Addiction Services

If you or a member of your family is wresting with substance use, you want to get help right away. In addition to a counselor, you want to find the proper addiction services that are best for you. The best addiction services provide complete and full programs that treat the underlying causes of the addiction and help you work towards changing your behaviors.

Addiction services means that there is a wrap around approach: from assessment of your use through clinical assessments tools (such as the AUDIT, the drug use and drug inventory tool), to an assessment of your current health status and social environment, to education on expected withdrawal symptoms. Then we will explore onset of use, what makes it worse and when were there times you didn't use. What worked, what didn't? We want to examine where you are in the trans-theoretical model of change: pre-contemplative, contemplative, or are you ready for action? What will that look like? This is the time to find resources in the community to support you: 12 step programs, SMART recovery, other mental health resource. We will work relapse prevention and recovery protection. You might want to learn about healthy eating, exercise and embracing a fulfilling hobby, or a meaningful spirituality. For healing, we will explore effective communication, boundaries, self-care, mindfulness practice and so on. During the whole process we will continue to evaluate the progress you are making, need be adjusting the goals or strategies and supports that will help you succeed. Your recovery path might include relapse, in which case I will motivate you to keep trying, never giving up on you. We know from evidence that relapse is often part of  a process of getting better. There is no place for shame over relapse, however, depending on what your substance use involves, there might be a role for harm reduction strategies or safety planning.