How Can Psychotherapy Help Treat AUD?

There’s unique power in conversation — the kind that goes beyond small talk and dives into the heart of our thoughts and emotions. Many times, it’s in these deeper conversations that we find understanding, clarity, and the courage to change. For those of us struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD), this kind of meaningful dialogue can be transformative. 

Imagine sitting down with someone who listens without judgment, who helps you explore the reasons behind your drinking, and who works with you to find healthier ways to cope. This is the core of psychotherapy. Here, we’ll dive into how these transformative conversations can help treat AUD, offering a path to recovery that’s rooted in deep knowledge and genuine connection.

What Is Psychotherapy? 

Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, uses dialogue to facilitate a better understanding of our thoughts and emotions. It also helps us build the skills we need to navigate and resolve these thoughts and emotions. Psychotherapy is typically conducted one-on-one with a mental health professional.

There are many types of psychotherapy, but they all involve talking, listening, and engaging in different types of expression. Psychotherapy is used to treat a wide range of emotional challenges and mental health conditions. Different types of psychotherapy focus on different skills. For example, cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy focus on developing positive behaviors, whereas psychoanalytic and humanistic therapy focus more on exploring our thoughts and emotions. 

Psychotherapy is beneficial for any of us looking to develop a better understanding of ourselves. However, it can be particularly helpful during mentally and emotionally challenging times such as AUD recovery. Let’s understand why. 

How Psychotherapy Benefits Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

Psychotherapy is beneficial for AUD treatment because it addresses our mental health. Our mental health and AUD are connected in three main ways: 

1. The Root Cause

Poor mental health and mental health conditions increase the risk of developing AUD. Research shows that risky drinking is more prevalent among those with mental health conditions. 

This is because alcohol serves as an easy distraction or escape from negative thoughts and emotions. Alcohol is like a fake friend. At face value, it offers temporary relief. When we drink, alcohol slows down our thinking and boosts our mood, helping us feel better. However, in reality, alcohol only worsens our mental health. Alcohol affects our stress response, hormones, and mood, which in turn can lead to anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. 

Psychotherapy facilitates the exploration of our deeper or more hidden thoughts and feelings, which can help us identify the root causes of our drinking. But this is just the beginning!

2. The Fuel

In addition to increasing the risk of developing AUD, mental health conditions also commonly co-occur with AUD, adding fuel to the fire. Studies show that 50%-70% of those with AUD also struggle with other psychiatric conditions. 

This is because poor mental health and AUD fuel one another. As we’ve discussed, alcohol is frequently used as an unhealthy coping mechanism. This not only leads to worse mental health but also increases the risk of alcohol dependence. Remember that temporary feeling of pleasure we discussed? Well, those positive feelings associated with drinking hijack our brain’s reward system, which keeps us coming back for more. This creates a toxic cycle of self-medication and dependence. 

Psychotherapy helps us break that cycle by helping us navigate those difficult thoughts and emotions that may be fueling us to drink more and more. By addressing our mental health, we become less reliant on alcohol and can stop the cycle in its tracks. But the work doesn’t end there!

3. The Aftermath 

Once we’ve committed to recovery, quitting or cutting back on alcohol isn’t the end of it. AUD is characterized by not only physical dependence but also neurological dependence. To overcome this, it’s important to both address the causes of our drinking and develop more positive habits. 

Psychotherapy aids in exploring positive coping mechanisms and developing healthier habits. Recovery can be mentally and emotionally challenging, as our brain is adjusting to not having a certain level of alcohol. During this time, we might still experience poor mental health, which psychotherapy can help us navigate. 

Now that we have a better understanding of psychotherapy, we can see how it facilitates recovery by addressing the root causes of our drinking, breaking the cycle of self-medication, and helping us build healthier habits. But what are some other benefits of psychotherapy for those with AUD?

Benefits of Psychotherapy for AUD and Beyond

There are a range of treatment options for AUD, but psychotherapy is often a core component for a good reason. It has many benefits beyond AUD treatment:

• It promotes better health. Psychotherapy gives us tools to navigate mental and emotional challenges, improving our mental health. Improved mental resilience, decreased stress, and better mood also benefit our physical healing. 
• It helps us identify root causes of other behavior. We touched on how psychotherapy helps us address the root causes of our drinking, but it can help us identify why we engage in other behaviors as well. For example, perhaps we feel denied in some way, and overindulging on alcohol (or food or shopping) makes us feel better in the moment. We can then pinpoint why we feel denied, which can help us address other behaviors that may result.
• It increases our motivation for recovery. Understanding the consequences of our actions, addressing limiting beliefs, and expressing our thoughts and feelings can help us overcome ambivalence and find motivation for recovery.
• It helps us develop coping strategies. Once we develop positive coping strategies to replace alcohol consumption, we can apply those strategies even after recovery, which will only help us in the long run.
• It fosters positive relationships. A negative relationship with alcohol doesn’t affect only us but also those around us. Psychotherapy helps us develop skills such as open communication, honesty, and reflection, which may not only improve our relationship with ourselves but also with our loved ones. 

Psychotherapy can be a game changer in treatment for AUD, but that’s not all there is. We can explore other approaches to create a more individualized recovery plan.

AUD Management: Using Other Supporting Treatments

No two recovery journeys will look the same. With that in mind, some treatments may work better for us than others. Other treatments used for AUD that also support psychotherapy include the following: 

• Medication. Since AUD causes many physical and mental health issues, medication is sometimes used in conjunction with other treatments such as psychotherapy to facilitate recovery. Common medications prescribed include medication to improve withdrawal symptoms, medication to reduce alcohol cravings, and mood stabilizers. 
• Peer support groups. Research shows that social support is beneficial in coping with stress. It also helps us stay motivated (especially if we have a buddy to keep us accountable when ditching alcohol) and provides a safety net during challenging times. 
• Holistic approaches. Holistic treatments such as mindfulness, meditation, or acupuncture address all aspects of our well-being including our physical, mental, and spiritual health. This equips us with tools to overcome all facets of AUD. 
• Digital tools. Alcohol reduction apps like Reframe, virtual rehab, and online tracking tools increase our access to support when overcoming AUD.

Recovery is no walk in the park, but these different treatment options can support us in reaching our goals to quit or cut back on alcohol.

A New Chapter

As we embark on the journey to recovery, psychotherapy emerges as a vital tool, offering a safe space to explore the emotions and experiences that contribute to AUD. Through this process, we gain insight into our behaviors, develop healthier coping mechanisms, and rebuild our lives with a stronger, more resilient foundation. So, let’s welcome the idea of therapy with open arms so we can find the clarity and support to embrace an alcohol-free future.