There is no question about it. Many people drink too much alcohol and have done so for many years. While some people can “moderate” their drinking, a great many have to accept the fact that they cannot and need to stop all together and forever.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) provides individuals a method to understand what their triggers are for drinking, what is maintaining it and develop healthy and effective skills to eliminate from their life. Often times there are a number reasons that maintain a person’s drinking habit.
In one recent case, a client reported that she would drink at the end of the day to “relax”, but 1 drink would lead to 6 or more! She would drink in the presence of her boyfriend as a social activity. She would drink when she was bored. When at a party, she would drink to “celebrate”. When at a club, she would drink to reduce her “social anxiety”. The alcohol was threatening her potential marriage, putting her at risk for driving accidents, and had resulted in significant weight gain which impacted her self image and more!
In Cognitive Behavior Therapy, we use many strategies to help the client understand and to motivate them towards change. These methods may include motivational interviewing to enhance the desire for positive change, training in relaxation methods to reduce the physical sensations of anxiety and developing rewards to increase. Positive behaviors and punishments to decrease negative behaviors. Through the use of customized “homework assignments” clients learn how to more effectively manage urges to drink, and live more effectively when exposed to situations where alcohol is present.
Once an individual has stopped drinking, we go through a series of future oriented practice exercises, known as “relapse prevention” to strengthen their confidence and resiliency. Depending on the situation we might recommend they participate in a group like SMART Recovery or AA, involve the family for support, and in some cases, recommend an evaluation to consider whether or not the use of specific medications my be useful.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy practitioners have many tools in the toolbox to help clients free themselves from alcohol and other substance abuse problems.
For additional information or those seeking virtual counseling anywhere in Florida or Massachusetts, visit www.cognitivetherapyfl.com or contact Dr. Robert Heller at drrobertheller@gmail.com or call/text 561 251-9768.
