working with addiction
When you first began using substances, you never intended on becoming addicted. No one continues to use substances because the first time they tried a substance, their lives fell apart. People begin and continue to use substances because they like how they make them feel, they help them connect with others, and for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, for some, an intersection of environmental, psychological, social, and biological factors result in problematic use and addiction.
Addiction inherently strips us of our goals and pits us against our values. It is the voice in our heads that encourages us to lie and manipulate to get what we want when we want it. Addiction does not discriminate; it has its grips in all communities regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, and class. I believe that all people, regardless of background or circumstances, deserve quality and compassionate treatment for addiction on their terms.
A recovery tailored to you
We will work together to identify what YOUR goals are for your treatment and your life and develop an individualized treatment plan to help you achieve them. You may have realized that full abstinence is necessary for you to access a life worth living or you may not want to be fully abstinent but would rather learn how to use in a way that is safer and doesn’t stand in the way of your life. Whatever your goal, we can work together to identify a path to achieving it.
Abstinence Only Treatment
I am trained in the Minnesota Model, which is the 12-Steps, abstinence only, model through Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. I have worked with many individuals as they sought a connection to a Higher Power, grappled with the difficulties of the 12-Steps, and built a community of like-minded, sober supports.
What May Treatment Look Like?
Abstinence treatment may begin with incrementally reducing how much and how often you are using until we can fully eliminate the substance use. It also may involve techniques of harm reduction at the onset, such as a referral to a psychiatrist for medication assisted therapy, with the goal of tapering off of this intervention. You will learn coping skills to help manage difficult emotions that trigger urges including learning how to ride the wave of an urge.
If you would like to engage with a fellowship program, we can work to identify which would best suit you and your goals. There are many options available that can broaden your social support network including AA/NA, SMART Recovery, and Dharma Recovery.
Abstinence treatment is also inherently a grieving process. For so many, their substance of choice was the most consistent “support” they have had and so losing that can be difficult and bring up a lot of confusing emotions. Our work would open up space to build understanding and to process the feelings related to this loss.
Harm Reduction Treatment
Many of the people have sought treatment with me after having found that abstinence only treatment did not work for them for a wide variety of reasons. These people needed something different and Harm Reduction is an excellent alternative to traditional abstinence only treatment. Harm Reduction is a set of strategies and philosophies aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with substance use. Harm Reduction also emphasizes the belief in and respect for the rights of people who use substances.
Harm Reduction employs a spectrum of strategies from safer use, to managed use, to abstinence to meet substance users where they are at, while addressing conditions of use along with the use itself. The basic principle that underlies Harm Reduction is the acceptance that people will use substances. When we can accept this, we can focus on making their substance use safer, rather than working to force them into abstinence.
What May Treatment Look Like?
Treatment may involve connecting you with a psychiatrist for medication assisted therapy (MAT) such as Naltrexone/Vivitrol or Buprenorphine. We may work to determine what your ideal use pattern would be and develop Ideal Use Plans to moderate your substance use in a safe way. Treatment will also involve a lot of education and coping skills to help address triggers that lead to problematic use.
Regardless of what direction you take in treatment, I work to always meet you where you are at. This means setting goals for treatment and your life that are YOURS, not your family’s, partner’s, friend’s, society’s, or mine. We will embrace small, incremental changes and celebrate those wins. We will always collaborate on your care and the decisions made within it. I will work to empower you to make decisions aligned with your goals and values and approach you and our work from a place of compassion.