Have stress and burnout led you to depend on substances?
For the first time, are you wondering if your habit’s become an addiction?
Although you want to seek help, do you fear that your struggles will be exposed?
Maybe you’ve been feeling stalled out in your life and career and you’ve started abusing prescription medication to alleviate your emotional stress. All the pressure to succeed in life may be too much to bear, so you may be taking Benzos or doing bumps of cocaine to take the edge off your anxiety. You might be so busy studying non-stop or working overtime that using drugs is all you can do to calm down. It’s the only thing that makes the incessant noise of your demands fade into the background.
Yet as time has gone on, you may find that you’re dependent on substances for emotional relief. As a result, you may be thinking it’s time to see a counselor who treats drug abuse.
You’ve probably tried to quit your habit, only for it to resurface whenever you’re stressed or burnt out. Deep down, maybe you’re just not ready to let go of your substance use because it’s what keeps you going. Without it, you worry that life would be boring and you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself.
At the same time, however, you recognize that your dependency has started to impact your mood and overall health. You might feel disconnected from friends and family because of how much your habit consumes you.
If this is the case, we encourage you to pursue therapy with us. Here at The Pursuit Counseling, our therapists specialize in helping people overcome drug abuse and manage their triggers and cravings more effectively. With our support, we’re confident that we can empower you to live a life that’s free from addiction.
Our culture and community place a high value on career success. We are more concerned about the appearance of success than the connection needed to be happy and healthy. We’re supposed to graduate with perfect grades, work 60-plus hours a week, and appear busy at all times. The downside of living this way is that we are burnt out, stressed, and constantly worrying if we “measure up” to others.
Naturally, the intensity of this lifestyle leads many people to cope in unhealthy ways. Substance use provides a quicky and easy fix, a way to mentally and emotionally check out at the end of a long and stressful day. It allows us to escape our problems rather than confront them. But in the end, drugs can only provide temporary relief—they don’t get to the root of our emotional challenges and they often end up making our stress even worse. To address the core issues fueling our habit, sometimes we need the help of a compassionate professional.
Millions Of People Turn To Substances To Deal With Their Stress
In our workaholic society, many people are told to solve their emotional problems by simply working harder and pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. As a result, mental health issues are often wrongly viewed as a sign of weakness. Naturally, this makes many people afraid to come forward about their struggles with addiction.
Especially in our affluent area of Georgia, most people dealing with substance abuse don’t fit the stereotype of someone with a drug addiction. The stigma of someone living on the street and begging for heroin doesn’t fit their situation, so there is extra pressure to conceal their habit.
In therapy, you have a safe space to share your struggles without any fear of how you’ll be viewed. Our therapists provide a judgment-free environment where you can work toward recovery and learn new skills for managing your addiction.
Many People Feel Too Ashamed Of Their Addiction To Seek Help
We always customize therapy to fit the needs of each individual, since everyone’s struggle with substance abuse is different. Sessions generally focus on helping clients resolve their core beliefs, understand the symptoms that led to their addiction, and gain coping skills that point them toward recovery.
One of the main approaches that our practice uses to treat addiction is narrative therapy. Using a narrative lens means approaching a mental health issue like an investigative reporter. Instead of telling you what to do, we’re here to observe and help you gain insights. We’ll help you take a closer look at the story you’ve been telling yourself about your life and explore ways to edit that story. This way, you can challenge the automatic thoughts (such as “I’m not good enough”) that are fueling your habit.
Many of our therapists also draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is all about giving you tangible skills that you can use in the early stages of recovery. And upon request, we can partner with accountability services if you want to make substance monitoring part of your treatment. Our mission is to provide the most comprehensive care possible, ensuring that you experience physical, mental, and emotional relief.
Between our evidence-based, compassionate approach to therapy and your commitment to recovery, we believe that we can help you heal the emotional pain that’s driving your addiction.
What To Expect In Drug Abuse Counseling Sessions
We understand that you’re busy, but it’s worth asking how much time and energy is already being spent trying to manage your substance use. Counseling can help you save your time and energy and put it toward what’s important, enabling you to build a more vibrant and fulfilling life. What’s more, we are very flexible with our scheduling. We offer many ways of connecting with our team, including phone, video, and in-person sessions. We can also do intensive sessions to maximize the blocks of time when you are free.
Our team has worked with people recovering from substance abuse for decades and we have been partnering with the State Court’s DUI/Drug Accountability Court for many years now. Our approach to drug abuse counseling is specifically curated to each individual’s needs. Our therapists are well-trained to work with clients on the road to recovery and we combine evidence-based practices with a compassionate and trauma-informed approach.
Engaging in conversations about our problems aids our brains in comprehending them, facilitating progress toward healing and restoration. Many studies conducted by Brene Brown’s team, who are renowned for their research on shame, indicate that addressing our mental health struggles diminishes their intensity and reduces feelings of shame.* And you can rest assured that our therapists will always go at a pace that’s right for you, ensuring that you never feel out of your comfort zone during sessions.
*Shame Resilience Theory: Advice From Brené Brown (positivepsychology.com)