Personal Addiction Counseling

There are many things in our lives that can make us feel so good in the moment that we can become addicted to them. Classic examples are drugs and alcohol, but other activities can be equally addictive as well. Upon reflection, you may realize that sex, dating, food, pornography, or video games are controlling your life and causing you more pain in the long-run than they are relieving. 

More often than not, addictions start with periods of casual use of a substance or involvement in an activity. For some people, the activity or drug use becomes more frequent. As time passes, a person may feel the need to spend more time doing an activity or use more of a drug to feel better, and soon a person may need the activity or drug to simply feel normal. 

Addiction symptoms and behaviors include, among others:

• Feeling the need to engage in the behavior regularly, which can be daily or multiple times a day
• Having intense urges for the addiction
• Over time, needing more of the drug or activity to get the same effect
• Making certain that you maintain a supply of the drug or activity
• Not meeting obligations and work responsibilities
• Doing things you wouldn’t normally do to get the drug or activity, such as stealing
• Focusing more and more time and energy on the addiction
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not doing the behavior
• Failed attempts to quit using the drug or doing the activity

If you can relate to any of the above symptoms or behaviors, it may be time to consider addiction counseling. 

As an addiction counselor, I will address the symptoms of your addiction and the related areas of impaired functioning, and together we’ll structure the time and content of your ongoing recovery. 

I believe that there are many paths to successful recovery that will work with your goals and desires, and ensure you can make the life changes you want to make.