Managing Irrational Thoughts During Drug Detox

The brain reacts to withdrawal from drugs and alcohol in interesting ways. You might find that you struggle with intrusive, irrational thoughts throughout treatment.

Here’s how to handle them.

Irrational thoughts can cause setbacks in recovery. Stopping them early on is key.

Psychological Effects of Withdrawal

If you have consumed drugs or alcohol for a long time, acute withdrawal symptoms might impact you more severely. Every type of substance withdrawal includes some form of psychological symptoms. This can come in the form of depression, anxiety, irrational thoughts, psychosis, or suicidality. The potency of substances will impact the overall experience. Prior mental health conditions will also agitate the symptoms.

More treatment centers should offer dual diagnosis programs to address the needs of people with more than one mental disorder. Professionals in substance abuse treatment centers should prepare themselves to handle these issues. When entering these settings, you also need to know techniques that you, as an individual, can employ to manage the symptoms.

It has to be said that professional detox can make withdrawal much easier.

6 Coping Techniques for Irrational Thoughts

If you are struggling to handle irrational thoughts during withdrawal and treatment, skills from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can help you manage the situation.

#1. Thought Balancing

When managing thoughts, the simplest CBT reframing tool is thought balancing. You start by identifying an irrational thought. Write that down. Pick out a piece that makes it irrational. Figure out a thought based on reality that contradicts the irrationality. Write it below the first thought.

You can come up with as many reality-based contradictory thoughts as necessary. It may seem simple, but it is incredibly effective.

#2. CBT Triangle

Draw a triangle on a piece of paper.

Write down thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, one in each corner. Each of these three components influences the other. You select one to start with. Then, you map out the other two connected points. [See Example 1, below.] Then, you decide which one you want to reframe. Once you reframe the first corner, follow along by identifying the other two. [See Example 2, below.]

Example 1: “I am alone in the world.” → Sadness → pushing away loved ones

Example 2: “People care about me.” → Comforted → accepting help from loved ones

#3. Role Play Conversation

If you are coping with difficult thoughts, it can help to reverse the roles in your mind. What if someone you loved said your irrational thought to you? How would you respond? What logic would you use to convince your stubbornest loved one? It can help to converse with yourself through irrational thoughts.

This CBT activity can be done purely in your mind, or you can write it out on paper with two different colors (one for each person). Keep going until you find an irrefutable truth, then hold onto that when your emotions about the thought start to overwhelm you.

#4. Check the Facts

This DBT coping skill is based on the CBT triangle. It operates under the understanding that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are directly related to one another and can be altered. Checking the facts includes the following questions:

• What feeling do I want to change?
• What irrational thought or event is causing my feelings?
• What assumptions am I making about the thought or event?
• What facts contradict and/or affirm the thought or event?
• Do my feelings fit the facts? 

In order to complete the activity, you work through each question. Like some other techniques listed, you may want to write the activity steps down in a journal. It can help you track your progress. It can also serve as a reminder should the irrational thought intrude again. When you employ logic and rationale to emotions and thoughts, it can grant you control of the situation.

#5. Radical Acceptance

This DBT mindfulness skill requires you to sit with an irrational and intrusive thought. This can feel uncomfortable at first, and it often requires consistent practice. You want to acknowledge its presence without positive or negative judgment. You can evaluate the efficacy of the thought without trying to completely remove it. Disconnecting your identity from your thoughts can help you experience less distress.

#6. Distraction

Though you do not want to avoid a problem forever, distraction can prove helpful for people who react with heightened emotions. You can read a book, listen to music, doodle, or play a card game. This allows you to mentally take a step back. Then, when you have cooled down, you can address the irrational thought. This is not specific to any one modality of therapy, but it is helpful for most people at some point.

Talk to Your Mental Health Professionals

When your individual coping mechanisms fail you, it is a good idea to turn to your mental health professionals. Therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists at addiction treatment centers should offer you support. They can listen to you vent. They can offer you other strategies to manage your thoughts.

Depending on the source of the irrational thoughts, they can prescribe you medications to help address the root problem. This could last for only your withdrawal period; however, the medications could continue long-term for individuals with comorbid mental illnesses.

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If you're struggling to manage irrational thoughts during detox and rehab, you are not alone. Patients with substance use disorder (SUD) frequently experience psychological symptoms. The distress can feel overbearing.

DetoxNearMe.com understands addiction is a brain disease. Outside factors can influence the way it presents. Our directory is the best way to find a professional detox program that offers strong mental health support. Searching is as easy as filling out a form and hitting search.

Don’t let irrational thoughts be a roadblock to success. Start your journey towards recovery today with DetoxNearMe.com.