# CBT for Alcohol Addiction | Sierra Recovery > Cognitive behavioural therapy for alcohol addiction at Sierra Recovery: CBT and REBT within a residential programme, built on a clinical model adapted from PROMIS Clinics. [Home](/) / [Therapies](/therapies/) / CBT for alcohol addiction Therapies at Sierra # Cognitive behavioural therapy for alcohol addiction Cognitive behavioural therapy, and the closely related REBT, are central to how Sierra works with alcohol addiction: not only stopping the drinking, but changing the thinking that kept it going. Here is what that looks like inside the residential programme. Clinically reviewed by[Nerea Encinas Sánchez](/clinical-team/)Director of the centre, MSc General Health PsychologyRegistered psychologist, COPAO AO13857 Checked for accuracy on 28 July 2026. Next review due July 2027. This page is general information about our programme and is not a substitute for advice about your own situation. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for alcohol addiction is a structured, evidence-based talking therapy that helps you notice the thoughts and beliefs that lead to drinking, and build steadier ways of responding to them. At Sierra it is one thread of a residential programme built on a clinical model adapted from PROMIS Clinics, taught alongside rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) and delivered by a team that includes qualified nurses. It is a way of understanding a pattern, not a promise of a fixed outcome. ## What CBT is, and what it is for Alcohol use disorder is a health condition that touches the brain, the body and your emotional life. It can leave you feeling trapped or ashamed, but it responds to structured therapy and support. CBT is one of the most studied psychological treatments for alcohol problems, precisely because it is practical: it works with the here and now of a craving, a trigger and a decision, rather than only the history behind them. The aim is not willpower. It is skill. You learn to see the link between a situation, the thought you have about it and the drink that used to follow, and then to change what happens in between. ## The thinking behind the drinking: the ABC model The programme opens with a simple, well-tested idea from Albert Ellis, the psychologist who developed REBT. It is often called the ABC model, and it is the first module of the therapy work at Sierra. - A is the activating event – the situation you find yourself in, such as a difficult phone call, a Friday evening alone, or a knock to your confidence. - B is the belief – what you tell yourself about that event, often automatically and often harshly, for example “I cannot cope with this” or “I cannot enjoy an evening without a drink”. - C is the consequence – the feeling and the behaviour that follow, including reaching for alcohol to manage the state you are now in. The insight that changes things is that it is rarely the event itself that drives the drink. It is the belief in the middle. Once you can see B clearly, you can begin to question it, and the consequence at C is no longer automatic. ## From understanding to change: cognitive restructuring Cognitive restructuring is the core skill of CBT. With your therapist you learn to catch an automatic thought, hold it up to the light and test it against the evidence. A belief such as “I cannot socialise without drinking” is examined rather than obeyed, and replaced with something more balanced and true, such as “I have enjoyed events sober before, and I can again”. Much of this work is done on paper as well as in conversation, so the skill stays with you: - keeping a record of the situations where you want to drink; - writing down the thoughts and feelings that arrive with them; - listing the alternative actions you could take instead. Practised regularly, this steadily loosens the grip of cravings and returns the choice to you. ## Where CBT sits in Sierra’s Regulation Model Sierra’s methodology, the Regulation Model, treats addiction as a learned way of regulating an internal state that had become hard to bear. CBT and REBT give you the tools to understand that state and respond to it differently, which is why they run through the whole programme rather than sitting in a single session. They do not work alone. CBT is delivered in both individual and group settings and sits alongside the wider therapeutic day, including yoga, mindfulness, art and equine-assisted work, so that the thinking skills you build are supported by the calmer body and steadier routine that early recovery needs. The clinical model is adapted from PROMIS in the UK, which has worked this way since 1986, and the centre is led by our director, Nerea Encinas Sánchez. ## CBT when there is more than alcohol Alcohol addiction often arrives with something else, most commonly low mood, anxiety or unresolved trauma. Where that is the case, CBT is a good fit because the same skills that address drinking also help with the thoughts that drive depression or fear. This is why your needs are assessed before you travel, so that the plan reflects the whole picture from the first day. Sierra is a registered health centre in Humilladero, Málaga, authorised by the Junta de Andalucía under registration NICA 67331. It is not a hospital or a detox unit: where a medical detox is needed, it is completed in the appropriate setting before admission, and qualified nurses are part of the team throughout your stay. If your needs call for a more intensive medical setting, we will tell you honestly before you arrive. The residential programme is published at £9,900 for 28 days, with any hospital detox arranged and charged separately beforehand. If you would like to understand how the therapy, the setting and the cost fit together for you, our [admissions team](/admissions/) can talk it through confidentially, and you can see the full detail on our [pricing page](/pricing/). ## Questions people ask What is cognitive behavioural therapy for alcohol addiction? It is a structured talking therapy that helps you see the link between a situation, the thought you have about it and the urge to drink, then build steadier ways of responding. At Sierra it is taught within a residential programme rather than as a standalone service. What is the difference between CBT and REBT? REBT, developed by Albert Ellis, is an early form of CBT. It is where Sierra begins, using the ABC model of activating event, belief and consequence to show how it is often the belief in the middle, rather than the event itself, that drives drinking. CBT then builds practical skills on that foundation. Do I need to have detoxed before I can start this therapy? Sierra is a registered health centre, not a hospital or detox unit. Where a medical detox is needed it is completed in the appropriate setting before admission, and qualified nurses are part of the team during your stay. Is CBT the only therapy in the programme? No. CBT and REBT run alongside individual and group work and the wider therapeutic day, which includes yoga, mindfulness, art and equine-assisted therapy. The clinical model is adapted from PROMIS in the UK, which has worked this way since 1986. Can CBT help if I also have depression or anxiety? Often yes. The same skills that address drinking also help with the thoughts that drive low mood and anxiety, which is why your needs are assessed before you travel so the plan reflects the whole picture from the start. + ## Talk to a clinician today You will speak to our admissions team, English-speaking clinicians who know the programme and the people in it. Callback within 24 hours. Step 1 of 3 Confidential, and no obligation Registered health centre. Authorised by the Junta de Andalucía, N.I.C.A. 67331. ### Related pages [Alcohol addiction](/alcohol-addiction/)[Our therapies](/therapies/)[Assessment & detox](/medical-assessment-and-detox/)[Mental health & dual diagnosis](/mental-health-and-dual-diagnosis/)[Our programme](/our-programme-at-sierra-recovery/)[Pricing](/pricing/) --- Source: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-for-alcohol-addiction/ Retrieved: 2026-08-27 Canonical HTML version of this page: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-for-alcohol-addiction/