Addiction & Substance Abuse Counseling
YOU MAY BE EXPERIENCING:
Cravings to use the substance or to do the addictive behavior
Wanting to decrease your substance use or behavior, but having a hard time doing so
Taking the substance for longer amounts or for longer than you’re meant to
Neglecting other parts of your life (work, home, school, relationships) because of your addiction
Continuing to use, even though it is negatively impacting your relationships
Using substances or actively partaking in behaviors that may put you in danger
Spending a lot of your time on the addictive behavior or thinking about how you are going to obtain more drugs, using the drugs, and recovering from the drug use
Needing more and more of a substance in order to get the same effects
Developing withdrawal symptoms and the only way to decrease them is to use again
THERE ARE 10 TYPES OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (AND WE HAVE COUNSELORS SPECIALIZED IN HELPING WITH ALL OF THEM):
Alcohol
Caffeine
Cannabis/ marijuana
Hallucinogens (i.e. phencyclidine, LSD)
Inhalants
Opioids
Sedatives, Hypnotics, and Anxiolytics
Stimulants (i.e. cocaine, amphetamine)
Tobacco
All other or unknown substances
ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE OTHER BEHAVIORAL TYPES OF ADDICTIONS WE CAN HELP TREAT AT ANCHOR THERAPY:
Gambling
Food (binge eating disorder)
Sex
Internet
Video games
Shopping
Exercise
Work
Tattoo
Porn
Plastic surgery
Risky behavior
Self-harm
How do I know if I’m struggling with addiction?
Addiction is a chronic disease that alters your brain’s reward centers. Most people think of substance abuse when it comes to addiction, but it can also involve addictive behaviors like gambling, shopping, and the internet.
Addiction alters how dopamine and other neurotransmitters that are linked to the reward system are controlled in the brain. There are behavioral characteristics of addiction, such as an inability to control behaviors and physical side effects.
You would benefit from addiction counseling if you struggle with the following symptoms:
Compulsively engaging in your drug or activity of choice or being unable to stop it
Loss of energy or motivation
Neglecting your appearance or lacking in basic self-care
Problems at work or school (including lateness or absenteeism, poor performance, social dysfunction)
Lying about consumption habits
Getting defensive when family members or friends ask about your consumption
Stealing or committing wrongdoing to engage with your addictive behavior
Spending excessive amounts of money on your addiction
Performing risky behaviors while under the influence
Obsessing or worrying about the next time you can engage in your addiction
Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you do not continuously engage in your activity of choice
Developing tolerance (In other words, you feel the need to engage in the behavior even more to feel the original euphoria you once felt)
Different addictions have different signs, different side effects, and different withdrawal symptoms.
How can a substance abuse counselor help me?
If you are struggling with addiction, you know how powerful and devastating the disease can be. At times, you may think that you are managing your addiction successfully on your own even though your addiction is managing you.
An addiction counselor can assist you at any stage of readiness, and can help you maintain an addiction-free life. A certified substance abuse counselor can play a crucial role in your addiction counseling. Their involvement in the treatment process can be crucial to your recovery.
Substance use counselors support you throughout all stages of the treatment process- creating an individualized recovery plan, relapse prevention, and after-care.
There are multiple types of counseling available to you while you are in treatment that have many benefits and can help you sustain your sobriety while in recovery.
What does an addiction counselor do?
You can explore the root cause of your addiction with the assistance of a substance abuse therapist. You will be able to share and process your feelings surrounding your addiction struggles in a safe space. Substance abuse counseling can help you increase your awareness of negative thoughts and behavior patterns. Once you do this, you can learn healthy coping mechanisms, pinpoint potential triggers, and create a long-term plan to maintain your sobriety.
Addiction therapy can take place in both individual and group formats.
Your substance abuse therapist’s role is to:
Manage substance abuse evaluations and overall assessments
Conduct one-on-one, couples, family or group sessions to get to the root cause of your addiction instead of simply healing some symptoms
Supply unbiased emotional support for people going through a treatment program
Provide education on addiction
Facilitate helpful addiction exercises (e.g., learning how to challenge and change negative thoughts)
Develop a specialized plan for treatment based on an individual’s needs and objectives
Assist a person in creating an aftercare plan
What therapeutic techniques are used in substance abuse counseling?
Each certified substance abuse therapist has their own unique approach to counseling. Among those approaches, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a widely used method in addiction treatment.
CBT teaches people struggling with addiction how to connect their thoughts, feelings, and actions. When you increase awareness of these things, it can impact recovery.
Along with addiction, CBT can treat co-occurring mental health disorders, like:
CBT can help show people that harmful actions and emotions are not logical. Feelings and behaviors can arise from past experiences or specific environmental factors.
When a person struggling with addiction understands why they feel or act in a certain way, and ultimately comprehends how those emotions and actions lead to the addiction, they are better prepared to overcome their struggles.
Cognitive behavioral therapists help people identify their automatic negative thoughts. An automatic thought is impulsive and typically comes from misconceptions, self-doubt, and fear. In an effort to get rid of these thoughts, people turn to self-destructive behavior, like engaging in addiction to substances or behaviors.
Automatic negative thoughts are typically a primary cause of anxiety and depression in many people. Therefore, these thoughts can also make someone more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol and engage in behavioral addictions as well.
Behavioral counseling can help those struggling with addiction by:
Aiding in the dismissal of false beliefs and insecurities that lead to addictive behaviors
Providing self-help tools to enhance one’s mood
Instructing effective communication skills
How can CBT skills be applied to my life?
In behavioral therapy, people will learn how to recognize, avoid, and cope.
Recognize - People will learn how to recognize which events lead to addictive behavior.
Avoid - People will learn how to remove themselves from situations that trigger their addictive behavior whenever possible or appropriate.
Cope - With the help of an addiction therapist, CBT techniques will be employed to address and reduce emotions and thoughts that lead to addictive behavior.
Behavioral therapy techniques in action
The great thing about undergoing CBT treatment for addiction issues is that the techniques you learn in addiction counseling can be practiced outside of your therapist’s office. You can practice CBT skills at home or in potentially triggering situations.
For example, you may be thinking: “My boss thinks I am horrible at my job. I need to drink to cope with the pain and embarrassment.” After working with a drug and alcohol counselor, your thoughts will begin to shift, and you will recognize the flaws in your thinking patterns. Did your boss tell you that they think you are horrible at your job? Most likely not. Instead, this thought is rooted in your perception of yourself.
An alcohol counselor would help you realize that, getting to the root core of your thinking and behaviors. Eventually, your drug counselor will help shift your thoughts to something like “Making mistakes is part of the learning process. My boss will appreciate me taking the time to learn. I do not need alcohol to cope with this and feel better about myself.”
CBT offers a hands-on approach to recovery unlike other therapy methods. You are doing more than simply talking while your therapist listens. You and your substance abuse therapist will work together as a team to tackle your struggles!
In some cases, addiction therapists will also conduct group sessions with family members and friends. When one person struggles with addiction, their family members and friends are likely to feel the impact.
My family member/friend is struggling with addiction, and I’m having a hard time coping with the situation. Can I seek mental health counseling for myself?
Absolutely. Due to your family member’s or friend’s addiction struggles, you may experience hardships. Substance abuse can interfere with relationships, and cause problems to arise in the household and beyond.
It can be a struggle to understand the obstacles that your loved one is facing. You may notice that your loved one is increasingly more irritable, leading to big changes in their behavioral, emotional, and mental state.
In family counseling for addiction, people can learn to:
Learn more about addiction and substance abuse
Address enabling behaviors
Practice self-care regularly
Create realistic goals
Addiction does not just involve therapy for the individual with addiction issues, it affects everyone in their life. Helping a loved one through addiction issues can cause immense amounts of stress and talking to a trained addiction specialist can make the process a little easier.
EXAMPLES OF HOW ADDICTION AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELING COULD HELP:
At Anchor Therapy, we have extensive experience working with people who have unhealthy addictions, such as substance abuse. Often people turn to substances as a way of coping with their stress. Therapy can provide you with healthier coping tools that will not only help you better manage your stress, but also will guide you in decreasing your substance use. Through this process you will be able to feel happier and more productive.
Instead of focusing most of your energy on the next time you will get to use or drink again, our counselors can help you use this energy to focus on staying sober. This also applies for behavioral addictions, in which your counselor can help you decrease this unhelpful behavior.
We can help you identify the stressors that lead you to using so that we can then prepare a step-by-step plan of the healthy coping techniques you will use to get through that day. Our addiction counselors are here to help you figure out what will help you the most and to help keep you accountable through this process.
Once you are sober or abstaining from your addictive behavior, then we will be able to strengthen other parts of your life, including your relationships, job/school, health and self-care.
THE STEPS OF ADDICTION & SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELING AT ANCHOR THERAPY:
You will meet with the addiction therapist for an hour intake session to discuss the history of your addictive behaviors to let your therapist know how they can best help you. Your substance abuse therapist will then help you create a treatment plan and relapse prevention plan as you discuss the changes you’re looking to make in your life, as it pertains to your substance use or addiction. Your addiction therapist will be there with you every step of the way to help you decrease these addictive behaviors. Alternatively, you may be someone who needs accountability and remission maintenance from your past substance abuse or addiction. Our therapists are trained to help provide this as well.
If you are using substances and you are in need of withdrawal that may cause illness, then it is likely we will recommend you seek medical treatment first to help you detox from the substance. If you are unsure if you will need withdrawal management, then please let us know and we can help discuss this with you.
When substances and addictive behaviors are eliminated from someone’s life, it is typical that they will usually start to feel stronger emotions. Your addiction is how you would cope and mask these emotions before. With help from a trained substance abuse therapist, you will learn healthy coping techniques that you can use to help you through these emotions, rather than turning back to your addictive behavior.
It is common for people with addictive behaviors to relapse and to need therapy on and off throughout their life. We are here for you whenever you need.
GETTING THROUGH AN ADDICTION MAY SEEM LIKE A HUGE CHALLENGE, BUT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THERAPISTS SPECIALIZED TO HELP YOU THROUGH IT. WE WILL ASSIST YOU TO FIND WHAT COPING SKILLS WILL HELP YOU BEST SO THAT YOU CAN LEAD A HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE.
CONTACT US
WORKING WITH US IS EASY
Fill out the contact form below.
Our intake coordinator will get back to you with more information on how we can help and to schedule an appointment. We will set you up with an experienced licensed therapist who specializes in what you're seeking help with and who understands your needs.
You’ll rest easy tonight knowing you made the first step to improve your life.
