ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE USE

Counselling is highly effective for alcohol and drug related problems. People find the process comforting and non-threatening. We don't judge you, we don't impose goals on you that you are not comfortable with and we will work on other areas of your life that not related to alcohol and drug use. At the same time, we will explore your drinking or drug use habit, we will challenge you, we will provide you with alternatives and will teach you skills that you can use whenever you need it.

Explore Your Problems.
Counselling will help to identify the extent of your problem and the ways in which alcohol or drug use impacts on your life. People who seek help know that they have a problem with alcohol or drugs, but our experience is that they underestimate the seriousness of their difficulties. Acknowledging the extent of the problem is the most important first step towards reducing your substance use.

Set Your Goals.
Counselling will work towards achieving YOUR goals. We will not impose goals on you, but your counsellor will work with you to identify how far you are willing to go. We will let you know what we think would be the best option, but the final choice is yours. You may decide to work towards a slight reduction in drinking or drug use, controlled drinking or total abstinence.

Skills Training.
Once we identified the extent of your problems and your goals, we will work on implementing appropriate skills. These range from refusal skills to self motivation. Commitment to reduce or to give up drinking/drugs is the first step, but maintaining this commitment requires a skillful approach.

Improve Your Overall Functioning.
Alcohol or drug abuse is often the symptom of other underlying issues, such as depression, loss, anxiety or low self-esteem. When you reduce your substance use or give up all together, it is normal to expect that emotional issues will surface. In most cases, substance use has been the way to avoid dealing with them. Counselling will help you effectively addressing these problems.

Preventing Relapse.
Counselling will give you strategies to deal with obstacles and to avoid relapse. Unfortunately relapse is very common. Many people find that after a period of abstinence their mood and ability to cope with stress improve, their overall outlook on life becomes more positive, and as the result they become less vigilant of alcohol/drug use triggers and "warning signs". Counselling will address the risk of relapse and will work towards an individually tailored strategy to maintain what you achieved.