Contact
330 Rancheros Dr, San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 566-5516
1 Civic Center Dr #320
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 566-5516
Substance Abuse Counseling
Are Drugs Or Alcohol Interfering In Your Life?
Perhaps you are feeling foggy, experiencing difficulty concentrating, and simply being unable to be present. Your performance at work may now be negatively impacted. Others may have taken notice at a family gathering, a meeting, or a social encounter, and may have even mentioned something to you or acted in a way that made you feel rejected and humiliated.
You might find that you are struggling to manage your mood, especially feeling more irritable, angry, or enraged. As a result, you may have injured important relationships in your life and feel desperate to make amends and fix the problems that have arisen, such as divorce, custody battles, and family alienation. Physically, you may be experiencing jitteriness, tremors, slow motor functioning, significant weight gain or weight loss, and issues with your physical appearance overall.
You might experience yourself simply wanting to snap your fingers and make all of the problems go away. Luckily, our substance abuse therapists understand how addiction works. We will help you put the pieces together one step at a time. You are not in this alone.
Substance Abuse And Dependence Usually Is Not The Original Problem In Someone’s Life
Our experience has taught us that human suffering (psychological, physical, spiritual) is truly a source of substance use disorder and dependence. Over two-thirds of people seeking treatment for substance abuse report one or more traumatic life events (Back et al., 2000). And 22-43% of people living with PTSD have a lifetime prevalence rate of substance use disorders and the rate for veterans is as high as 75% (Jacobsen, Southwick, & Kosten, 2001).
As humans, we instinctively make our best efforts to survive unbearable and overwhelming situations. Desperate efforts to survive can include numbing or denying pain. The rationale typically is that if the pain is ignored or numbed, we can carry on with life in this modern western world that requires us to be superhuman. As a result, we may find ourselves turning to downers /depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens as a way to cope with or escape from unbearable life circumstances.
Chronic disappointments, emotional pain, and physical pain from accidents and injuries may also leave us feeling hopeless, jaded, and incredibly alone. You might have received prescription medications that may have been effective for some period of time; however, you may find yourself abusing these same medications because you were never disclosed that these medications were in fact addictive and require close monitoring.
You might desire to seek counseling for your addiction when you notice that your functioning is now impaired in some way, as a result of your coping strategy (use/abuse/dependence on alcohol or another substance). At the Therapeutic and Wellness Solution Center, you will receive compassionate care from therapists who understand how addiction takes form in an individual’s life. Our substance abuse counselors are nonjudgmental, empathetic, and authentic, and we are certain to match your personality with someone you truly can connect with.
Substance Abuse Counseling Can Help You Make The Necessary Repairs In Your Life To Bring You Long-Lasting Peace
First, please know that we provide a compassionate, secure, and safe place for you to openly discuss, process, and work through your experiences. Each person has their own journey, and our job is to be your advocate and your resource.
We will guide and teach you how to emotionally regulate and engage in active problem-solving, using a wise mind (emotional and rational thinking vs just emotional thinking). You will learn self-compassion to better manage unhelpful thinking, such as “I am a failure,” “This will never work,” or “I am doomed.” Most importantly, you will learn how to reconnect with your body, and improve self-regulation to help you better manage urges to use or engage in impulsive behavior.
Specialized Approaches For Substance Abuse Therapy
Our addiction specialists’ counseling approach involves utilizing Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), a form of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that emphasizes mindfulness, acceptance, and emotional regulation skills to help us be better equipped to respond to life’s challenges. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), is a specific trauma therapy, to help you systematically reprocess the underlying painful memories that have driven the substance abuse and dependence in the first place. This all may sound like jargon, but we will absolutely make sure to break down tools and resources in a way that makes sense to you so that you are able to utilize these new resources immediately.
At the Therapeutic and Wellness Solution Center, we understand that you are not your addiction, and you do not live in a vacuum. We understand that we must address all systems in your life. And we will work with you to prioritize your goals.
We have very close relationships with our community and can easily consult and provide you with the necessary resources needed to successfully tackle the treatment challenges that have come about as a result of the addiction.
Maybe You’re Considering Substance Abuse Counseling, But You Have More Questions…
Do I have to talk about what led me to use substances in the first place?
Although our experience and training have led us to believe that underlying trauma is the likely source of substance abuse and addiction, the timing for treatment of this primary source is very important. It is unethical for us to push you to address something you are unwilling or not ready to address.
Prior to doing the heavy lifting of tackling traumatic life events, it is important to first stabilize yourself, reduce or eliminate symptoms, and provide necessary resources and coping tools. Once you feel safe and secure, then trauma work is certainly recommended, although not mandatory.
You are in charge of your care, and you have the right to dictate your treatment. Our job is to listen and provide you with all of your options for your substance abuse treatment, and provide you with compassionate support through the difficult journey of truly healing from your addiction. Please visit our trauma page for more information about how we can help you process and heal the wounds from past trauma.
What if my addiction is too severe?
We make sure to hear your concerns and ask important questions about how your drug of choice is impacting your life, mind, and body. If you are experiencing seizures or hallucinations due to your substance abuse, outpatient individual therapy is not your first option for treatment.
In these situations, it is best to go to the hospital/emergency room and call your primary care doctor for help in providing authorization/referral to acute medical and psychological help. Once you are not facing an immediate medical crisis, you can call us to explore your case further, to see if outpatient individual therapy with one of our addiction specialists is a good fit for you.
What can I do if I am in recovery but my relationship is still struggling?
It is very common for a person in recovery to be ready to move forward and away from substance abuse patterns and want to reach their new sense of self but their partner is not yet ready to do so because they are still processing the relationship trauma. Due to this, we have addiction therapists that specialize in working with couples where one or both members are in recovery. We work to assist these couples in identifying the attachment injuries in their relationship to create a new healthier connection.
I am just completing an inpatient or IOP. Will you coordinate care upon my discharge?
Yes. We understand the importance of continued support and care upon the immediate completion of any substance abuse or alcohol abuse treatment program. With your consent, we are more than happy to coordinate care with any treatment facility or program.
Do you provide medically assisted detox?
This is not a service that we provide. If this is something that you are looking for please contact your medical provider/insurance company for referrals.
Let Us Help You In Your Recovery To A Better You!
If you are ready to start substance abuse counseling and would like to schedule an appointment or discuss any questions you may have about your specific situation, we are available at (760) 566-5516. We offer sessions in person, or remotely/teletherapy.
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