Substance Use, Addiction & Recovery

Substance use is rarely just about the substance itself. Alcohol or drugs may have begun as a way of coping, switching off, feeling more confident, managing difficult emotions or simply getting through life.

You may be concerned about your own use, trying to make changes, returning to use after a period of stopping, or unsure whether you even want things to change yet.

You do not need to arrive in counselling with a clear goal or call yourself an “addict” in order to talk about what is happening.

When part of you wants change — and part of you doesn’t

It is common to feel conflicted about substance use. Part of you may recognise that something is causing difficulties, while another part knows that alcohol or drugs are still giving you something you need.

You may want to stop or cut down, while also feeling frightened about what life might be like without it.

Counselling does not require you to pretend that conflict is not there. We can explore what the substance gives you, what it takes away, what tends to happen before you use, and what may make certain emotions, relationships or situations particularly difficult.

Change is rarely a straight line. Returning to use after reducing or stopping does not erase the progress you have already made.

What may sit underneath substance use

For some people, substance use sits alongside anxiety, low mood, trauma, grief, loneliness, anger, shame, neurodivergence or difficult relationships. For others, there may not be one obvious underlying cause at all.

As counselling develops, we may begin to notice patterns around when the urge to use becomes stronger, what emotions feel hardest to sit with, or which situations leave you wanting to escape or switch off.

This is not about searching for one thing that “caused” everything. It is about understanding you as a whole person rather than reducing you to a behaviour.

Relationships, family and trust

Substance use can affect relationships in many different ways. There may have been arguments, secrecy, broken trust, worry, guilt or repeated attempts by other people to control what you do.

Partners and family members may also have become caught in patterns of checking, rescuing, hiding, arguing or trying to prevent the next crisis.

Even when substance use changes, those relationship patterns do not always disappear straight away. Counselling can offer space to explore how trust, connection and familiar roles may have been affected, and what you want relationships to look like going forward.

How I work with this

I have many years of experience working alongside people affected by substance use and complex life experiences, including people who may have felt judged by services or who did not initially want counselling.

Because of that, I do not expect you to arrive ready to trust me immediately, tell me everything or know exactly what you want.

My approach is humanistic and person-centred. We can talk openly about alcohol and drugs without pretending they have not sometimes served an important purpose for you, while also looking honestly at the difficulties they may now be creating.

Your goals can be explored rather than imposed. Counselling can support you in understanding the emotions, relationships and patterns connected with your substance use, as well as what change or recovery might mean specifically for you.

A note about attending sessions

You do not need to be abstinent from alcohol or drugs to come to counselling.

For counselling to be safe and useful, however, you do need to be able to engage meaningfully in the session. If alcohol or drug use has significantly affected your ability to participate, the session may need to be paused or rearranged.

This is not about judgement or punishment. It is about making sure the therapeutic work can be safe and useful.

If there are concerns about withdrawal, physical health or immediate safety, additional medical or specialist substance-use support may also be important alongside counselling.