Are You Concerned About Your Alcohol Or Substance Use?
Has your drinking or drug use gotten out of control? You might waver at times, but deep down inside, you know that there’s a problem.
Maybe others have noticed. You find yourself self-medicating to cope with difficult feelings and situations. What began as a solution, has now become its own problem. It started out with you in the driver’s seat, but now the alcohol or drugs seem to have taken the wheel. Your use is more frequent or intense than you planned. Sometimes you start and can’t stop. It’s possible that drinking or using has impacted your work, your relationships, or your mental health.
For a while, you tried to tell yourself that things were fine, that your use was normal, or that you were using just to relax or have fun. But you know it’s more than that. You’ve tried to rein it in but have had trouble on your own. You’ve ended up in a cycle of using and shame, using and shame.
You don’t have to live like this. Addictions therapy can help.
Questions About Addiction Therapy? Reach Out Today.
The Glamorization Of Misuse
Sometimes, it’s hard to spot a problem because we live in a culture that glamorizes misuse. We can hardly go a day without hearing about “wine o ‘clock” and “wine mom,” college students and business people turning to stimulants to enhance their productivity, and celebrities on social media drinking or drugging as part of their brand.
Yet use can turn into misuse over time. Almost 21 million Americans have at least one substance use disorder. Sadly, drug overdose deaths have more than tripled in the last thirty years. Many who develop problematic relationships with alcohol or drugs also struggle with a co-occurring mental health disorder, such as anxiety, depression, or trauma. While millions of Americans struggle with substance use disorders, only a small percentage get help.
We’re proud of you for considering addictions therapy at Gatewell Therapy Center. Our substance misuse providers have worked at various levels of addiction treatment with thousands of people just like you. Our specialized training and experience can help you tackle your alcohol or drug concerns so that you’re back in the driver’s seat where you belong.
Addiction Therapy Can Help You Understand Your Relationship To Alcohol And Other Drugs
Our addictions therapists are here to help you understand why your drinking or drug use might have gotten out of hand, what function your use is serving, and how to work toward coping in a healthier and more life-affirming way.
Whether you struggle with alcoholism or alcohol misuse or addiction or drug problems (or all of the above), Gatewell’s addictions counselors can help you address your concerns. Our therapists work with clients who misuse the following substances:
- alcohol
- cannabis
- cocaine and other stimulants (e.g., prescription pills)
- opiates
- benzodiazepines
- psychedelics and club drugs (e.g., Ecstasy/Molly, GHB, LSD)
What To Expect In Addictions Therapy Sessions
Your first session is an opportunity to share your concerns and why you’ve reached out for help. Our nonjudgmental, trauma-informed therapists will get a sense of what’s going on and the severity of your struggles. We’ll ask about typical triggers for your use, as well as consequences. We’ll also gather a lot of background information about regarding your history and current circumstances. We’ll offer some treatment recommendations at this time.
How Addictions Therapy Can Help You Address Your Use
Addictions therapy is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Some may land on abstinence/sobriety as a goal, while others may simply be looking to cut back. Across the board, we place a special emphasis on harm reduction, meaning we focus on helping you reduce the negative consequences associated with your drinking or use.
Treatment might include individual sessions, group therapy, referrals to a psychiatrist or primary care provider, and other components that will help round out your care.
Our team is skilled at helping people understand the pros and cons of their alcohol/substance use and supporting them in their individualized recovery goals.
Some of the approaches we use include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which helps you explore and challenge disordered thoughts about your use and work toward engaging in healthier behaviors.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which targets emotion dysregulation and offers you a whole set of skills to turn to instead of drinking or using drugs.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps you notice difficult thoughts and then turn your attention toward your values.
- Motivational Interviewing (MI), which supports you in exploring your reasons for pursuing behavioral change.
Common Doubts About Starting Addictions Therapy. . .
I know there’s a problem, but I’m not ready to make a change.
That’s okay! Many people come into treatment not yet ready to make a change. You can still benefit from addictions therapy as we explore how drinking or using became a strategy for you to get by. We’ll help you take a look at the pros and cons of your drinking or use, and then you’ll decide what you’d like to do. We’re skilled at working with clients at various Stages of Change and use Motivational Interviewing to help you move closer to your goals.
Starting therapy means that I’ll have to get sober.
It’s okay if you’re not ready to make a change, let alone to get sober. We’ll meet you where you are. Some clients may choose sobriety as a goal, while others may be unwilling or unable to commit to sobriety and instead might choose the goal of harm reduction. Harm reduction focuses on minimizing the consequences of use without necessarily cutting out the behavior. We are skilled in harm reduction approaches and are happy to work with you regardless of your goals. Not everyone who struggles with alcohol or other substances needs to choose abstinence in order to heal.
Specialized addiction therapy seems really costly.
Working with a specialist is generally more expensive than working with someone who doesn’t have the specific training and experience to address your unique concerns. But, living with an alcohol or drug problem can be incredibly costly, financially and in other ways too. It might be time to take a careful look at the price of your use, both now and over time.
Addictions Therapy Can Help You Reclaim Your Life
Having a problematic relationship with alcohol or drugs can wreak havoc on your life. Work, school, relationships, self-esteem, mental health and other major aspects of your functioning can all be impacted by addiction. You can find peace and balance again. Recovery is within reach. Contact Gatewell Therapy Center to get started.