Cognitive Behavioral Techniques for Abstaining from Alcohol

Whether you plan to abstain from alcohol for a day, a week, a month, or a lifetime, the use cognitive behavioral strategies has been proven to greatly increase your chances of success. Dr. Jeffrey Brandsma's (1980) classic study showed that people who learned cognitive behavioral strategies were significantly more successful in dealing with their alcohol problems than a control group. How do these cognitive behavioral strategies work?

One way in which people use alcohol is as a tool to deal with difficult emotions like anxiety, depression, anger, panic, etc. We can analyze this using the ABC model of Albert Ellis. The ABC model works like this:

A = activating eventr
B = beliefs about the activating eventr
C = consequent actions which result from the combination of A & B

Let us look at a concrete example. Joe has just had a very difficult day with an exasperating client at work who canceled a big order and took it to a different company. This is A, the activating event. Joe comes home from work seething. He is saying things to himself like:

"It is not fair that I have to be saddled with such an impossible client."
"I deserve a drink after such a horrible day."
"I can't stand to make it through the rest of the day without a drink."
"The world should go my way--if it doesn't I deserve to blot the world out with alcohol."

Joe's self talk is leading him to drink--even if his intent had been to abstain from alcohol. Joe's self talk reflects B, Joe's beliefs about A and his beliefs about alcohol. If Joe's beliefs remain unchanged then he will likely wind up with the usual C--the consequent action of getting drunk.

However, if Joe has learned to use cognitive behavioral strategies he will be able to use them to D, dispute his B beliefs--as follows:

Belief: "It is not fair that I have to be saddled with such an impossible client."
Dispute: "Life is not fair--but I do not have to drink because life is not fair."
Belief: "I deserve a drink after such a horrible day."
Dispute: I deserve to abstain and feel great--not drink and get a hangover."
Belief: "I can't stand to make it through the rest of the day without a drink."
Dispute: "I don't need a crutch like alcohol to make it through the day."
Belief: "The world should go my way--if it doesn't I deserve to blot the world out with alcohol."
Dispute: "I will always be disappointed if I spend my life "shoulding"--I need to accept life as it is."

The trick to successfully applying cognitive behavioral techniques is to be aware of one's thoughts--and when one sees the problematic thoughts poking up their ugly little heads to quickly dispute them and put them down.
REFERENCES:

Brandsma JM, Maultsby MC, & Welsh RJ. (1980). Outpatient treatment of alcoholism: A review and comparative study. Baltimore: University Park Press.

Ellis A, Harper R. (1975). A Guide to Rational Living, 3rd edition. Wilshire Book Company.