Archive for Addictions
The Power of the Group
One of the biggest mistakes people make early on in their recovery is underestimating the power of the group. Our culture is one that values personal independence and free will. This often leads us to overestimate our ability to handle a change in our lives even when with a group of others. For many, the [...]
Not Everything in Moderation
A more modern and controversial viewpoint on substance abuse and addiction is moderation management. As a therapist and counselor, I have been asked about my viewpoint on this very topic. I hope this article can help to provide a well-rounded perspective on a controversial topic, and provide a forum to continue an open discussion on [...]
Rising Above Addiction as a Label
Knowing whether or not you are addicted to a particular behavior is not always easy to identify. Part of the problem with this lies in the vagueness of how addiction can be defined. This is one of the reasons why so many clients come into treatment being defensive. There can be a distinction between abusive [...]
Celebrity Tragedies and Substance Abuse
In past two years we have lost two of our most iconic stars from the 80s. I will be honest and say that I was not a huge fan of most of Whitney Houston’s music. However I do recognize that her voice is one of the most memorable musical instruments ever. Unfortunately, she lies now [...]
Compulsive Gambling Press Release
This is a link to a press release about compulsive gambling counseling in Dallas Texas. The article discusses how Vantage Point is offering group counseling to help clients overcome problem gambling. This group will help clients learn how to rebuild their relationships and regain trust. Clients learn how to create a balance in their lives [...]
Ambivalence Regarding AA/NA
If you are addicted to alcohol or another drug, should you go to AA or NA? I will tell my clients that they should at least try it once with an open mind. Many times people have decided that they will despise this type of a support group before they even give it a chance. [...]
New Years Resolutions: The Psychology of Calendar Landmarks
With New Years upon us, it is inevitable that many of you will be making New Years Resolutions. It seems to be a human, or at least a cultural behavior to set up goals along with calendar landmarks. “I will start exercising on Monday,” “I will stop smoking tomorrow,” etc. We tend to have vague [...]
Hitting Rock Bottom, Don’t Wait
Many people believe that addicts will not change their behavior until they hit “rock bottom”. This means that a person loses everything that was important and has nowhere to go but up. Compulsive gamblers are not thought to be an exception to this rule. Although many compulsive gamblers take multiple attempts before they discover a [...]
Grief and Addiction
When we think of grief, we tend to think of it as it relates to death. However grief can relate to many other situations in life as well. One of these situations is addictive behavior. Changing your life to abstain from an addictive behavior is something that may need to be grieved. Many times with [...]
Objective Substance Abuse Evaluations
I recently read something on a local attorney’s blog that was disturbing to me. This was that some counselors who were evaluating clients were making recommendations based on one screening instrument alone. Thus, I thought it was important for me to write about completing a comprehensive substance abuse interview, evaluation, and report. Making an objective [...]
