Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Drug Addiction

Dialectical behavior therapy is a fast-growing treatment modality being used to help individuals overcome drug addiction. During dialectical behavior therapy for drug addiction, the individual is presented with a number of real-world situations and asked, by the therapist, how they would respond in each. The therapist uses this information to paint a picture of the individual's behavior – especially as it pertains to drug use.

How does DBT for Drug Addiction Work?

During Dialectical Behavior Therapy for drug addiction, the therapist will engage the patient in a series of role-playing, "what if" scenarios – each one designed to help illicit the following skills:

Treating others with more respect. Drug addiction makes people selfish and unconcerned with anything, save their pursuit of getting high. DBT teaches the recovering addict how to form meaningful, respectful relationships with new acquaintances as well as the people they may have harmed emotionally while under the influence.
Gaining more self-respect. In order for an individual to succeed in their recovery, they must first learn to love and respect themselves. Dialectical behavior therapy teaches self-reliance and the proper way to rebuild self-image.
Learning how to say NO. Perhaps the single biggest obstacle to recovery in the months following drug rehab is succumbing to temptation. By providing a series of real world scenarios to play through, the DBT program is preparing the individual for what might happen when they encounter old acquaintances or drug sources. Through DBT, the individual will learn how to say NO, and therefore put the skills they learned in rehab into play.

The Importance of DBT and Drug Addiction Rehab

When a person suffers from a drug addiction, they lose sight of how their behavior impacts those around them. Dialectical Behavior Therapy provides a window for the recovering addict so that they can see how their words and actions can have a profound meaning on those closest to them.

Also, DBT is one of the few therapies to focus so specifically on how the individual can herself act differently so as to create a different outcome in her life. By utilizing Zen teachings, dialectical behavior therapy shows the recovering addict how every decision they make helps create their total self. While this may be obvious to many people, those who have been addicted to drugs have only seen the world through the narrowest of prisms. When one's existence is tied only getting "one more fix", it is easy to lose sight of the big picture. DBT shows individuals little decisions impact that BIG picture every day.

Michael's House is a leading provider of dialectical behavior therapy in California and uses the procedure every day to help individuals with an alcohol or drug addiction. Through role-playing and in-depth study of past interactions and conflicts, the individual is given a chance to strengthen themselves from the inside out – and learn the specific things they need to do in order to succeed – from the moment they leave treatment, and on through the rest of their lives. Contact Michael's House today at for more information.