Therapy for Addiction

If you’re concerned about addiction or addictive behaviour, beginning psychotherapy can be a step toward regaining control.

Seeking help from a therapist for addiction takes courage. You may feel overwhelmed, ashamed, or confused. A therapist from Toronto Psychotherapy Group can help you address addiction’s affect on your life and can also help you find treatment resources if you need them.

If someone in your life is struggling with addiction, you may also benefit from a therapist’s support.

What Types of Addiction Are There?

People become addicted to many things. We often think about addictive substances such as alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or other drugs. But addiction can also involve behaviours such as gambling, gaming, watching pornography, or sex. These are often called process addictions.

How Do Therapists Understand Addiction?

Addiction is the sense of need for and use of a substance or behaviour that feels like a habit that is out of your control. Often, you need more of the substance or behaviour to feel satisfied. There may be withdrawal symptoms when you cease the substance or action. You may find yourself returning to it in order to end pain, manage distress, anxiety, or unbearable feelings, or stave off boredom or depression. But addiction likely blocks your efforts to lead a satisfying, meaningful life.

How Do You Know Whether You Need Help for Addiction?

Here are some questions to help you decide if you should seek a mental health professional’s evaluation for addiction. Note that these questions are only intended to guide you. They are not meant to diagnose or assess you.

• You feel worried, guilty, or ashamed about your addictive behaviour
• Your addiction is affecting your relationships
• You do not know how else to manage your feelings
• People close to you have expressed concern about your addiction
• Your behaviours have caused trouble with school, work, your finances, or your health

How Do Therapists Treat Addiction and Addictive Behaviours?

When a therapist works with you to help manage your addiction, they will try to understand and contain the distress that caused the behaviour in the first place.

Seeing a therapist to address addiction will involve some or all of the following:

• Exploring the psychological side and possible origins of your addiction
• Cultivating insight and understanding about your addictive triggers
• Containing overwhelming emotions
• Learning about self-esteem and self-care
• Discovering your internal strengths to replace self-medication
• Repairing the damage addiction has done to your relationships
• Recruiting medical and/or community-based resources as necessary

You need not be alone any longer with your concerns. Consider getting help before regret overwhelms you. If you are already involved in a twelve-step program or other treatment, therapy can complement these approaches by offering in-depth exploration and tailored support.

Additional Addiction Help and Resources

For more information about other help in the community to treat addiction, explore the mental health and addiction resources in our Resources section.

Listen to a podcast interview with Gabor Maté entitled “Addiction Is Not a Choice”

Read more about behavioural and process addictions