What is cognitive behavioral therapy for addiction?

CBT is a structured, short-term talk therapy that helps you identify the thoughts and situations that lead to drinking or drug use, and replace them with coping skills you rehearse until they're automatic. It is one of the most extensively researched behavioral treatments for substance use disorder.

Does CBT work for alcohol and drug addiction?

Peer-reviewed meta-analyses, including Magill & Ray (2009) across 53 controlled trials and Magill et al. (2019) across 30 randomized trials, found CBT reduces substance use compared with minimal or no treatment, with benefits that persist after sessions end. Results vary by person, and CBT works best combined with medication when medication is indicated.

Where can I get CBT for addiction near Portland, Maine?

Portland Treatment provides CBT-based outpatient care from our Biddeford center, about twenty minutes south of downtown Portland. It's included in our PHP, IOP, and standard outpatient programs at no separate charge.

How long does CBT take?

CBT is time-limited by design. Many protocols run roughly 12 to 16 sessions, though the pace depends on your level of care, clients in PHP practice CBT skills daily, while outpatient clients typically meet weekly.

Is CBT covered by insurance or MaineCare?

Yes, in nearly all cases. CBT is delivered as part of your program, and we accept MaineCare along with most major commercial plans. We verify your benefits for free, with no obligation.

Can CBT be combined with medication-assisted treatment?

Yes, and that combination is standard practice. Medication reduces craving and withdrawal while CBT builds the behavioral skills that keep recovery going after the acute phase.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy · Biddeford, Maine

CBT for addiction and alcohol treatment in Southern Maine

Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most heavily researched treatments for substance use disorder. At Portland Treatment, CBT is built into every level of care, PHP, IOP, and outpatient, for clients from Biddeford, Saco, Portland, and across York and Cumberland County.

855-449-7674

Confidential · Free benefits check · Answered 24/7

Accredited & Licensed

LegitScript Certified
Joint Commission Accredited
Maine DHHS Licensed
Psychology Today Verified

What the research says

CBT is one of the most studied addiction treatments in existence

Every figure below links to the peer-reviewed study or federal source it comes from. Research describes averages across large groups, not a promise about any one person's outcome.

53 trials

A meta-analysis of 53 controlled trials found CBT produced a small but statistically significant reduction in alcohol and drug use compared with other active treatments.

Source: Magill & Ray, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (2009)

30 RCTs

A later meta-analysis of 30 randomized trials found CBT outperformed minimal treatment by a moderate margin, with effects still measurable at follow-up.

Source: Magill et al., Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (2019)

269 reviews

A review of 269 meta-analyses concluded the evidence base for CBT is strongest for substance use disorders, anxiety, depression, and related conditions.

Source: Hofmann et al., Cognitive Therapy and Research (2012)

Durable

NIDA reports that skills learned in CBT, coping with triggers, refusing use, managing craving, tend to persist after treatment ends.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Principles of Treatment

Medically reviewed

Benjamin Crocker, MD

Psychiatrist · Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine · MD, The Ohio State University · Residency & fellowship training at the University of Michigan and LAC+USC Medical Center

Last reviewed August 2026. Read our editorial standards & clinical review process

What CBT actually is

A practical way to change the thoughts that drive use

Cognitive behavioral therapy starts from a simple premise: the way you interpret a situation shapes how you feel, and how you feel shapes what you do next. A layoff at a Biddeford mill job, a fight at home, a hard anniversary, the event isn't the trigger by itself. The thought that follows it is.

In sessions you and your clinician map those chains out loud, then build alternatives you can actually use: refusal skills, craving surfing, activity scheduling, and relapse-prevention planning for the specific places and people in your life.

CBT is structured and time-limited. You get homework between sessions, and progress is measured, not guessed at. That's part of why it translates so cleanly into group formats inside PHP and IOP.

Starting treatment in Portland?

We'll check your benefits free in minutes, MaineCare and most major plans accepted.

Call 855-449-7674

The skills you'll actually practice

Trigger mapping

Identify the people, places, hours, and internal states that reliably precede use, then plan around each one.

Cognitive restructuring

Catch the automatic thoughts ('one won't hurt,' 'I've already blown it') and test them against evidence instead of obeying them.

Refusal and assertiveness skills

Rehearse the actual sentences you'll use at a cookout, on a job site, or with family who still drink.

Craving tolerance

Learn that cravings crest and fall. Urge surfing and delay techniques let you outlast one without acting on it.

Behavioral activation

Rebuild a week that has something in it besides recovery appointments, work, movement, sleep, people.

Relapse prevention planning

A written plan for high-risk moments, including who you call and what happens in the first hour after a slip.

CBT in Southern Maine

Where you can get CBT for addiction near you

Our outpatient center is in Biddeford, roughly twenty minutes from downtown Portland and five from Saco. Clients travel to us from Old Orchard Beach, Scarborough, South Portland, Westbrook, Kennebunk, and Sanford, and virtual sessions cover the days when the drive isn't realistic. Maine's overdose and alcohol-related death data is published publicly by the state, and it's the reason we keep evidence-based care available without a waitlist.

Source: Maine Drug Data Hub, Maine Department of Health and Human Services

Call 855-449-7674 Areas we serve

Insurance

In-network with almost every plan.

Portland Treatment is in-network with Anthem, UMR/UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Harvard Pilgrim, Martin's Point, TRICARE and MaineCare, Cigna is our only out-of-network plan. In-network means contracted rates, lower coinsurance and no balance bill. We verify your benefits free, in minutes, with no obligation.

Free, confidential, no obligation

Or read the coverage guide for your plan, Anthem rehab coverage, Cigna rehab coverage, MaineCare rehab coverage and other accepted insurance plans.

CBT questions

What is cognitive behavioral therapy for addiction?: CBT is a structured, short-term talk therapy that helps you identify the thoughts and situations that lead to drinking or drug use, and replace them with coping skills you rehearse until they're automatic. It is one of the most extensively researched behavioral treatments for substance use disorder.
Does CBT work for alcohol and drug addiction?: Peer-reviewed meta-analyses, including Magill & Ray (2009) across 53 controlled trials and Magill et al. (2019) across 30 randomized trials, found CBT reduces substance use compared with minimal or no treatment, with benefits that persist after sessions end. Results vary by person, and CBT works best combined with medication when medication is indicated.
Where can I get CBT for addiction near Portland, Maine?: Portland Treatment provides CBT-based outpatient care from our Biddeford center, about twenty minutes south of downtown Portland. It's included in our PHP, IOP, and standard outpatient programs at no separate charge.
How long does CBT take?: CBT is time-limited by design. Many protocols run roughly 12 to 16 sessions, though the pace depends on your level of care, clients in PHP practice CBT skills daily, while outpatient clients typically meet weekly.
Is CBT covered by insurance or MaineCare?: Yes, in nearly all cases. CBT is delivered as part of your program, and we accept MaineCare along with most major commercial plans. We verify your benefits for free, with no obligation.
Can CBT be combined with medication-assisted treatment?: Yes, and that combination is standard practice. Medication reduces craving and withdrawal while CBT builds the behavioral skills that keep recovery going after the acute phase.

Sources & references

This page is educational and is not medical advice. Research findings describe group averages; individual results vary. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or dial 911 for an emergency.

Keep exploring

Related care at Portland Treatment

Levels of care

Partial hospitalization program (PHP) in Biddeford
Our most structured day treatment, five days a week, home each night.
Intensive outpatient program (IOP) in Southern Maine
Nine-plus clinical hours a week with day and evening tracks.
Virtual IOP for anywhere in Maine
The same IOP curriculum by secure telehealth, statewide.
Outpatient program (OP) for ongoing recovery
One to two sessions a week that fit around work and family.

How we treat

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
Distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills that hold up.
Individual therapy in Biddeford
One-on-one counseling with the same clinician each week.
Group therapy sessions
Small clinician-led groups with people in the same fight.
Family therapy and support
Bringing partners, parents and adult kids into the work.

Where we serve

Addiction treatment in Biddeford, Maine
Our home clinic, in the mill district off Route 111.
Addiction treatment for Portland, Maine
A 20-minute drive down I-95 from the Portland peninsula.
Addiction treatment for Saco, Maine
Minutes across the river from our Biddeford clinic.
All Southern Maine areas we serve
Every city and town within driving distance of Biddeford.

Change starts with one conversation.
Let's talk about what's next.