Exploring the Different Therapies for Addiction: Which One Is Right for You?

Therapy has an integral role in addiction recovery, helping support a person’s emotional and psychological well-being as they go through a challenging time. As your body physically detoxifies, the mind also needs an outlet to sustain life without a substance it once depended on.

But what are some of the therapy options available in addiction treatment, and what is the right one for you?

What is addiction therapy?

Addiction therapies are used in recovery programmes to help a person as they strive to reach and maintain sobriety. Many types of therapy programmes help address the psychological and behavioural aspects of addiction, each with its own primary area of focus. Therapy brings to light the underlying emotional and social factors that can contribute to substance dependence.

As you recover, therapy can help you understand your triggers and build a defence against the threat they pose. With the right therapy programme, the risks of relapsing can be reduced, and permanent sobriety can be achieved.

Example therapies used in addiction treatment and recovery

Below, we look at some of the most effective and well-known therapies used in recovery:

1. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used therapies in addiction treatment. It’s a type of talking therapy that helps you grow aware of inaccurate, negative or unhelpful thought cycles that spiral into dangerous mind traps.

CBT prioritises practical strategies for dealing with cravings, stress and relapse prevention. It’s especially helpful for people struggling with “people, places and things” that trigger them or co-occurring mental health conditions like intense anxiety and depression. CBT aims to equip you with lifelong tools for challenging your destructive thoughts and “cognitive distortions” as they arise.

2. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) shares some commonalities with CBT, but while CBT primarily focuses on your thinking patterns and behaviour, DBT places greater emphasis on the way you interact with the world and people around you. DBT has four main skill components:

• Mindfulness: This helps with dealing with limiting overwhelming thoughts of the past and future, instead focusing on the present moment.
• Interpersonal effectiveness: Addictions place huge strains and often break your relationships, so this skill helps the ways you communicate and relate to others.
• Emotional regulation: For many who need addiction help, cyclical negative thought patterns trigger substance use as a way to cope with emotions. This skill helps to manage emotional dysregulation.
• Distress tolerance: This principle can help people endure especially difficult emotions without trying to change or act on them. This is crucial for preventing impulsive behaviours which lead to relapse.

3.Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) teaches people the practice of accepting sometimes painful situations, emotions and thoughts without judgement as part of the recovery process. ACT hopes to let people see that suffering in addiction can be twofold: the pain of our situation and our struggle against it.

The recovery process can be laden with feelings of shame and self-judgement that make you more resistant to positive change. Research shows that ACT is effective in managing substance use disorders. This therapy helps you to accept the urges and symptoms inherent to substance abuse (acceptance) and use psychological flexibility and value-based interventions to mitigate symptoms.

4. Motivational interviewing (MI)

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a style of counselling that helps you gain more clarity by exploring and resolving any feelings of ambivalence about your substance use. It promotes the idea that the capability of true change comes from inside yourself, as a therapist guides and supports you as you explore.

MI focuses on improving an addicted person’s motivation and capacity for change by following the acronym of RULE:

• Resist the righting reflex
• Understand your own motivations
• Listening with empathy
• Empowering the person suffering

MI can be particularly effective as it respects and endorses a person’s autonomy, slowly enabling change and helping you align with your inner values and beliefs.

5. Group therapy & 12-step programmes

One of the leading roadblocks that can hinder or destroy someone’s attempt at recovery is that the attempt is made alone. Group therapy and 12-step programmes support stronger recovery by promoting feelings of community and accountability. As a person recovers, overwhelming withdrawal symptoms can become too much to handle, so they isolate, which leads to further suffering.

12-step programmes like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) follow guiding principles that encourage self-reflection and spiritual growth. A greater sense of personal responsibility can be managed and making amends can be deeply rewarding. Through sponsors for accountability, many people find a wellspring of support that reinforces their commitment to lifelong sobriety.

6. Family therapy

Addictions can tragically tear apart the fabric that holds family units together. Family therapy is another kind of talk therapy for family members or spouses who want to improve their relationship to support addiction recovery.

While family members almost always have a loved one’s best intentions at heart, it is not always the case that they know exactly how to support a person escaping the throes of addiction. Family therapy helps to give each member new strategies and set healthy boundaries that are conducive to lasting sobriety.

7. Holistic therapies

Holistic therapy is a more novel approach to recovery that considers the whole person – mind, body and spirit – rather than treating symptoms in isolation. This therapy “zooms out” and takes into consideration every aspect of life affected by addiction, including treatment for trauma leading to addiction.

Holistic recovery activities are generally more specific to each person’s recovery case, rather than having set-in-stone steps and principles. Practices can range from art therapy, meditation, mindfulness, yoga and sound therapy. A sense of fulfillment can be found in this improved mental state, as well as a deeper understanding of the dependency in the first place.

How do I know the right type of therapy for me?

Choosing the right kind of therapy in your recovery journey is not an easy task. It needs to be done after a deep and honest period of reflection. During this time, it is critical to evaluate your recovery goals, remember who you’re fighting for and objectively assess the steps in the past that led to the addiction.

CBT and DBT are generally more structured and skill-focused, so if you work best with regimented steps, they may be the best choice of therapy. They also have a more extensive history in addiction treatment, with deeper research and academic publishing behind them.

ACT and MI can be more beneficial for shifting your perspective if you’ve already tried more traditional programmes. Focusing on acceptance may be deeply rewarding if you’re going through deep turmoil.

Group therapy and 12-steps lean on a sense of community and can give deeper support for healthy social activities. This can be especially helpful if you feel a void needs to be filled after quitting a substance.

If you’ve been through strained relationships or live in unhealthy home dynamics, family therapy could be most effective. If you know your family life has been especially affected by your addiction, this therapy may give you a deeper sense of purpose and motivation to stay sober.

Consulting an alcohol or drug addiction specialist can help tailor a recovery programme that best supports your recovery journey. A combination of therapies may provide the strongest foundation to help you stay sober.

Where can I turn for help with an addiction?

Finding the right therapy is a crucial step in addiction recovery, and you don’t have to navigate this journey alone. You can turn to us for guidance and support in choosing therapy that enables your complete recovery.

At UKAT, we specialise in detox programmes that help you escape from drug or alcohol addiction. Our staff support you in your time of need, using evidence-based therapies like CBT, DBT, ACT and group therapy to help give you lifelong tools for sobriety.

Whether you’re seeking individual therapy, structured rehab, or community support, we are here to help. Take the first step today. Reach out to us to start your journey toward a healthier, addiction-free life.