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Cognitive-Behavioral Groups for Substance Abuse

According to the Office of Applied Studies, in 2008 an estimated 20.1 million Americans ages 12 and older use drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine or marijuana. Substance abuse devastates not only the user but also family and society. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction to substances, cognitive-behavioral therapy groups can help get you back on track.

  1. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Basics

    • Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a therapeutic method aimed at teaching you coping skills to curb your addictive habits. The premise of CBT is that you have a choice to change by learning key tools to help you recognize addictive patterns in thoughts, feelings and actions. CBT is a short-term process generally lasting 6 to 12 weeks. Groups are goal-oriented, with an agenda to focus on learning a specific skill each week that you can use in the recovery process.

    Initial Evaluation

    • Before you start CBT group, your therapist conducts an evaluation to get to know you and help you set goals for the remainder of the program. You may be introduced to the concept of a functional analysis, which is a brief means for assessing your thoughts, feelings and actions if you use substances in between group sessions. The functional analysis is a helpful tool used in later sessions to identify problematic situations that trigger substance use.

    Skill Building

    • Groups are centered around building specific skills each session plus homework to practice new skills learned. For instance, learning how to be more aware of your thoughts and how they relate to seeking substances is a common skill of CBT. Identification of negative thinking patterns or maladaptive thoughts and challenging these thoughts with reframed and realistic thoughts is another common skill of these groups. In the group you may even role-play to practice scenarios viewed as high-risk situations and get feedback from the group on how to best handle the event.

    Relapse Prevention Planning

    • As you progress through CBT, your skills will strengthen. However, relapse prevention planning is essential before you graduate. This involves reviewing all that you learned from the group and identifying future situations that might provoke a setback in recovery. Relapse prevention helps you recognize that you may make mistakes in trying to stay sober but also motivates you to use healthy choices to overcome triggers.

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