffer from low self esteem which causes depression and anxiety this will help me a lot.

My own mental state has certainly played a part in my drinking, although it's now a bit of a 'chicken and egg' situation. I am still not sober, I have had several sober stints and gone back to it (I drink every couple of days, or less, but tend not to be able to 'just have a couple', and there are times in my life when drunk has caused me to behave VERY badly).

CBT can help with addiction problems; it is not unusual for this type of therapy to be used as a tool for change although it may be in conjunction or as a pre-treatment to other recovery treatments. It can be used to try to either moderate drinking - yes, I know that is impossible for an alcoholic but not for someone who is 'just a heavy drinker' (and I am not saying that is me) or to help a person to stop - get sober.

In my experience there is no pressure for either in CBT, it is up to me to make up my mind. If I am an alcoholic I must identify that myself, although my therapist encourages me to think about and discuss my drinking to help reach some conclusions. She does not try to dissuade me from stopping because ‘I can learn to drink responsibly’, nor does she label me an alcoholic and say I must stop. I was asked to keep a drink diary in the sessions leading up to our goal setting and we have discussed my drinking each time. The outcome has certainly helped me (once again) face up to the truth of how I am drinking, rather than continue to ignore it. It got me back here. She also agrees that I will benefit less from therapy if I am drinking - an hangover and the effects on depression from alcohol is not conducive to success - I recognised this myself but I am sure that she would have raised this little gem.

Next week I agree what my goal is in relation to drinking and we start working at that, as well as other problems I need to deal with - the ones that I try to escape from in one way or another by drinking.

I have tried AA, read the big book, it is not right for me, I have my reasons for believing this. I am glad that it works for so many here. I am not sober, others at AA are so I understand when people say things like 'it's because I haven't tried', or 'it wasn't the right time'. That may be the case, but AA is still not the right treatment for me. I will be giving my all to CBTand I will also be looking at other recovery programs which my therapist encourages me to do (she is not against AA at all; she talked about this with me). However one of my little problems is trying to do too much at once, then failing (of course) so I will be concentrating on CBT and coming here every day first (we agreed this already).

Being the only one who can decide you are an alcoholic and dealing with underlying problems seems to be implicit in most recovery programmes. I guess that, as others have posted, it’s what works for the individual. Sometimes I think that it may take a litle time before you find one that's right. CBT is not a ‘soft option’, as with other programmes, it’s hard to face your past (drinking and pre-drinking) and the treatment requires you to work at it, and keep working at it.

I would also really like to hear from anyone who has been undertaking or has undertaken CBT to help addiction.

Sorry to go on, just wanted to add my (to date limited) experience.

I hope that whichever method people choose, they are successful - good luck!

Jersey Nonny

At least on this point, I'm sure we're all in agreement. Since this thread was started several weeks ago, I'd be interested in knowing what success Mandarina has had in finding a program of recovery.

GreenTea

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy...

Am I the only one who's hearing "4th, 5th and 6th Steps" here?

mle-sober

I went through an intensive outpatient program of cognitive therapy - not for drinking but for bipolar. It certainly taught me valuable skills that I've used daily since (it was a year ago). But it wasn't really geared toward addiction issues. I've been sober now for 22 days and I attribute it to finally, finally surrendering to the truth that I am a full-blown alcoholic and that I cannot control my drinking without help. It took me trying to control it and pretending to control it for 1 1/2 years before my ego and will gave up to notion that I somehow could just stop or drink normally on my own. I had to ask for help. I was desperate. That's the most important part of getting sober, for me. That was the most important ingrediant. I am now in an Intensive Outpatient Program for addiction and I attend AA 2 days that I'm not in the program and I have a sponsor. I went that route because it appeared in front of me. Not because I did any type of research that made it look best. It's just what was in front of me and I was desperate. Like I said - 22 days - not a lot of time to speak with authority but I can at least say I have that.

I can't imagine researching how to get sober while I was drinking. That sounds a bit like an excuse to keep drinking to me. I say that in the interest of honesty not to be critical. I wish you all the best.

Mattcake

Hi Kickit,

I went through CBT training in college and actually did some CBT therapy a few years. I found it useful, but not nearly enough to quit drinking. The bottom line for most programs is: don't drink. Psychoanalysis used to be an exception to this, but that's changing. CBT is somewhere in the middle, of course it also depends on your own goals and your therapist.

The techniques they use look good on paper, but I found them a little too difficult to actually carry out (stuff like keeping a craving journal, analyzing each thought, correcting basic assumptions). Problem is, a lot of people show up wanting to "control" their drinking, and that's easier said than done, although my therapist claimed he had succesfully "retrained" a certain number of patients to become social drinkers. I have my doubts.

So, yes, CBT gave me certain tools to cope and was somewhat useful but, for what it's worth, I found I needed to go a bit deeper which is why I prefer Jungian therapy.

Hope this helps
Matt