Susanna Sweeney Accredited Psychotherapist M.B.A.C.P., MSc., CHT
tel: +00353863920466
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tel: +00353863920466
Facebook: Visit us on FB
Linked In: Visit me on LI
Much addiction therapy is built around the idea of avoiding the substance one is addicted to: if you are a smoker, avoid cigarettes, if you are a drinker, avoid alcohol, if it's drugs- avoid same drugs. deal with the physical side of the addiction, and then deal with cravings using cognitive behavioral strategies.
For many people however, this approach is not enough. Some people stop one addiction, such as cigarette smoking, only to move on to another, such as a sugar addiction. Some go from drug addiction to alcohol or sex addiction. Others go from emotional overeating to a workout addiction. In these examples, the addictive substance or behaviour has been avoided successfully, however, the addiction dynamics have not. They continue their underlying dance. I will argue that while the above treatment plan follows natural logic, it does miss out on a major part of the picture: what is caused the addiction in the first place? And if the above approach to addiction treatment is not enough to help you get rid of addictions, you might be well advised not only to find the cause, but to uproot this cause for good. |