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Addictions Treatment

Addictions

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What are Addictions?

People can become addicted to many different things, such as substances (e.g., alcohol, drugs, caffeine, nicotine) as well as activities (e.g., shopping, gambling, video games, porn, sex).

While initially pleasurable, something becomes an addiction when it becomes harmful in some way.

Examples of harm can be lings like:

  • damage to one’s physical, emotional, or financial health,
  • inability to perform necessary duties like going to work or take care of children,
  • no time or energy left for relationships, or exposure to danger or problems with the law, such as driving while impaired.

It can often be difficult to notice harm, as the effects can creep up over time.

For example, while smoking is known to cause lung cancer, this consequence is not immediate, therefore it becomes easy to think “this won’t happen to me”.

Since the pleasure is immediate, while the damaging effects may not be, people often have low motivation when it comes to giving up unhealthy habits.

Additionally, people with an addiction are often reluctant to give up the activity because it provides joy, meaning, excitement, fun, or relaxation, or it allows them to escape from negative feelings such as boredom, anger, or loneliness.

Unfortunately, the addictive behaviour often negatively impacts loved ones.

For example, a teenager who plays video games might not see it as a problem, but the parents might be concerned if they are sick of paying for everything and want their teen to get a job.

At the other end of the spectrum, is when addictive behaviours are supported by the people in one’s social circle.

For example, if all your friends drink or take drugs together, it can be especially hard to quit, due to the potential social ramifications of doing so.

Why seek treatment for an Addiction?

Overcoming addiction can often be hard to do on your own, especially if you have low motivation to give up something that you enjoy.

Working with a therapist can enhance your own internal motivation, by helping you to identify your own powerful reasons for change, and to help you plan manageable ways to move forward.

Another reason to seek help is that addictions tend to get worse over time if left untreated, and the damaging effects can also accumulate over time.

Finally, having an addiction can chip away at your self-esteem, and cause problems to your health, finances, and relationships. Ultimately, the choice is yours. If you decide you might like help for an addiction, please contact us, we’d be happy to help.

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Addictions ADHD Adjustment Disorder Agoraphobia Alexithymia Anger Management Anger Management - Court Ordered Anorexia Nervosa Anticipatory Grief Anxiety Disorders Asexuality and Aromanticism Assertiveness Attachment Disorders Attachment in Adults Atypical Sexuality Autism Spectrum Disorder Bipolar Disorder Blended Family Body Dysmorphic Disorder Borderline Personality Disorder Bulimia Nervosa Bullying and Cyberbullying Burnout Christian Counselling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Chronic Pain Management Communication Skills Compulsive Lying Conduct Disorder Conversion Disorder Dependent Personality Disorder Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder Depression Dermatophagia Dissociative Fugue Dyspareunia Eating Disorders Emotion Dysregulation Emotionally-based Sexual Difficulties Enuresis or Bedwetting Erectile Dysfunction Excoriation Disorder Fertility Issues Gambling Gender Identity Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Grief & Loss Health Anxiety Healthy Boundaries Hoarding Illness in Adults Illness in Children and Teens Impostor Syndrome Insomnia and Parasomnia Intellectual Disabilities Interpersonal Relationships Leadership Learning Disorders LGBTQ+ Support Life Transitions Managerial Courage Men's Issues Mood Disorders Moral Injury Motivation Narcissistic Abuse Survivors Narcissistic Personality Disorder Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder OCD Oppositional Defiant Disorder Panic Attacks Parenting Skills Perfectionism Performance Anxiety Personal Growth Personality Disorders Phobias Postpartum Anxiety Postpartum Depression Pre-Marital Counselling Pregnancy and Motherhood Premature and Delayed Ejaculation Problem-Solving Skills Procrastination Psychosis Psychosocial Oncology PTSD Racism and Discrimination Re-Kindle Love Refugee and Immigration Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Selective Mutism Self-Esteem Self-Sabotage Separation Anxiety Separation or Divorce Sexual Addiction Sexual Concerns Sleep Disorders Social Anxiety Stress Management Surviving Abuse Time Management and Organization Tinnitus Tourette Syndrome Transgender Vaginismus Video Game Addiction Work Concerns