Cognitive behavioral therapy in treating addiction

Abstract

The problem of addiction and drug abuse is one of the most important problems that cause a serious threat to the future of society due to the enormous damage it causes, which has an impact on the individual and society. Some statistics estimate that individuals commit about half of the crimes committed in society in cases of addiction or to obtain the money necessary to spend on their addiction. The institutions and bodies that treat addicts and addiction problems in societies have varied, and the methods have varied until, in some statistics, there are more than 13 psychological methods. Perhaps the lack of complete knowledge of the nature of drug addiction reflects the secret of this diversity in treatment methods, and from this standpoint came cognitive behavioral therapy. It draws patients' attention to their negative and distorted thinking patterns, and then trains them on new patterns of thinking and acting in different situations. This program includes carrying out a set of intentional activities and processes, through social interaction, with the study case group, making them learn new patterns by giving them useful therapeutic experience, working to control behavior, or alleviating disease symptoms, and working to create psychological immunity that prevents relapse. After the end of the treatment program. The current research aims to identify cognitive behavioral therapy, learn about its effectiveness in treating addiction, how to apply it to addicts and identify the necessary elements and steps that, if applied correctly, will contribute significantly to preventing the addict from returning to addiction, as it will limit his chances of relapse.