The decision to start counselling is a courageous first step towards understanding, healing, and positive change.
I have extensive experience working with both adolescents and adults with issues of addiction.
What is Addiction/Substance Abuse & How to Treat It?
Addiction is a chronic and often misunderstood illness. Many believe addiction and drug and alcohol or substance abuse are a sign of moral weakness, while stopping the addictive behaviour is simply a matter of willpower.
Scientific studies, however, have proven this is not the case.
When a person engages in compulsive behaviour such as drug or alcohol substance abuse – despite harmful consequences to themselves and those around them – they are likely struggling with a chronic illness called addiction.
Addiction is a brain disease that affects a person’s control over their behaviour as well as the brain circuits involved in motivation, reward, memory and learning. Drug or alcohol substance abuse can lead to significant changes in the structure and function of the brain, making addiction recovery a very complex process.
The initial decision to drink or take drugs may have been voluntary but changes in brain chemistry caused by repeated drug or alcohol substance abuse make stopping the addicted behaviour challenging.
Addiction treatment often requires a combination of medication and addiction counselling or substance abuse therapy. In addition, many drug addicted individuals also suffer from other mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, trauma and PTSD, which need to be addressed for a full recovery.
Addiction and Your Family: How You Can Help
If someone in your family suffers from addiction, it’s important to take action before the addiction cripples the entire family. Whether it’s drug abuse, alcohol abuse, or an addiction to such things as prescription medications, there are supportive and nurturing ways to help your family member overcome the addiction before it worsens. In order to help you and your loved ones through the difficulties that come about due to an addicted family member, here are a few ways to deal with the sensitive situation.