Addiction Counseling

Difficult, crippling addictions that take hold of our lives…

Is the cycle of addiction furiously pedaling your life to a place you no longer want to go?

Alcohol (or other drugs, pornography, shopping, gambling, shoplifting… insert destructive substance or behavior here) used to be a great friend.

You used to hang out together and rarely had problems with each other. They even made you feel really good about yourself.

Over time, you’ve spent more and more time together, even at the expense of time with your family and other friends. Now, alcohol/drugs/behaviors are like an unwanted roommate you can’t evict! They’re demanding, controlling, and they make a huge mess; then never pick up after themselves.

Do you feel helpless to help yourself or your loved one, as you see the suffering and dysfunction worsen right before your eyes?

You’ve tried your best to get along, but they just won’t cooperate. They are so destructive now – you’re not even talking about them with your family, because they are sick and tired of hearing about and dealing with them. While they used to at least try to be accommodating, your family now wants them GONE, and they really resent you now because you allow them to continue to ruin everyone’s life.

You are frustrated, sad and angry beyond belief.

The toll it takes on your mind, body, emotions, and behavior…

Like that unwelcome roommate, addiction disrupts and causes problems in all aspects of your life.

It hurts you physically. First and foremost, addiction is literally very harmful to your body. Depending on your drug of choice, addiction can lead to lung and cardiovascular disease, stroke, various kinds of cancer, HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis B and C, to name a few.

It hurts your job. No matter the type addiction, it can have serious consequences when it comes to landing and maintaining a job. In the short term, impaired judgment and lack of sleep caused by your addiction can make you perform poorly the duties you’d otherwise excel at.

In the long run, desperation from addiction can lead to stealing, lying, excessive absences, and other undependable behaviors that an employer will find unacceptable.

It hurts your mental health. In addition to impacting your physical health, addiction can also take a serious toll on your mental health. Depression, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, and insomnia can all stem from an addiction, or, what’s worse, if you’ve already had mental health problems before the addiction, those problems are often exacerbated by it. In some cases, these issues can’t even be reversed once you treat and arrest the addiction!

It hurts your finances. Simply put, an addiction costs money. Lots of it, and eventually more than you have! The more you abuse a drug or behavior, the more of it you need to get the same effect, and, therefore, the more money you need to spend to support the continued behavior or use.

It hurts your freedom. Difficulty with finances, keeping a job, and mental health problems are all issues that can ultimately land you in jail. Whether it’s by pursuing unlawful means of financial gain, committing crimes due to paranoid delusions, stealing from others to support a habit, or any other of the myriad ways an addiction can contribute to criminal activity, each of those paths leads to the same place – jail.

It hurts your romantic relationships. Healthy romantic relationships are built on a foundation of trust. Unfortunately, if it hasn’t already, an addiction will lead you to engage in deceitful behaviors that breach that trust. Dishonesty about money spent on the drug, lying about whereabouts, or not being forthcoming about your addictive behavior are some of the ways trust, and ultimately relationships, can be destroyed due to addiction.

It hurts your friendships. In addition to the deceit that commonly accompanies an addiction, detrimental personality changes can arise, too. Having a short temper, lack of patience, decreased interest in others, and self-serving habits are all prevalent behaviors stemming from an addiction that can negatively impact your friendships.

It hurts your family relationships. Generally, the stronger your addiction, the more your priorities shift toward your drug or behavior of choice. For instance, an important family event, such as a wedding or baby shower, will often take a backseat to your addiction. Prioritizing your addiction over loved ones can very quickly lead to self-alienation and tarnished or broken family relationships.

The longer you wait to seek professional help…

… in dealing with your addiction, the harder it will become to treat.

Behaviors become habituated. “Drinking to feel normal” becomes the new daily routine. Relationships become more and more strongly entrenched in dysfunction and conflict. Withdrawal symptoms worsen, too, making the steps to recovery even more difficult.

It doesn’t have to be this way anymore. The great news is, your (or your loved one’s) addiction is treatable! You don’t have to face it alone. Let me show you how.