Cognitive Dissonance in Addiction and Recovery

In fact if the good folks here at GoodTherapy would like to help break this cycle, I would ask them to encourage more professionals to write about Narcissistic abuse in an effort to combat this continued ignorance. I don’t think this would single handedly stop this problem, but it would certainly be a step in the right direction. I know for me personally, when I realized this, I became incredibly alarmed that the likelihood that Narcissistic abuse and Narcissistic Victim Syndrome would become more widely understood was small. Frankly, I know for me personally I wouldn’t have believed this either prior to what happened to me… or maybe I wouldn’t have wanted to believe it. More importantly, through my own journey to healing I have been even more shocked to realize that this type of abuse is incredibly common. Parental Narcissism, Narcissistic abuse in romantic relationships, work environments, extended families, school setting, churches and yes even therapeutic relationships is unbelievably common.

• They want to be that person you “lean on” so that they can get you while you are unguarded.
• You need to feel that your perspective is valuable and that you can base your decisions without being judged.
• Also consistent with AET, our hypothesis, and prior investigations (Hoffman & Woehr, 2006), was the relationship between fit and citizenship.
• I was able to find things I genuinely enjoyed, like going to the skatepark with my boyfriend, and had friends who encouraged me to go back to school.
• And sometimes dealing with and accepting a bit of dissonance helps marriages last.

The disease of addiction is a classic example of this dichotomy. One way to deal with this internal conflict is to minimize all the potential problems that drinking and using drugs can cause. For instance, a substance abuser might justify their habit by saying that if they took steps to get sober, they’d deprive themselves of their primary way to relax and have fun.

Benzodiazepine Addiction Treatment Center

I fear that I possibly don’t have much time left to save our son, given the self-harming component and the fact that he would appear to be entering another depressive phase, at the same time as last year, actually. He now feels that the situation is hopeless and that he will never have a life worth living. While she certainly didn’t tell me to leave him, she gave me the insight and information I needed to effectively do just that. I went no contact with my narc and I thank God for my escape.

“Oh, I just won’t drink and drive,” she responds, unable to conceive of giving up her substance despite all it’s cost her. You might be curious, what is an inpatient drug treatment process?

Dr Cydney Heims Md, Addictionologistdirector Of Addiction Medicine

If a person is looking to rationalize a behavior such as an addiction, they can believe almost anything to rationalize the behavior. The placebo effect occurs when a person believes something; however, it is not attributed to the placebo itself. For example, in certain research studies, a doctor may give you a pill for anxiety and you believe it will help your anxiety, but the reality is the doctor gave you a sugar pill.

Your family members may also resist your recovery because they are caught up in a cycle of codependency. In other words, they are so accustomed to taking care of you that they feel hurt and confused by your desire to make a positive change. There can also be resentment from family members because your decision to get healthy can shake up well-known patterns. Despite how fraught your relationship may have become when you were in active addiction, it’s human nature to find comfort in the familiar.

Addiction Treatment

And it can be troubling and mentally exhausting to deal with, Curry says. Doing some soul searching to determine the areas of your life where contradiction exists can shed light on areas you may need to work on.

For example, a person might say, “My drinking, smoking or using isn’t so bad because I can still get through a workout.” Addictions can also be a form of companionship for some people. Because cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol are always available, some people come to see them as “friends” — ones that can’t abandon them. When someone spends time with people who glorify drinking, abusing drugs, or smoking, these behaviors become part of a social culture. Consider how many people smoke outside of meetings or on breaks at work. They indulge in the harmful because they know they can.

‘Did COVID-19 Precautions Hurt My Young Kid’s Cognitive and Emotional Growth?’

Now that’s is over, the stinger is still left in me…it still hurts and I want to be free and healed! I’m 40 and I never knew these people existed…didn’t even know the name of the behavior!

Partnership emphasizes the therapeutic relationship between the interviewer and the client. By building a strong and collaborative relationship with patients, MI therapists reduce resistance to change and increase motivation. To maintain “a positive Cognitive Dissonance Treatment In Sober Living self-image,” we have to find ways within ourselves to work around this feeling, and the results aren’t usually productive or positive. In the earlier example, you may say “it’s just one drink” and allow yourself to indulge “guilt-free” .

He refuses to acknowledge the connection between having a family history of addiction and being at greater risk of becoming addicted. Consider the woman who has multiple convictions for driving under the influence, at the https://ecosoberhouse.com/ expense of her license, her job, and her finances. She’s been mandated by court to seek treatment, following incarceration and probation. When her therapist asks if she’s willing to maintain sobriety, she shakes her head.

Most people know that smoking is bad for them, but when they think about stopping, their addiction takes over. They don’t feel as though they have control over their smoking; it’s like their smoking has control over them. These people may wrestle with their uncomfortable thoughts by questioning if smoking is really that bad for their health. They may try to find things that prove to them that they can go on smoking and not have any problems. They may even do this on a daily basis until something happens that they cannot ignore.