Counselling for Substance Abuse:
Rebuilding of relationships
In today’s day and age the most common addictions are drug, alcohol and pornography dependence. Because of the stigma attached to this, victims thereof are often reluctant or unsure whether they should seek counselling. When a person is unsure whether or not they should seek help, it is very often the case that they do need counselling. This is where Deon can step in to help.
Deon’s work in this area involves the treatment of dependence on alcohol, illegal substances as well as a range of other destructive dependent behaviours. From a neurophysiological perspective, all addictions operate in exactly the same way. In so doing, all forms of addictive behaviour or influences are the same, irrespective of the type of the addiction.
The counselling is usually done in individual sessions, but the partner and/or family of the patient are often also involved. The patient, as well as his or her partner and/or family are allowed the opportunity to view and discuss their relationship in relation to the problem substance or behaviour. They get the opportunity to discuss how the addiction impacts their life and how it effects the people they care about.
Substance Use Disorder involves symptoms of underlying problems, while at other times it is simply the result of a bad habit or lifestyle choice. In both cases it is extremely important to be motivated to change through the help of counselling. Counselling will help people dealing with this challenge to enhance their self-esteem. It will also help them to find ways of managing stressful situations and emotions, without falling back into the old destructive ways of behaviour. They will learn about dealing with the substance and emotional triggers that might lead to a return to the unwanted behaviour. They will also develop skills for dealing with their cravings for the substance or behaviour.
A very important part of the counselling is to assist the person with the rebuilding of the relationships that have been damaged by their behaviour.
If you are uncertain whether you are in need of counselling for illegal substances or alcohol, you should ask yourself if your behaviour is negatively impacting the relationship you have with yourself and others. If so, it is time to seek help.
