Addiction Therapists in Pingree Grove, IL.

Even after sobriety, there are many confusing challenges that exist for individuals and families in recovery. With my experience of working in the field of addictions, I understand the process of recovery and how it affects family members. With my background in addictions treatment from both the prevention and treatment side of things I can sensitively walk along side you and your family as you embark on this new journey of wholeness and freedom

Additions can often be understood as an effort to numb the pain resulting in one’s failure in their relationship with the self. Feeling unable to experience adequate levels of self-esteem can reflect difficulty in loving and caring for yourself or accepting love from others. Feeling vulnerable and exposed can reflect difficulties in feeling able to protect yourself resulting from difficulties with setting effective boundaries, while losing yourself in the face of other’s beliefs can reflect difficulties with identifying and sharing who you know yourself to be. These and other symptoms can lead you to seeking to numb yourself from the pain of feeling overwhelmed. Reconnect with yourself.

Often people become addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling, the internet, spending and/or sex to help them feel better or cope with life. These people sometimes do not recognize that they are trying to escape or "self-medicate" from their difficulties or their addiction is a symptom of depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, or ADHD for example. The first steps to successful treatment is admitting that you have an addiction problem and that you need help. It is not uncommon for me to see people who enter into therapy at the request of a loved one. Family or couples therapy may also be necessary to break the cycle of co-dependency.

Addictions often take over a persons life even though behaviors may have been manageable and less frequent at one point in time. We can use counseling sessions to identify why you are using the addictive behavior and how it is harmful in your life as keys to recovery and treatment. We can begin to find healthy alternatives for coping that result in much less stress and damage to your self and those around you. Addictions often take a tool on health, relationships, finances, and happiness and therapy can help restore that with the use of recovery-based treatment approaches.

This therapy treats substance abuse, sex addiction, overspending, overeating, gambling and internet shopping addictions. Working in collaboration with other 12-step programs in the community, together we will develop a plan to help you and your family through the difficult decisions and process of change of defining, understanding, and coping with addiction. We also offer toxicology screening, breathalyzer readings, and liaison services for those who are court mandated to treatment.

Release the chains of addiction that bind you! With counseling, we can help you find motivation in quitting your addiction, maintain sobriety and create new ways to enjoy life again. We treat all kinds of addictions: Alcohol, opiates (Oxycontin, vicodin, heroin, etc), gambling, internet sex, shopping and food. Not all additions require absolute abstinence. In the cases of non-opiate addictions, harm reduction therapy is our go to. Whereas Alcoholics Anonymous has ONLY 2% success rate, Harm Reduction Therapy takes a different approach - it recognizes that life time absence is impossible for 98% of people. Instead of banning everything, we reduce the harm done by those substances!

I primarily work with couples who come to me where one partner is in some form of addictions counseling or has completed hospitalization for an addiction. Some couples come after years of recovery or because of a relapse situation which endangers their relationship together. And some clients come to see me to avoid seeing a professional addictions counselor since I'm not. My experience is that if they are truly addicted they'll see such a professional on my recommendation after having counseled with me. I have a range of referral sources in the addictions community.

Addiction to any substance or behavior can have hugh consequences. Admitting that ones life is out of control is the first step to a successful recovery from any addiction. Learning new coping skills like mindfulness, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness and distress tolerance will equip the client with life long skills that will allow them to live a more fulfilled life. Many times addicts are not running toward something they are running from something. Uncovering what that is might be another key to a solid recovery.

Struggling with an alcohol or drug addiction can be devastating to ourselves as well as the ones we love the most. Getting a hold of your addiction can be an exhausting and difficult process. Having worked in a detox unit helping people getting linked with substance abuse services I know the difficulties of navigating the system. I strive to make the counseling process easy and frustration free. My approach is to help you gain insights while teaching you new skills to help you reach the goals you're striving for.

Addictions are hard to accept. Is it a problem? Is it manageable? Hard questions and hard answers. I encourage you to not face it alone. Ultimately, an addiction has to be replaced by relationship to something else, a connection to something bigger and better. If a substance (or a behavior) is starting to take more than it gives, options for recovery are not as scary as you might think.