After alcohol or drug rehab the control of urges is essential to sobriety.

Urges Are About Anticipation

Urges are governed by the anticipated consequences that is the reward for doing something or the pain for not doing it.

The urge may be accompanied by a positive feeling when it is driven by a positive expectation or a negative feeling when it is driven by expectation of unpleasantness unless the urge is acted upon.

Some people confuse an urge with a “need”.

They will say “I need a drink” as though they cannot survive or at least function without it.

Such a belief is spurious, not genuine, that is different from what it claims to be.

The Role of Beliefs

Dysfunctional beliefs play a huge role in the generation of urges.

Dysfunctional beliefs fail to perform the function that is normally expected of a belief, that is to guide us in acting or responding in a way that supports our goals.

The beliefs help to form the expectation, which then molds the urge

Beliefs about the positive effect of using drug or alcohol

Research has shown that many addicted individuals hold a set of beliefs that predispose them to continued use:
General exaggerated sensitivity to unpleasant feelings
Low motivation to control behavior
Impulsivity
Excitement seeking and low tolerance for boredom
Low tolerance for frustration
Insufficient social alternatives for gaining pleasurable feelings and a sense of hopelessness for ever achieving the goal
Each of these factors is addressed in cognitive therapy and in the structure of a good rehab program
(Pg. 33, “Cognitive Therapy of Substance Abuse,” Aaron T. Beck, Fred D. Wright, Cory F. Newman, Bruce S. Liese, The Guilford Press, New York, 1993.)

I have said in previous posts the key to sobriety and success in drug rehab is changing core beliefs. By changing your beliefs about urges and what they mean, while you are in rehab or addiction treatment is another of the essential steps in relapse prevention.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 22nd, 2005 at 7:22 pm and is filed under Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.