Treating Addiction

Treating Addiction

Addiction can destroy your life.  Worse, addiction may cause you to destroy the lives of your loved ones and commit acts for which you may never forgive yourself.  There is no easy way off of a substance or act on which you’ve grown dependent, but continuing the cycle of abuse will only compound your problems and quitting will never get easier.  So, if you’re committed to improving the quality of your life, it’s time to put on your boots and begin the long march.  The best first step to engaging in any battle is to attempt to understand your enemy.

Addiction

Addiction can occur at both a mental and physical level.  A person may become mentally dependent on any substance or act (shopping, eating chocolate, smoking crack), but some substances may cause your body to become physically dependent on receiving that substance.  When a person is physically addicted to something, a change has occurred in the body at a cellular level and that change has caused the body to depend on receiving that chemical.  If the body does not receive that substance, then it may have violent physical reactions.  When the body withdraws from heroin, for example, the user may become horrifically sick.  Someone who is physically dependent on alcohol may die if they slowly remove the toxins from their system.  Physical addiction is a very serious problem that will require professional care to properly treat, but many addictions occur solely at a mental level, where dependency is manifested in the mind of the abuser.  But just because the addiction only occurs within the mind does not mean that mental addiction is easier to deal with than physical addiction.  Make no mistake: the mind can be startlingly powerful.  Mental addiction can last a lifetime if not confronted. 

Steps to Recovery

If your addiction is interfering with your ability to live a life with which you are at peace, then it’s time to improve the quality of your life.  Though it will not be easy, know that you, and only you, have the key.  There is no promise that you will ever be “cured” of your addiction, and the battle may last your whole life.  But isn’t your life worth fighting for? 

1. Recognize that you have a problem:  If the quality of your life is deteriorating because of your physical or mental dependency on a substance or act, it’s time to acknowledge that you have a problem.  Once you recognize this, you can begin treatment.
2. Find Help: McHenry counseling expert, Dan Blair, encourages you to seek professional help from someone trained to help you deal with your addiction.  But you will need more help then a counselor can provide.  It’s time to establish a social network free from your addiction.
3. Rebuild Your Life: You will need to reorganize your life in a way conducive to recovery.  If you have a set of friend with whom you engage in your addictive behavior, it’s time to find new friends.  While it may be difficult for you to leave certain people behind, it is worth the sacrifice to get your “old” self back.  Rebuilding your social network will take work, but finding this support network is a necessary step in your recovery.
4. Continue Treatment: Often times, addiction is our way of self medicating.  In other words, the addictive behavior may be a symptom of a deeper psychological problem.  Continuing treatment will not only reinforce your resolve to recover, but it may help you identify and confront the source of your addictive behavior.   

The road to recovery is not easy, but the first steps may be the hardest to take.  Remember, there was a time in your life when you were not addicted.  You can find your peace again.  The time to seek treatment is now.  Your life is worth fighting for.

Going to the Counselor for the First Time

Are you going to see your counselor or therapist for the first time?  Though no two counseling sessions are the same, and every office has different policies, this blog post will cover some of the standards procedures involved in going to the counselor the first time. 

Paperwork: The first time you go to see your counselor, mediator, or therapist, you should make sure that you arrive at least fifteen minutes before your scheduled appointment.  This is because you can expect about fifteen minutes worth of paperwork to complete.  This will include getting your insurance information in order (if you have insurance) and establishing your file.  Which brings us to the next thing that you can expect when you go to your first counseling session.


Extensive Background Questionnaire:  You can expect a lengthy background survey when you attend your first counseling session.  Some of the questions asked on these surveys may make you uncomfortable.  If you are uncomfortable responding on this document at your first appointment, don't.  While it is true that you are trying to establish open lines of communication between you and your therapist, this is your first appointment.  The goal of the first appointment is not to uncover the source of your problems and immediately address them.  The goal of your first counseling session is to get comfortable with your counselor.  Therefore, you should not do things that make you uncomfortable; that will come later.  Nonetheless, the information that you provide on the background questionnaire will help your counselor know more about you, and he or she needs to know about you if he or she is to ever help you, so share as much as you can.

A "Warming" Session: McHenry Counseling experts say "Don't expect any breakthroughs on your first appointment."  At your first counseling session, two things should be occurring.  First, you should be evaluating your counselor or therapist.  Is this a person with whom you will be comfortable sharing your feelings and inner-workings?  If your not feeling comfortable with this person, perhaps you should continue looking.  Secondly, that counselor or therapist will likely ask you questions about your background.  In particular, they will ask you questions about your family and your childhood.  It may take the entirety of your first session for him or her to gather your background and family history.  It may take longer.  But you should know that you are unlikely to stumble upon any breakthroughs in your first session.

Finding a counselor or therapist with whom you are comfortable may be an arduous task, but if you are not comfortable sharing with your counselor or therapist, then you are unlikely to find any solutions to your problems.  While it may be frustrating filling out more than one background questionnaire, finding happiness and inner-peace is worth the trouble.