Addiction Counseling

Are You Ready For A Change?

Have the effects of COVID-19 led to more use?

Do family members continue to ask you to slow down or stop your drinking?

Is it hard to imagine what fun would look like if it didn’t include drugs or alcohol?

How much of your money do you allocate towards drinking? Is a large portion of your time involved with drugs in some way?

Do you lean on drugs or alcohol when life is stressful? Is it your go to for coping?

Do you believe you can stop but have lacked the motivation to prove to yourself that you can?

Wonder why you can stop some substances, but others are hard to kick?

Did a medical professional prescribe you medication but you’re now thinking it might be a problem?

Missing work, school, family obligations?

If You Want to Stop, Reduce, Or Better Control Your Usage, Therapy Can Help; You’re Not Alone

It’s almost impossible to find an American family not affected by a mind and mood altering substance. According to Joseph A. Califano: “Although we are 4 percent of the world’s population, we Americans consume 65 percent of the world’s illegal drugs. One in four Americans will have an alcohol or drug disorder at some point in his or her life.” Just about everyone is affected by these chemicals which are so easily abused.

Clearly, this is an epidemic and I’m here to help - so it no longer has to be that way. With my comprehensive approach and a thorough therapeutic understanding, you can have the change you're looking for.

What Does It Take?

Substance abuse so frequently turns into a chronic condition that does damage. If it was a quick or easy fix then the compelling numbers and negative consequences wouldn’t be what they are for you and countless others. It requires a multidimensional approach: physically, mentally, emotionally, along with the spiritual aspects. Since abuse permeates just about every aspect of your life, ignoring this in therapy would be doing you a disservice. Being a certified addictions counselor combined with my extensive training in exercise science, gives me the ability to use more modalities, & holistic techniques that will directly promote healing and corrective change for you.

Talk therapy brings insight, but the insight you’ll gain won’t necessarily maintain the change you’re looking for. Recovery is experiential and to feel that change, requires action. There is a saying which states: You can’t think your way into good living; you must live your way into good thinking. Through the therapeutic corrections you take, I will help you realign with your values and goals that substance use strips away. Substance use is a behavior - Recovery through new insights and action is an experience.

Why Therapy To Create This Type Of Change?

Like other illnesses, recovery is not necessarily a finite destination. It is a process, just like life itself. If you’re not happy with your current process or a particular aspect in your life then therapy can help ignite the healing process. Therapy can lead to a change - in part due to discovery. However, this is just one portion to the change equation. Yes, discovery can happen through a session, self-help book, podcast or a ted talk. This type of awareness can be important, even profound. It can be a relief when this happens in therapy, but true change comes in the form of healing, or as I like to call it, becoming whole. You will identify what change is needed for your addiction help, and additionally you will gain insight into how to remove those inner wounds , rid those lifelong barriers, and free yourself from the pain and resentment that lies within.

What If I Don’t Think Drugs And Alcohol Are My Real Problem?

When we stabilize or completely get rid of the drugs & alcohol, that is when the other work can take place. Substances can often feel like the solution to your problem, but this is an unhealthy approach! When substances are no longer present, we can take a corrective action to your underlying problems in your life, how do you expect to ever catch up?! If your life feels like it’s moving in a downward spiral, that is usually a sign of drug or alcohol abuse. There is too much unhealthy momentum going on that won’t stop until you first take care of the pink elephant staring directly at you. There is a saying: “Something terrible didn’t happen every time I drank, but every time something terrible happened I had been drinking”. Until you take care of the first problem, you may not find a healthy solution to any of your problems.

There Are Other Things I Still Need To Address In Therapy That Doesn’t Have To Do With Drugs Or Alcohol

Good, I’m confident that I can help. I would be very shortsighted as a therapist (and not a very good therapist) to think that everything is ok if you simply don’t use or abuse substances. A recent study on drug abusers have shown that between 30-60% have concurrent mental health diagnoses. And multiple studies show that those with a mental health diagnosis are roughly twice as likely to develop a problem with substances. We will be addressing your mental health issues, and other stressors in your life and anything in between. The things brought up in therapy could be a trigger for people struggling or causing a relapse, so this can’t be ignored. Addressing the “life stuff” along with mental health can have a profound effect on no longer needing substances. It’s time for a healthy solution to your problems, I’ll help you identify the order of things.

If you’re still reading, it’s time to make a change and take the next step

I invite you to contact me for a consultation or go ahead and schedule a session. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.