Addiction: Reducing Addiction - CBT

Question 1

What is the aim of CBT?

Answer 1

Identify and challenge cognitive distortions that cause addiction as a way of coping and replace with more adaptive ways of thinking like cognitive restructuring

Question 2

What is the first stage of CBT?

Answer 2

Functional Analysis

Question 3

What does functional analysis involve?

Answer 3

Therapist asks client to identify the high-risk situations/triggers to their addiction and ask them to report what they’re thinking before, during and after the addiction

Question 4

What is the second stage of CBT?

Answer 4

Cognitive Restrucuring

Question 5

What is cognitive restructuring?

Answer 5

After analysis, CR changes the irrational/maladaptive thoughts to rational/adaptive ones
E.g., if someone has irrational beliefs that they win more than they lose, could be challenged via empirical disputing and ask for the evidence

Question 6

What is the third stage of CBT?

Answer 6

Social skills

Question 7

What is involved in social skills?

Answer 7

Individual is taught social skills
E.g., they learn to refuse addictive behaviour or substance without embarrassment and fuss in social situations (make eye contact, be firm in the refusal)

Question 8

What else will an individual be taught in social skills?

Answer 8

Avoidance strategies
Client learns to avoid situations that are likely to produce addictive beahviours

Question 9

What is the last stage of CBT?

Answer 9

Homework

Question 10

What does homework include?

Answer 10

Patient practices these social skills within the real world on their own
Report back to their therapist until they feel confident within social situations
Leads to relapse prevention

Question 11

1 - Who researched CBT?

Answer 11

Perty et al

Question 12

1 - What did they do?

Answer 12

Randomly allocate gamblers to a control group who received Gamblers Anonymous meetings or a treatment condition who received GA meetings and an 8 week CBT session programme

Question 13

1 - What did they find?

Answer 13

Patients in the treatment condition were gambling significantly less than the control group of patients
Shows identifying and challenging addictive thoughts reduces gambling

Question 14

1 - What is the link?

Answer 14

Demonstrates the effectiveness of CBT?

Question 15

2 - What is a limitation?

Answer 15

Requires motivation

Question 16

3 - What is a strength?

Answer 16

Avoids chemical dependence

Question 17

3 - How does it avoid chemical dependence?

Answer 17

Patient is taught skills to identify and challenge own cognitive distortions which cause their addictions
E.g., feel they can’t cope without substance, so take control of their addiction

Question 18

3 - What is this unlike?

Answer 18

Drug therapy

Question 19

3 - What is the link?

Answer 19

More appropriate as patients dont rely on drugs