Addiction

Are you ready to do something different?

Three Questions to Ask Yourself about your drug or alcohol use:

How is it helping you?

Mainstream approaches to addiction treatment often skip this question. They go straight to ‘this is bad for you and you need to feel deep shame and to stop it right now.’ We need the answer to this question so we can start to figure out how to help you choose something different. Does your drug or alcohol use relax you? Make you feel more comfortable? Make it easier to socialize or talk to people? Can you sleep without it? Are you using it to cope with grief, depression, anxiety or trauma? What is it helping you not feel, and not pay attention to?

2. How do you feel about your life?

Do you feel in control of your life? Are you able to ask for what you want and say no to the things you don’t? Is your drug or alcohol use the only thing you really enjoy right now? Do you have safe and satisfying relationships? Meaningful ways to spend your time? Things you enjoy? Do you feel exhausted or overwhelmed?

3. How do you cope with painful emotions or experiences?

If your coping toolbox includes only ‘I try to distract myself and if that doesn’t work I reach for something stronger’, there are so many things to try and explore to change that. If you’re considering removing the one thing that is helping you cope, we’re going to have to replace it with something.

Each of these questions is a place to start, but you don’t have to be ready to answer all of them all at once.

My approach to addictions work is to provide options and ideas, and to shape our work around the goals that you set for yourself. You get to choose where you want to start, and what you’re ready to explore.

I work from a harm reduction model, which means you do not have to abstain from your substance of choice to come talk with me about change.

If you come to see me for addictions work, you can expect conversations aimed at reducing shame, building resilience, exploring compassion, and figuring out how to experience setbacks and keep going.

Fall seven times, stand up eight.

-Traditional Japanese proverb