Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling
Have you been struggling with an addictive behavior that is causing your life to be unmanageable? Are you afraid of where this behavior will take you if you don’t get help? Are you willing to take the time needed to help you reclaim your life? Do you wish you could discover a sense of hope for the future, gain control over your choices and heal from the inside out? Counseling can be a beneficial factor when dealing with substance and or alcohol abuse to restore hope.
Addiction can happen to anyone, no matter who you are, it’s difficult to break out of an engrained pattern on your own. Thankfully, there is hope. With the support of a licensed professional you can take back your life, find a new, healthy way of living, feel balanced and empowered and most of all, feel hope again.
Globally, alcohol consumption is the seventh leading risk factor for both death and the burden of disease and injury. In short, except for tobacco, alcohol accounts for a higher burden of disease than any other drug. Substance and/or alcohol abuse is a genetic disposition which is learned from others, or a habit, which if addiction develops, manifests itself as a chronic debilitating disease. In 2010 about 5% of people (230 million) used an illicit substance. Of these 27 million have high-risk drug use otherwise known as recurrent drug use causing harm to their health, psychological problems, or social problems that put them at risk of those dangers. In 2015 substance use disorders resulted in 307,400 deaths, up from 165,000 deaths in 1990. Of these, the highest numbers are from alcohol use disorders at 137,500, opioid use disorders at 122,100 deaths, amphetamine use disorders at 12,200 deaths, and cocaine use disorders at 11,100
Addiction treatment includes medication for some, not all individuals, along with talk therapy, behavioral marital therapy, and family therapy. Often, the individual addicted holds a lot of shame about who they are, some of this shame can stem from being brought up in a shame-based family system, and trauma, feeling unloved. Also, due to the high frequency of dual diagnoses; such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD, that will be treated as well.
Because addiction impacts the couple and the family system. The family unit will be a part of addiction treatment. In couples therapy, learning to be emotionally honest with each other, and have a deeper connection. This will also involve setting healthy boundaries with each other and rebuilding trust. Depending on the ages of the children involved in the family unit, there will be age-appropriate family interventions to increase emotional honesty, healthy family roles, and healthy true intimacy.
There are multiple therapy research-based therapy modalities to treat addiction. The most used by our compassionate therapists are Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Dialectical behavioral therapy, (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Family System therapy. Each therapy modality has its own goal and purpose either individually or as a unit.
In children and adolescents, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and family therapy currently have the most research evidence for the treatment of substance abuse problems. These treatments can be administered in a variety of different formats, each of which has varying levels of research support. Motivational interviewing can also be effective in treating substance use disorder in adolescents.
Counseling in congruence with a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous is one of the most widely known self-help organizations in which members support each other not to use alcohol. Social skills are significantly impaired in people suffering from alcoholism due to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol on the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex area of the brain. It has been suggested that support groups increase social skills and benefits can be efficacious.
Our therapists, support and assist clients to connect with their authentic selves and learn to love, not hate, themselves. Also, behaviors will be evaluated that are not currently working for them. We utilize multiple therapy modalities based on the client’s personality and problem. The therapy modalities are all research-based and are showing success based on the particular problems and the client.
Family members experience stress and fear when someone that they care about is abusing alcohol or substances. Loved ones play an important role in addiction recovery, but supporting an addict is difficult. It requires patience, tough love and hope. When the family comes together to support one another it increases your chances of maintaining long term abstinence from alcohol and/or substances. Benefits include
Our greatest desire at Therapy for Families is to help each individual feel comfortable and hopeful about their therapy process. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. We also offer a free consultation to help assess how therapy can benefit you and help you to feel peace and happiness again.