Alcohol and drugs are no substitute for talking
Written by listed counsellor/psychotherapist: Beverley Chambers Qualified Couples and Individual Counsellor, - Reg. MBACP
Alcohol or drug addiction, in the majority of cases, is used as medication to numb the feelings and memories of past or present issues. At first, you may find this method of coping works for you, that it helps you forget or helps you just sleep, and this false comfort leads to more regular using, with your body becoming used to the amount you consume, leading to increasing the amount you drink just to get the same effect as you did initially.
You may become secretive, isolated, and dishonest, develop financial problems, experience marital breakdown, and suffer memory loss from the night before. You may be aware that this is not a healthy way for you to live and try to stop, but your body can react negatively to the reduction of your alcohol or drug intake, such as sweats, shaking, nightmares and hallucinations. This can be a hard reality to face alone. What’s worse is all those memories and issues that you tried to suppress through drug or alcohol abuse come rushing back to you. This is because these memories do not go away, but you can learn to cope as drugs or alcohol is not the answer. In fact, they only add to the problem; leading to depression, anxiety, stress, relationship issues - to name a few.
It is important to address your issues; otherwise the issues will address you. Alcohol addiction and drug addiction is a huge problem in the UK, but with the right counselling you can overcome these addictions and the issues that lead you there. The minute you use alcohol or drugs to deal with your problems you stop growing and healing.
The first couple of therapy sessions would be looking at the addiction and managing it, as I have found that if you do not have your alcohol or drug issues under control by understanding the triggers then there is a strong possibility that after the counseling you will resort to looking for comfort from your drug of choice once again. Primarily you and your counsellor would focus on managing the addiction; this is invaluable, because if you do not have the tools in place to manage your addiction, then dealing with your issues may cause you to turn to alcohol or drugs once again in order to cope. Which is what you want to avoid.
Find a counsellor that is right for you, so that you can successfully work towards overcoming any problems or issues that you may have.
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