How CBT Helped Nathan Quit Cocaine
Updated June 09, 2015.
This story provides an example of how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helped Nathan quit cocaine. While the characters and the story are fictitious, the characteristics and circumstances described are typical of people who come for treatment. Nathan’s story is presented for illustrative purposes, to help readers understand how CBT can help people quit cocaine. Click here to share your own CBT story.
Nathan was a cocaine addict, who took cocaine in social situations. Chantel, Nathan's cognitive behavioral therapist, guided Nathan in recording the thoughts and feelings he experienced before, during and after taking cocaine. By analyzing the thoughts and feelings Nathan had around his cocaine use, they came to understand that Nathan had become addicted to cocaine because of a faulty belief that people would find him boring if he wasn't on drugs. Thinking people would find him boring made Nathan feel ashamed and inadequate, so he took cocaine to escape these feelings and to replace them with feelings of being exciting and interesting to others. The false sense of confidence that Nathan experienced while he was on cocaine his addiction, and the shame he felt after coming down made him feel more dependent on cocaine to again escape his feelings of shame.
Chantel helped Nathan to understand that his concerns about being considered boring, and the pressure he was putting on himself to be exciting and interesting to everyone he socializes with were unrealistic -- after all, other people may be feeling bored for other reasons, and Nathan can't possibly be interesting to everyone.
By accepting that he doesn't always need to be the life and soul of the party, Nathan began to lose the feelings of shame he had been experiencing in social situations. And because he found it easier to socialize with others without taking cocaine, he connected with others in a more meaningful way, and his self esteem improved. After several months, Nathan was able to quit cocaine entirely.
This story provides an example of how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helped Nathan quit cocaine. While the characters and the story are fictitious, the characteristics and circumstances described are typical of people who come for treatment. Nathan’s story is presented for illustrative purposes, to help readers understand how CBT can help people quit cocaine. Click here to share your own CBT story.
Nathan was a cocaine addict, who took cocaine in social situations. Chantel, Nathan's cognitive behavioral therapist, guided Nathan in recording the thoughts and feelings he experienced before, during and after taking cocaine. By analyzing the thoughts and feelings Nathan had around his cocaine use, they came to understand that Nathan had become addicted to cocaine because of a faulty belief that people would find him boring if he wasn't on drugs. Thinking people would find him boring made Nathan feel ashamed and inadequate, so he took cocaine to escape these feelings and to replace them with feelings of being exciting and interesting to others. The false sense of confidence that Nathan experienced while he was on cocaine his addiction, and the shame he felt after coming down made him feel more dependent on cocaine to again escape his feelings of shame.
Chantel helped Nathan to understand that his concerns about being considered boring, and the pressure he was putting on himself to be exciting and interesting to everyone he socializes with were unrealistic -- after all, other people may be feeling bored for other reasons, and Nathan can't possibly be interesting to everyone.
By accepting that he doesn't always need to be the life and soul of the party, Nathan began to lose the feelings of shame he had been experiencing in social situations. And because he found it easier to socialize with others without taking cocaine, he connected with others in a more meaningful way, and his self esteem improved. After several months, Nathan was able to quit cocaine entirely.
- Does this sound like your story? What was your experience of cognitive behavioral therapy?
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