Cognitive Dissonance and Addiction Behaviors Elevate Addiction Services

When it comes to addiction, and other potentially harmful behaviors, cognitive dissonance can keep us trapped in denial, unable to change destructive behaviors. Increasing our awareness about what we believe, think, and do is the first step to making the changes we want to make. You also tell yourself that people really exaggerate how dangerous smoking is.  After all, you know people who smoke who have lived very long lives. Then, of course, you tell yourself that if you quit smoking, you might gain weight, which is also bad for your health. Psychologists have developed multitudes of theories about why we do the things we do.

Planning a cognitive behavioural programme

While this study gives us some interesting insights into how we will adjust our thoughts to create a more comfortable mental state, how does this theory actually play out in the real world? One area of human behavior where we can see examples of cognitive dissonance at work is the arena of addiction and addiction treatment. Angie has dedicated her life to freeing those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. Her wealth of experience coupled with her natural talent for connecting with people and a deep desire to make a difference in the world has made Angie the leader she is today.

Bridging the Gap: From Dissonance to Recovery

Festinger argued that cognitive dissonance is more intense when a person holds many dissonant views and those views are important to them. Read on to learn more about cognitive dissonance, including examples, signs a person might be experiencing it, causes, and how to resolve it. Recovery is possible, and with the right support, individuals can embark on a journey towards a healthier, more fulfilling life.

Practical Examples of Cognitive Dissonance in Sober Living:

His alcohol consumption increased and began affecting his work, and functioning. He reported difficulty sleeping if he did not drink, could not get past the day without drinking or thinking about his next drink (establishment of a dependence pattern). His wife brought him for treatment and he was not keen on taking help He did not believe it was a problem (stage of change). He believed that drinking helped him across many domains of life (positive outcome expectancies regarding alcohol use and its effects, stage of change). However, it’s crucial to remember that addressing cognitive dissonance in addiction isn’t a DIY project.

For example, while craving, the decision to smoke just one cigarette is viewed in a more favorable light. The smoker may focus on more accommodating belief (e.g., “smoking cannot be very dangerous”). By reducing the risk of smoking, one will have less difficulty in smoking what is alcoholism and not feel bad about it.

• For example, they’ll only point out the negative aspects of someone and entirely disqualify the positive.
• Since this has been the normal way of thinking for them, it will continue as they progress through their recovery.
• Cognitive dissonance, at its core, is the mental discomfort we experience when our actions don’t align with our beliefs or values.

Recovery Strategies

• Participants from both study groups were interviewed after the study, and again at six months, and one, two and three years after the study.
• By confronting and resolving internal conflicts, clients can align their actions with their recovery goals, reducing the risk of relapse.
• Katie takes an active role in each client’s recovery, and works individually with them to ensure they get the most out of the Elevate curriculum, and achieve their individual treatment plan goals.
• My goal is for everyone to enjoy coming to work, and for their days to be as productive as possible toward the end of helping people put their lives back together.
• If you’re struggling with drug or alcohol abuse and try to justify your actions, then you’re experiencing cognitive dissonance.

She has a strong work ethic and it’s not unusual for her to be up at the facility at 2am or on the phone all night helping guide our staff on how to best manage whatever situations come up. These mental contortions are the brain’s way of trying to reconcile conflicting beliefs and behaviors. It’s a coping mechanism, albeit a maladaptive one, that allows the individual to continue their addictive behavior while minimizing the psychological distress caused by their actions. Cognitive dissonance suggests that addicts may modify their reasoning processes to support the satisfaction of impulses. For an addict, while craving, the world is experienced in a very different way compared to the way when the craving is satisfied. Craving distorts addicts’ ability to process information in a manner that promotes drug use.

Treatment strategies in the relapse prevention

As a Regional Director, Mason is responsible for all aspects of the South Lake Tahoe facility, including staffing, finances, rehabilitation services, community activities, certification and licensing and facility maintenance. Mason has worked in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation field for over 18 years, holding many positions throughout his career including conduct intervention counseling, family advising, and one-on-one counseling. Matt is credentialed as CADC-CS (Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor – Clinical Supervisor) through CCAPP (California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals). He helped create an effective, holistic alcohol & drug treatment curriculum that has been in use at Elevate Addiction Services since 2015.

The abstinence violation effect is characterized by two key cognitive affective elements. Cognitive dissonance (conflict and guilt) and personal attribution effect (blaming self as cause for relapse). Individuals who experience an intense AVE go through a motivation crisis that affects their commitment to abstinence goals30,31. Problem solving therapy (PST) is a cognitive behavioural program that addresses interpersonal problems and other problem situations that may trigger stress and thereby increase probability of the addictive behaviour. The four key elements of PST are problem identification, generating alternatives, decision making, implementing solutions, reviewing outcomes and revising steps where needed.

Cultural adaptation of therapeutic programmes developed in western are important. The greatest strength of cognitive behavioural programmes is that they are individualized, and have a wide applicability. It is similar to the cognitive model of emotional disorders proposed by Beck9.