Addiction / Recovery

“From craving arises sorrow, from craving arises fear, but he who is freed from craving has no sorrow and certainly no fear.”

− Buddha

Addiction is a condition that leads to recurrent failure to control a behavior and/or substance and the continuation of the behavior despite significant negative consequences.

People’s perception of addiction varies greatly– alcoholism, drug addiction, “workaholics” and “shopaholics” often come to mind. Compulsive behaviors such as over spending, gambling and over/under eating can all be categorized as addiction. Some people may find themselves addicted to love or sex. Regardless of which of these you may be struggling with, the bottom line is addiction/compulsive behaviors usually lead to self-destruction and devastating results.

 Here are a few of the symptoms and signs:

Symptoms include:

• • • • Difficulty cutting down or controlling a behavior
      • Preoccupation with behavior or substance, spending most of time planning, engaging in and recovering from the addictive behavior
      • Social, occupational and recreational activities become more focused around the addiction/compulsive behavior and important social and occupational roles and relationships become jeopardized

Signs include:

• • • • Extreme mood changes (happy, sad, excited, anxious, etc)
      • Sleeping a lot more or less than usual or at different times of the day or night
      • Secretiveness, lying and the behavior and/or substance becomes a persons main way of coping with stress

If you are struggling  with any of these signs/symptoms listed or other behaviors that concern you,  I can provide you with an assessment to help you determine what is the best next step for you to take.  I work with people who are seeking recovery for the first time or are struggling to maintain sobriety.  I also work with people who  are actively involved in a recovery program such as 12 step,  Refuge Recovery or S.M.A.R.T  and are seeking additional support and insight into their addiction.