Drug Counselors Guide to Understanding Cognitive Distortions

John A. Smith is a Senior Psychotherapist at The Dawn and an internationally accredited Addiction Treatment Professional (ISSUP), Certified Life and NLP Coach. He is highly experienced in working with young adults and utilises a range of evidence-based therapies, including SMART Recovery, to help his clients achieve their goals. The future is a mystery to all of us, and some things will indeed go badly.

Breaking the Cycle of Addictive Thoughts

Treatment for dual diagnosis typically starts with the diagnosis and ends with the patient’s capacity to manage their mental state. An integrated strategy, in which the mental disorder and the substance abuse issue are treated concurrently, is the best treatment for co-occurring disorders. Adverse environmental effects on substance abuse are more prevalent in genetically predisposed people. Several studies have also found that sociodemographic factors are the most important predictors of substance abuse in people with substance use disorders. Identify and correct thinking errors in addiction with our comprehensive guide. This thinking error in addiction involves dismissing positive experiences or achievements as insignificant.

“I’ve Let My Family Down Once, So They’ll Never Trust Me Again”

One of the most common is a thinking pattern that is called all-or-nothing thinking. As there are only two options possible for the thinker, never anything in the middle. Journaling is a habit that’s often recommended to people recovering from addiction.

Addictions We Treat

Due to developing issues and behavioral changes, conflict with loved ones becomes routine, and trust begins to erode. Family members may become wary of a relative who uses illegal drugs if they exhibit aggressive behavior or hide their disorder in secrecy. These changes include; poor communication, poor financial decisions (excess spending on substance use), lack of intimacy, partner neglect and abuse. In certain cases, substance abuse may increase the likelihood of child and partner abuse.

• Take the first step today and start working towards a more positive and fulfilling life.
• Mental filtering is the tendency to dwell on the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positives.
• Because for the addicted brain to fire all of those things, the situation has to be bigger and more dramatic.
• It’s like learning a new language – it takes time, practice, and patience.
• Understanding the nature of these cognitive distortions is the first step in breaking their hold on your mind.
• For instance, someone prone to ‘black-and-white thinking’ might see things in absolute terms – something is either perfect or a complete disaster, with no middle ground.

The best way to disrupt irrational thoughts is by looking for evidence that contradicts what you’re thinking. For example, if a person is catastrophizing, they can disrupt this thought pattern by thinking back to similar scenarios in the past that ended positively. Scrutinize both your negative and positive evidence to make sure you don’t fall into another negative thought pattern.

Enabling Behavior

During this phase, guilt and shame may set in, but this doesn’t decrease substance use. Addiction and addiction levels are etiologically complex syndromes https://www.inkl.com/news/sober-house-rules-a-comprehensive-overview strongly influenced by diverse risk factors (including genetic and social influences). These risk factors reflect a specific vulnerability to substance misuse and various environmental factors such as psychopathology and criminal behavior.

For example, “I feel like a failure, so I must be one.” This type of thinking can be particularly harmful in recovery. Personalization occurs when you blame yourself for things that are out of your control. In addiction recovery, this might look like taking full responsibility for a loved one’s pain or believing that your actions alone caused a negative situation. Whether you’re still living in addiction or well into your recovery, you can start to dismantle these addictive thought patterns through concentrated effort. Holistic approaches to cognitive restructuring can also be incredibly effective.

The mind, a powerful ally in recovery, can also be a formidable foe when entangled in the distorted thoughts that fuel addiction. As we embark on this journey to unravel the complexities of thinking errors in addiction, we’ll discover how our cognitive processes can both hinder and help our path to recovery. Once you’ve gotten the hang of ABC, you can then move on to D, disrupting irrational beliefs, and E, finding effective replacements.

• But as your brain begins to heal, and you build more time in recovery, the process gets easier.
• These factors are not controllable by the individual and increase the risk of developing certain behavioral health disorders.
• Overgeneralization involves taking a single event and seeing it as an unending pattern of defeat.
• The payoff could be that others might feel sorry for you temporarily, but a long term pattern of this thinking error will ultimately damage relationships as nothing is ever your fault.

Ego-State Therapy

Following Beck, psychologist Albert Ellis furthered this understanding with his Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), highlighting how irrational beliefs lead to emotional distress. Thinking errors are faulty patterns of thinking that are self-defeating. They occur when the things you are thinking do not match up with reality. Those who commit thinking errors often don’t realize they are doing so. After entering recovery, many addicts find that they must identify thinking errors and challenge their old way of thinking to create new healthy ways of thinking. These thinking errors can be particularly insidious in the context of addiction, often working in tandem to create a mental environment that sustains substance use.

Mental Health

Here are 11 harmful cognitive distortions overgeneralization examples that individuals struggling with addiction might experience. Minimization as a cognitive distortion is downplaying the consequences of substance use and the severity of your addiction. Nobody wants to admit they have a problem or are struggling with anything, especially drugs or alcohol. Acknowledging that you have an addiction problem is the first step to recovery. Minimization thinking is the opposite of catastrophizing thinking—it focuses on the positive aspects of the situation while minimizing the negative aspects. Addicts with this cognitive distortion believe they can handle and manage their substance use independently.

Here are four tips that can help to expose the thought errors, and help you start overcoming them. Many people refuse to accept their addiction because they fear the shame and judgment that comes with it. Denying your problem with addiction allows it to grow and fester while you choose to overlook it. Admitting a drug or alcohol addiction can be challenging, as nobody wants to accept they need help or treatment. When a problem is hidden and ignored, it becomes more damaging for the individual trying to cover it up. Most of my clients have some cognitive distortions or thinking errors around themselves and their addiction.

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based approach that helps individuals identify and replace distorted thinking patterns with more positive and accurate thoughts.
• A skilled therapist can help you uncover distortions you might not have recognized on your own and teach you strategies to overcome them.
• Overall, correcting thinking errors in addiction is a vital component of comprehensive treatment, leading to a more fulfilling and balanced life in recovery.
• With mind reading you always get to be right at the cost of personal relationships.
• It requires individuals to address and challenge their cognitive distortions, which can hinder progress and perpetuate negative beliefs.
• But with persistence, you can become fluent in the language of balanced, healthy thinking.

Once you’ve established this step, you can then replace your old assumptions with newer and more accurate ones. Understanding these root causes is a crucial step in addressing and altering negative thinking patterns. It allows for a more targeted approach in therapy and self-help strategies, paving the way for healthier and more adaptive ways of thinking. By addressing thinking errors, you’re not just overcoming addiction – you’re developing skills that will serve you well in all areas of life.

We don’t always have the answers and trying to spot any problems from up close can be difficult. Going to therapy allows you to speak to someone who can help you identify the source of your negative thoughts and feelings. Catastrophizing is a common thinking error where an individual anticipates the worst possible outcome, often blowing a situation out of proportion and assuming disaster. By choosing Carepatron as your therapy software, you can streamline your practice’s operations, improve client engagement, and focus more on delivering effective mental health care. The journey isn’t easy, but you can break free from addiction – and the patterns of thoughts and behaviors that come along with it. But addictive substances overload this pathway with levels of dopamine far outside normal levels, making these activities pale in comparison to the effect of drugs or alcohol.

Seeking feedback from trusted friends, family members, or support group peers can provide valuable insights. They’re the voice that says, “One time won’t hurt” or “I’ve already messed up, so I might as well keep going.” This kind of thinking can turn a momentary slip into a full-blown relapse. Myths about addiction can make it harder for people to get the treatment they need. This page shares 13 common myths and facts about addiction so you can make more informed decisions about your health or the health of a sober house loved one. This fatalistic view assumes that past behaviors permanently dictate the future.