Addiction Therapy in North and South Carolina
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Elements of Addiction
Addiction is a chronic illness that can alter a person’s brain chemistry, varying depending on the substance abused.
Addiction is a family disease in the sense that every person within the family unit can be affected by one person’s addictive behaviors.
When a person is actively using a substance or engaging in risky behavior, their brain releases pleasure hormones. This is creating a reward system within the brain for actions that are actually causing harm to this person. While this is happening within the brain, there may also be behavioral, emotional, and physical signs within daily functioning.
Understanding Addiction
Although the addictive behaviors may differ depending on the person, substance, or age, there are common themes present in those individuals who struggle with addiction.
I take on a holistic approach to dealing with addiction, viewing the whole person and understanding that addiction is a symptom of unaddressed mental health or physical issues.
If you are struggling with addiction, or have a loved one struggling with addiction, do any of these resonate with you:
Increase in anxiety, panic, or excessive worry patterns
Restlessness, irritability, or fatigue
Intense sadness, hopelessness, numb or lost emotionally
Guilt or shame surrounding addictive behaviors
Insomnia, oversleeping, interrupted sleep patterns, or nightmares
Feeling disconnected from others, or losing interest in activities you enjoyed
Treatment for Addiction
For a person struggling with addiction, it can feel overwhelming to ask for help or admit that you are struggling to control your drinking or substance use. Maybe you have attempted to cut back or stop on your own in the past with some success, but are finding it harder to quit altogether.
Through our work together, we will focus on building awareness of your triggers, understanding the neuroscience behind your addictive behaviors, increasing effective coping skills, and maintaining a life in recovery.
There is NO shame or judgment within our therapeutic sessions. Only compassion, understanding, and respect for you being here. You are worthy of healing. Ask for help today and start your journey with Addiction Therapy.
For someone with a loved one struggling with addiction, it can feel isolating and confusing on where to start with this process. You may also be experiencing shame or loneliness, finding it difficult to reach out for yourself.
Addiction Therapy allows you more understanding of how your loved one’s addiction is also impacting you, without placing blame, allows you the space to focus on taking care of yourself again.
You are deserving of care for yourself. You are worthy of a healthy relationship with your loved one. Together, we can challenge codependent behaviors, establish healthy boundaries that support the relationship moving forward, and begin your own healing journey.