Addictions

What is addiction?

Addiction is the compulsive dependence on a substance or behaviour to the extent that it becomes potentially harmful to you. Addiction can cause difficulties at work and stop people from being able to function fully in their daily life.

There are many types of addiction, including:

  • Alcohol addiction 
  • Drug addiction 
  • Gambling addiction
  • Technology addiction 
  • Food addiction
  • Sex addiction

 

At Onebright, our addiction therapy services aim to support individuals by teaching them techniques to help them manage their addiction and live a happier, healthier life. 

Signs of addiction

Signs that a behaviour or substance use is moving towards dependence or addiction include:

  • Needing the substance or behaviour more and more to get the desired effect
  • Having unpleasant ‘withdrawal’ symptoms from the substance or behaviour
  • Finding it hard to cut down on or control the substance or behaviour
  • Life increasingly revolves around the addiction – the person becomes preoccupied with planning, engaging in and recovering from the substance or behaviour
  • Relationships and work begin suffering as a consequence of the substance or behaviour

Onebright mental health

Book therapy for addiction

Onebright’s addiction therapy can support people with addictions to rediscover a healthier and addiction-free life and can be combined with medical interventions where clinically appropriate. 

Psychological therapies including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and addictions counselling can be an effective way to work on the thoughts and behaviour patterns that contribute to addictive behaviours. It can help people: 

  • Recognise and change associated or unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours 
  • Learn new ways of responding to stress 
  • Develop tools and techniques to manage and cope with relationships, life events and challenges  

 

We offer face-to-face therapy and online therapy, so you can choose what works best for you and your schedule. 

Contact us today by completing one of our online contact forms, or call us on 020 8175 4908 to discuss our services in more detail with our clinical liaison team, including how our therapy for addiction can help you or your loved ones. 

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Frequently asked questions

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has shown success in treating different types of addiction including alcohol addiction, drug addiction, and gambling addiction. CBT can be used on its own as well as alongside other types of therapy. At Onebright, our therapy services are tailored to each individual’s needs to ensure they are receiving the most appropriate support possible.
The 4 Cs of addiction help explain the 4 core elements to addiction, and why it is such a complex issue. The 4 Cs are:

Compulsion - the individual feels compelled to engage with a particular substance or behaviour, despite the risk that it might be harmful.
Craving - the individual craves a particular substance or behaviour, which can manifest physically or psychologically.
Consequences - the individual continues to engage with the particular substance or behaviour, despite any negative physical, social, psychological, and economic consequences.
Control - the individual is unable to control their behaviour or substance use, even if they wish to do so.

Being able to identify these concepts in your own behaviour, or the behaviour of your loved ones, can be important in early intervention and preventing the addiction from developing further.