Addiction thrives on shame and secrecy. By the time most people reach out for help, they've been fighting it alone for years. They've made promises to themselves and broken them. They've tried to control it through willpower and failed. They've started believing that this is just who they are.
It isn't. Addiction is a pattern of behaviour maintained by specific psychological mechanisms. Once you understand those mechanisms, you can change them. That's exactly what CBT does.
What counts as addiction
When people hear "addiction," they usually think of drugs or alcohol. But addiction covers a much wider range of behaviours. I work with:
- Alcohol dependence from problematic drinking through to severe alcohol use disorder
- Drug misuse including prescription medication dependence, cannabis, cocaine, and other substances
- Gambling including online gambling, sports betting, and casino gambling
- Pornography and sex addiction
- Gaming addiction
- Compulsive spending
The common thread is the same. The behaviour starts as a way to cope with something, stress, boredom, emotional pain, trauma. Over time, it takes on a life of its own. You need more to get the same effect. The consequences pile up. But stopping feels impossible because the behaviour has become your primary way of managing difficult feelings.
How CBT works for addiction
CBT for addiction focuses on three core areas: understanding your triggers, challenging the thinking that maintains the addiction, and building new coping strategies.
Trigger identification
Every addictive behaviour has triggers. These can be external, like certain people, places, times of day, or situations. They can be internal, like particular emotions, physical sensations, or thoughts. Most people have a vague sense of what sets them off, but they haven't mapped it out precisely.
In therapy, we get specific. We identify your triggers in detail because you can't manage what you can't see. Once the pattern is clear, we can plan for it.
Challenging addictive thinking
Addiction comes with its own style of distorted thinking. "Just one won't hurt." "I deserve this after the day I've had." "I'll stop tomorrow." "I can handle it." These thoughts feel convincing in the moment. They're not accurate assessments of reality. They're the addiction talking.
CBT teaches you to recognise these thoughts for what they are, challenge them in real time, and replace them with more accurate thinking. Not positive thinking. Accurate thinking. There's a big difference.
Relapse prevention
Here's something important. Relapse isn't a sign of failure. It's a normal part of recovery for many people. The research backs this up. What matters is how quickly you get back on track and what you learn from it.
Relapse prevention planning is built into the therapy from the start, not bolted on at the end. We identify high-risk situations, develop specific coping strategies for each one, and create a concrete plan for what to do if you slip. The goal is to make relapse less likely and, if it does happen, to make sure it's a brief setback rather than a full return to old patterns.
Working alongside recovery services
I don't work in isolation. Many of my clients are also engaged with recovery services, whether that's a local drug and alcohol service, a 12-step programme like AA or NA, SMART Recovery, or residential rehab aftercare.
CBT complements these services. It addresses the psychological mechanisms that other approaches don't always reach. I'm happy to coordinate with other professionals involved in your care. Recovery works best when everyone is pulling in the same direction.
If you need a medical detox or medical supervision for withdrawal, that needs to happen before therapy can really begin. I can't provide medical detox, but I can point you to services that do and begin CBT once you're medically stable.
Addressing what's underneath
Addiction rarely exists in isolation. In 13 years, I've found that most people with addiction issues also have at least one other mental health condition. Anxiety. Depression. Trauma. Low self-worth. Often, the addiction started as a way to manage these underlying difficulties.
Just treating the addiction without addressing what's fuelling it is like mopping the floor while the tap is still running. We'll work on both. The addiction itself and whatever is driving it.
Pricing and next steps
Sessions cost £60 for 50 to 60 minutes. I offer concessions for military veterans, serving personnel, and blue light workers.
If addiction has taken more from you than you're willing to give, it's time to do something different. Book a free 15-minute consultation or call me on 07469 870 295. That first call is confidential. No judgement. Just a conversation about whether I can help.
Read more about my general CBT approach or how I work with veterans dealing with addiction alongside other issues.
