Last Updated:

July 22nd, 2025

CBT | Addiction Treatment Therapies

When you’re caught in addiction, it can feel like your mind is working against you. Your mind can tell you that you’re not good enough, have already messed up too badly to go back or that you need to use drugs or alcohol just to get through the day. Those thoughts aren’t facts, but they can be very convincing and cause you to behave in ways you know are harming you. Cognitive behavioural therapy teaches you to spot those thoughts, challenge them and choose a different way of reacting. It is a cornerstone of effective addiction treatment that has helped countless people turn their lives around.

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What is cognitive behavioural therapy?

Cognitive behavioural therapy (or CBT for short) is a type of talking therapy that helps you understand how your thoughts, feelings and actions are all linked. CBT was first developed in the 1960s by a psychiatrist called Aaron Beck who was working with people struggling with depression and noticed that the way they talked to themselves was often harsh or hopeless.

Beck started helping them question those thoughts and build new, more balanced ones. Back then, CBT was mostly used for depression and anxiety but CBT has since become one of the go-to therapies for all kinds of issues, including addiction, eating disorders, trauma and addiction.

How does CBT work for addiction?

Addiction can put your brain on autopilot, with your thoughts jumping to the worst-case scenario, talking you into doing things that only make things worse. CBT addiction treatment focuses on helping you spot the cycle of triggers and thought patterns that lead you to drink, take drugs, gamble or engage in other harmful behaviours. Once you have spotted them, you can then practise not believing everything your brain is telling you.

Instead of just saying “don’t drink or use drugs,” CBT helps you to understand why you want to and better ways to respond to the urges. Rather than pretending everything is fine, you can give yourself a reprieve from your inner critic and start making your own choices again.

Who is CBT for?

Cognitive behavioural therapy isn’t just for one “type” of person. It can help if you’ve been struggling with addiction but it also works if you deal with anxiety, depression, anger issues, trauma or low self-esteem (all of which commonly occur with addiction). In fact, a lot of people who start CBT addiction treatment don’t even realise how much their thinking patterns have been affecting their choices until they start talking it through.

CBT is especially helpful if you tend to bottle things up or get stuck in your own head. You don’t need to be good at talking or have a huge emotional breakthrough every session. CBT is about learning little shifts over time that can make big differences. Whether you’ve been using drugs or alcohol for years or only recently noticed things getting out of control, CBT gives you tools that work in real life, not just in a therapy session.

What are the benefits of CBT addiction treatment?

CBT addiction treatment gives you tools you can use anywhere, anytime. Whether you’re in a difficult therapy session, walking past an off-licence or thinking about messaging someone you used to take drugs with.

Here are some of the key benefits of CBT for addiction recovery:

  • CBT provides a clear recovery plan where you work step-by-step towards meaningful, lasting changes.
  • It shows you that the thoughts which trigger your addiction are not your fault.
  • It gives you new confidence in your ability to manage cravings and face real-life challenges.
  • It works alongside other treatments to support your whole recovery journey.
  • It can help prevent relapse after you leave rehab.

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What to expect in CBT treatment for addiction?

Different rehab programmes provide CBT in different ways. However, the process will usually involve several stages, which you work through in turn during treatment:

Initial assessment
Your therapist will first ask about your life, your habits and how addiction has affected you. This helps them get a proper feel for what’s going on so they can make a CBT addiction treatment plan.
Reconceptualisation
Together, you will then break down the cycle of what you think, feel and do so you can see where and why things tend to go wrong.
New skill acquisition
You will then try out different techniques to help with cravings, stress and difficult situations. This may include things like calming yourself down, speaking up when you need to and handling setbacks without shutting down.
Learning to apply your new skills
Now it’s time to learn how to use those skills in everyday life. Your therapist will set up scenarios, help you practise, give feedback and adjust things so they work better for you next time.
Generalisation and maintenance
You can then start using your skills outside of sessions at home, with friends or when something stressful happens. The idea is to make these habits an automatic reaction to challenges that will inevitably come up.
Post-treatment follow-up
Once therapy ends, you may have some follow-ups to see how you’re doing, talk through anything tough and build on the progress you have made.

What are the most effective CBT treatment options?

Within those stages, there are a few different CBT treatment options which are often the most effective for recovery from addiction. These include:

Exposure therapy
This involves gradually facing the things that usually cause a reaction. With your therapist guiding you, you might first look at images or talk about a triggering situation and then slowly work up to being around it in real life. For example, this may mean visiting a pub if being around alcohol is hard for you. The aim is to help you build confidence and reduce the overwhelming urges by getting used to those situations in a safe way.
Cognitive restructuring
This helps you get to the root of the thoughts that keep you stuck. If you often think “I always mess things up” or “I need to take drugs because my life is hard,” your therapist will help you take an honest look at those thoughts and question if they’re really true. Changing how you think about yourself and your habits can then change how you act and feel every day.
Behavioural experiments
These are little “challenges” where you test out whether the stories your brain tells you are actually true. For example, you may believe that you can’t enjoy a night out unless you’re drinking. To test this, your therapist may suggest trying a night out sober, just to see what happens. These experiments can break down false beliefs and help you prove to yourself that change is possible.

How to find CBT near me?

Whether you’re looking for private therapy, residential treatment or sessions that work around your schedule, we’ll walk you through the options and answer any questions you have. Get in touch with us today to see what we can do for you.

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Our compassionate team are ready and available to take your call, and guide you towards lasting the lasting addiction recovery you deserve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cost of CBT treatment?
The cost of CBT treatment can vary quite a bit depending on where you go and how you receive it. Private CBT therapy for addiction is usually offered as part of a full rehab programme and is included in the price. If you choose NHS rehab, all included CBT sessions are free but there can be limited spaces. Addiction Helper can talk you through all the options so you can find something that suits your budget and needs.
Is CBT treatment effective for all types of addiction?
Cognitive behavioural therapy is one of the most widely used treatments for addiction because it works across a huge range of issues. Whether you’re struggling with alcohol, drugs or even behavioural addictions like porn, gambling or gaming, CBT can help you understand the patterns driving your behaviour and give you tools to change them. However, CBT alone is rarely enough and works best when combined with other support like group therapy, holistic treatments and detox.
Is CBT a short-term or long-term treatment option?
One of the strengths of CBT addiction treatment is that it can be tailored to your timeline. For some people, a short burst of sessions can be enough to see real change. Others benefit from longer-term therapy that digs deeper into thought patterns and helps prevent relapses in the future.

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