Overcoming Cognitive Dissonance in Addiction Recovery

My goal is for everyone to enjoy coming to work, and for their days to be as productive as possible toward the end of helping people put their lives back together. Camille Cox is the Family Advisor, Continuing Care Supervisor at Elevate Addiction Services South Lake Tahoe campus. Camille is dedicated and compassionate, with a deep-rooted passion for helping individuals and families navigate the complexities of addiction. Mike is highly organized, and plays an integral role in helping families and their loved ones navigate the admissions process.

Supportive Living

For example, you might avoid learning about all the adverse ways drinking and drug use can affect your physical, mental and emotional health because doing so makes you feel anxious. Or, someone close to you might gently point out that they think you should seek help, and you respond by angrily denying you have a problem or claiming you can quit on your own whenever you like. The term “cognitive dissonance” refers to a mismatch between your beliefs and your actions.

• Cognitively, individuals with addiction may face a mental conflict between their desire to continue using substances and their awareness of the negative impact it has on their health and relationships.
• “Rather than experience the painful feelings of believing one thing but saying another, these individuals actually changed their opinion and convinced themselves that the task was actually very interesting.
• Individuals may try to convince themselves and others that they have control over their substance use or exclude themselves from the consequences of their behavior.
• Tim also spent several years as CEO to Eric Clapton’s facility in the Caribbean, Crossroads of Antigua.

Addiction Counseling for Teens: Helping Young People Build a Stronger Future

Others high risk situations include physical states such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, testing personal control, responsivity to substance cues (craving). The RP model highlights the significance of covert antecedents such as lifestyle patterns craving in relapse. The Trans theoretical model (TTM), describes stages of behavioral change, processes of change and the decisional balance and self-efficacy which are believed to be intertwined to determine an individual’s behaviour11. Mason is detail oriented, organized, efficient oral and written communicator, and passionate about creating a positive workplace for our staff and an excellent recovery environment for our clients. With 2 years of experience in the field, she is committed to creating personalized recovery plans that empower clients to achieve long-term success. Camille believes that recovery is not just about overcoming addiction but also about building a meaningful and fulfilling life afterward.

Cognitive behavioural interventions in addictive disorders

We want to give recovering addicts the tools to return to the outside world completely substance-free and successful. Harmful and painful addictive behaviors require a maze of lies, distortions, and psychotic denial to fend off the natural corrective consequences of cognitive Alcoholics Anonymous and behavioral dissonance resulting from addiction. Addressing cognitive dissonance is not just about aligning thoughts and actions—it’s about reclaiming your life from the grip of addiction.

Since this has been the normal way of thinking for them, it will continue as they progress through their recovery. This is when the negatives of the addiction, including guilt and shame, can dominate the decisions they make. They are willing to increase their own delusional thinking to protect their current addiction. This explains why someone will hold on to beliefs and ideas cognitive dissonance and addiction that are wholly illogical and obviously irrational to others. They are typically considered competitive, but the two theories may be complementary.

Dual Diagnosis Treatments

He also attended Cal Poly University where he studied behavioral science, mathematics and science. Chad has been a valued member of Elevate for three years, bringing over two decades of construction and maintenance experience to the team. He is responsible for overseeing property upkeep, daily facility operations, off-campus housing, and the vehicle fleet.

MeSH terms

• They are willing to increase their own delusional thinking to protect their current addiction.
• Changing deeply ingrained beliefs or behaviors can be challenging and may require significant effort and support.
• Then, they had to persuade a waiting study participant that the activity was really very interesting.
• Practices that promote mindfulness and meditation can help individuals become more aware of their thoughts and emotions.
• It is also clear that whatever the motivational force of a hybrid intention, it doesn’t typically rise to the level of literal compulsion.

Whether in person or online, our therapists provide the tools and support you need to reclaim your autonomy and well-being. Cognitive dissonance plays a powerful role in emotionally abusive relationships, keeping people trapped in harmful dynamics long after the warning signs appear. When someone experiences dissonance, they hold conflicting cognition—one part of them recognizes the abuse, while another part justifies it to maintain the relationship. This internal battle creates psychological stress, making it difficult to take action. Public commitment to a position can enhance the likelihood of attitude change under forced compliance conditions. For instance, individuals who publicly commit to a particular stance may experience greater cognitive dissonance when their actions contradict their stated beliefs, leading to significant attitude changes to resolve the dissonance.

• Katie provides a compassionate and safe environment for our clients to work through the tough issues, make the necessary changes, and find joy in life again.
• We also specialize in emotional abuse therapy in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Roseville, and Oakland, offering expert support for those navigating toxic relationships, gaslighting, and psychological manipulation.
• The long-term consequences of unresolved cognitive dissonance in addiction are far-reaching and profound.
• Many people need to hit personal rock bottom to see through the denial and decide that they’ve had enough.
• At the Bay Area CBT Center, we accept PPO insurance plans that allow you to use out-of-network providers.

Overcome Addiction at Elevate Addiction Services

Depending on the situation, this uncomfortable feeling of dissonance can be mild or severe, and often motivates us to get back to what’s known as “consonance”. Angie has dedicated her life to freeing those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. Her wealth of experience coupled with her natural talent for connecting with people and a deep desire to make a difference in the world has made Angie the leader she is today. Since working for Elevate, I’ve continued to develop skills related to linear thinking and problem solving, which have contributed to streamlining operations and successful risk management.

Cognitive Dissonance and Addiction Behaviors

By working closely with clients and their families, she ensures that every plan is tailored to individual needs, strengths, and aspirations. She has strong communication skills, compassion for others, and a drive to provide the best services we can to each client and their family throughout their experience with Elevate. For the past 9 years, she additionally has been overseeing the detox area, health services, and office of family support. She has implemented a lot of new protocols for the operations of these areas to ensure the clients are receiving the highest quality of care that we are able to provide. She has a strong work ethic and it’s not unusual for her to be up at the facility at 2am or on the phone all night helping guide our staff on how to best manage whatever situations come up.