Addictive behaviour
Addictive behaviour is maintained by understandable psychological mechanisms. Modern methods work not on willpower but on changing those mechanisms.
Why “just stopping” does not work
Addictive behaviour becomes established as an automatic reaction: a particular situation, emotion or time of day triggers the craving, the craving leads to the action, the action brings quick relief. This link forms independently of decisions and intentions — which is why resolve does not cancel it.
The second mechanism is how you handle discomfort. If the only available way of getting through anxiety, boredom or anger is a substance or an activity, then giving it up leaves a person with no tools at all.
What therapy does
We identify the triggers. Specifically: which situations, emotions, places, people and thoughts set off the craving. Without this map the work proceeds blindly.
We learn to handle craving. Craving is a wave: it rises and falls if it is not fed. We train skills that let you ride out that wave without acting: from mindfulness techniques to concrete behavioural alternatives.
The MORE programme. An approach combining mindfulness practice, work with reinforcement and reappraisal. It aims to restore sensitivity to ordinary sources of pleasure, which addiction dulls.
Distress tolerance skills. Tools from dialectical behaviour therapy for situations where emotions are too strong to “just wait it out”.
Working with relapse. A lapse is not the failure of the whole endeavour but an event you can learn from. We prepare a plan for it in advance: it is precisely the all-or-nothing stance that turns a single lapse into a return to the old pattern.
We rebuild the life around it. The time and space that are freed up need to be filled with something. Work with values from acceptance and commitment therapy helps here.
What is important to understand
With alcohol and substance dependence, stopping use can be dangerous without medical supervision. We do not provide medical services, do not carry out detoxification and do not supervise withdrawal. If your condition requires a doctor, we will say so directly and help you find your bearings.
Psychological work is most effective when the physical part of the problem is under medical supervision.
How long it takes
Usually long-term work. The first stage — stopping or reducing — can take several months; holding on to the result takes longer.
The methods we use for this concern
Cognitive behavioural therapy
The most researched approach in psychotherapy. Short, focused, structured work with the connection between thoughts, emotions and behaviour.
Dialectical behaviour therapy
An approach created by Marsha Linehan for working with severe emotional instability. Teaching concrete skills instead of talking about feelings.
Acceptance and commitment therapy
An approach that shifts the aim of therapy: not to get rid of unpleasant experiences, but to stop letting them run your life.
The MORE programme
An approach combining mindfulness practice, work with reinforcement and reappraisal. Developed for addictive behaviour and chronic pain.
Book a psychologist
Leave your contact details — a coordinator will clarify what you need and suggest a specialist and a format.