Top addiction therapists in 08857: Old Bridge, NJ.

You went after work to hang out with friends. You had some drinks or you got high. Everything was fine in the beginning until you noticed that just stopping was no longer easy. I believe that people can reduce or completely stop. The choice is yours to make. There are consequences to working me; you may decide you don't need to be high or drunk to enjoy yourself.

I have 20 years working with adolescents and adults in substance abuse. I also work with people with opiate addiction and buprenorphine treatment. I do substance abuse evaluations with recommendations if requested.I can also manage outpatient and inpatient treatment if needed. I have an extensive background in substance abuse treatment, family therapy, and working with adult children of alcoholics and substance abusers.

Overall, I treat addiction much like I would treat any other crisis. I would do addiction assessment to make sure I'm the right person to treat you. I'd identify triggers, what makes you more likely to repeat the addictive behavior. I can work with substance use and sex addiction. My general belief is that addiction is a way that people avoid dealing with other people and their problems. It can be a learned behavior. In order to stop doing the offensive behavior, it is important to focus on what you do want to do. This is the process of recovery, and I will do my best to facilitate this.

Sometimes consuming drugs, food, alcohol, sex, among other things soothe anxiety or satisfy emotional hunger. However, when the roots of the anxiety and emptiness are not addressed, consumption and use have a fleeting effect, leaving you at a loss and in need of consuming or using more, and the cycle continues. As a therapist, I will help you look at the roots of your addiction: together we will do the hard work of searching underneath layers of denial and understand the wounds and pain that lie at the core of your addition. There is no magical wand that would make addictions disappears, but there is caring understanding that will help you find new ways of dealing with wounds and pain.

It is both a challenging a empowering road when it comes to recovery from addiction. It takes commitment and willingness to start moving toward healthy change. When you are ready for that step, I am here to support you on a healing journey. Therapy will uncover self-destructive beliefs or habits (addictions/ patterns) that prevent you from feeling a sense of freedom and purpose. I also work with family members of those struggling with addiction. When addiction is present in a family, it has a profound impact on the entire family system. I aim to help individuals understand the addiction cycle and implement a recovery process that works best for you.

ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) can be adapted for addiction treatment by exposing individuals to triggers associated with substance use while preventing the typical compulsive response. Through repeated exposure to these cues, clients learn to tolerate cravings and resist the urge to use substances. ERP for addiction targets maladaptive patterns of behavior and helps individuals develop healthier coping mechanisms. By breaking the cycle of avoidance and compulsive substance use, ERP promotes long-term recovery and enhances overall well-being.

I show people who are misusing substances that overcoming an addiction is quite possible. I emphasize work and practice at coping skills. I first help the individual to judge only their self-defeating behavior but never to put themselves down as a person for being addicted. This helps reduce guilt, shame, anxiety and denial. We focus on developing coping skills to handle problems and change behavior. I show the individual how to develop emotional and behavioral control even when life is difficult and stressful. I teach how to increase frustration tolerance. I lay out a specific plan for coping with temptation. I build and maintain motivation for staying with the recovery process.

Addiction can be a powerful driver of actions and thoughts that can disrupt your life and those of your loved ones. As a therapist that specializes in work with couples but also works with individuals, my goal is to help you understand the roots and triggers of your addiction so that I can give you the tools to adjust and modify your behavior. When you're ready to become the best possible version of yourself, let's talk.

What is different about ART? Our mission is to improve the chances of staying away from illegal substances by identifying and applying successful coping skillsThe foundation of our success is a treatment approach that is rooted in professional excellence. ART thrives to empower youth and their families with the necessary skills to rebuild their lives and maintain it free of the conflict, violence, anger outburst, depression, and legal problems that addiction may cause a family to experience.

As a recovering person myself, I have a firsthand knowledge of the power of addiction and the joys of sobriety. I enjoy working with other people who have the courage to face their addiction, understand what is driving it and who are willing to commit to living a sober life. Living sober is a challenging task, and is best accomplished through education, exploration of triggers and alternative coping strategies, and the support of others who encourage your recovery.

This is an area of treatment where I have seen many miracles. Successfully moving beyond substance dependence and abuse is not a matter of will power and character. Addictions are very 'sticky' and nine decades of research and experience confirms that attempting to keep them in check without help does not work. Twelve step programs (AA, NA, CA, etc) are the ‘gold standard’ of recovery, and are tried and true methods of achieving lasting abstinence. I possess a strong 12 Step program background, but know it is very helpful to be introduced to recovery properly to feel at home. Come for a consultation and see what is possible.

What do you do if 12-step based treatment and AA or NA aren’t a good fit for you? You may want to explore cutting back on your drinking. You may not be ready to stop using marijuana but need support to look at how using is impacting your life. You may know you need to stop, and are abstinent, but need help to develop a long-term recovery plan with alternatives to AA or NA. A good life without drugs or alcohol is possible with or without 12-step meeting attendance.

The cycle of addiction is dizzying to the addict and it creates what I calling "doing" some forward movement in growth. And undoing. The old (by now probably moldy) undoing). The trapdoor for the addict is you know the drug offers relief. And since you live only in the hear and now (emotional and physical pain can cause that feeling) you want the instant relief that it seems only the drug gives you. My job is to gently and sometimes not so gently dispel you of this massive myth. What you really need is to learn to slow down by substitution of behaviors. It will be clearer when we meet.

I truly enjoy working with individuals struggling with addictions. Slowing down and moving the client into a different place and space is an area that I have had positive experiences with in my practice. Individually or in couples counseling or even at an Art and Science of Love Workshop has been a particular interest and area where I have succeeded as a therapist.

I am a licensed clinical social worker, licensed alcohol and drug counselor and have a sap credential. I have worked in a treatment facility, 27 years in a school district as a substance abuse coordinator and have also worked in a state prison. Through out all these years, I have worked with all populations and all addictions. There is not one approach. I tend to be eclectic. I am passionate about helping people and offer an environment that is supportive in implementing pathways to healing.

The purpose of Addiction Counseling is to help the client identify for him or herself if there is an addiction present. If this is the case, a variety of cognitive behavioral techniques are utilized as well as mindfulness exercises to help with focusing and how to cope with difficult emotions in healthy ways to become abstinent. In addition, there is a focus on stengths, and what the client has done in the past to abstain from using the substance of choice. Thus, the client can try and implement at least some of these techniques again and stay away from triggers and past negative behaviors that led to relapse. There is also focus on self-esteem building and how to prevent relapse in the future once the client is abstinent.

You or a family member or loved one are suffering with addiction. When one person suffers, those who care about that person also suffer. It is rare to find treatment that is caring but also sets limits, and that does not assume an individual needs to "hit bottom", which can be dangerous. Instead, the individual needs to be challenged while being loved. This takes many forms, depending on the individual and the situation. With a lifetime of meditation and training in Eastern awareness, as well as years as a psychotherapist, I have helped bring individuals back from the brink of self-destruction. With connection, the dangers of addiction recede. Find connection and come back to a true life.