The causes of magical thinking include cognitive dissonance, the placebo effect, and the law of attraction. Cognitive dissonance involves thoughts that are conflicting in our minds which can lead to uncomfortable feelings. To overcome these feelings, we adapt a new thought that rationalizes the struggle. If a person is looking to rationalize a behavior such as an addiction, they can believe almost anything to rationalize the behavior.

Keeping your loved ones motivated and engaged during treatment. Add theExpectation-Value Theory of Achievement Motivation, which states that the more a person believes in his or her own ability to make a change, the more change will be made.

My Family Is Sabotaging My Recovery

However, there are fortunate individuals who see how their substance abuse is causing not only destruction in their lives but also with those who love them. They hold onto the belief that they will see better days and that recovery is needed to change their life. Again, an addict’s brain is different from someone who is not addicted to drugs and alcohol. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ For example, a person who tends to binge drink will justify their behavior by saying it is just a couple drink when in reality it is an excessive amount in a short period of time. At Beach House, you’ll start learning about our curriculum and treatment modalities from the earliest stages of your stay in our intensive outpatient program.

Discuss what will change, and what has already changed, by ceasing substance abuse. Encourage the client to be curious about what might happen next. Ask them questions like “On a typical Saturday night, you described that you used to go out with certain friends and do certain drugs at the night club. What would happen if you went to that same club with those same friends on a Saturday night? ” This is not setting the client up for negative feelings, but reality testing.

Counseling & Treatment

To these people, your newfound sobriety represents a threat by forcing them to confront their lifestyle choices. Remember, active addiction can cause a state of denial, so the idea of taking a different path creates cognitive dissonance. More than just those who are dealing with substance abuse are tempted by and give into impulses. It’s a concept that everyone can understand, but Cognitive Dissonance Treatment In Sober Living the stigma of those struggling with drugs and alcohol divides them from the rest of the population. As always, there needs to be a change on a large scale of how we as a nation think of those in need of recovery from substances. Many may be willing to work through CBT to help change their behavior, but the support of community can make all the difference in such a difficult time.

• Living with that dissonance probably means you’re fairly stressed out and angry every day.
• Or maybe you’ve got a bigger problem than you originally thought, and you find yourself questioning whether you might be an alcoholic after all.
• This is when the negatives of the addiction, including guilt and shame, can dominate the decisions they make.
• The guiding strategy here is to ensure that gamblers learn to cope with minor setbacks on their own but are able to recognise more major setbacks before they become fully blown relapses.
• Your final decisions may be brought on due to external pressures or pressure that you put upon yourself.

A person rationalizes their internal conflict by seeing it from a different perspective by adopting alternative ideas that could help to relieve or dispel negative thoughts and feelings. It was proven that individuals tend to look for some sort of stability and dependability with their attitudes, perceptions, and thoughts. But, oftentimes, their beliefs and actions/behaviors do not match up. When a person always has a rational explanation for their irrational behavior, this is known in psychology as the cognitive dissonance theory. The content on AlcoholRehab.com is brought to you by American Addiction Centers , a nationwide network of leading substance abuse and behavioral treatment facilities. Another good example of cognitive dissonance in action involves end of the world cults.