Addictions Counseling
Addiction of any kind, be it dependence on alcohol and other substances or difficult relationships with pornography, gambling, or other behaviors, can leave you feeling out of control. Addiction therapy helps you regain control of your life and empowers you to make positive change. You don’t have to live trapped in your addiction, and you don’t have to go through this difficult time on your own.
Our therapist, Nate Bailey, is a licensed professional counselor, specializing in addiction therapy, and he understands your feelings of hopelessness; your doubt that things can change. He has many years of experience in helping adults learn how to live life differently, heal past hurts, and move forward with new skills to manage depression and addictions. When you’re ready, he hopes you’ll consider visiting him for addictions counseling here in our Ambler, PA office or online sessions.
If you don’t live local to our office, Nate also offers online therapy sessions for people throughout Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Colorado. You can learn more about addictions and how therapy can help on this page, but don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have questions.
Is it Really Addiction?
When you can’t stop using a substance or engaging in a behavior, even when it’s becoming harmful in some way, you need help. You may find yourself struggling with alcohol, drugs, prescription pills, pornography, gambling, shopping or even work (maybe several of these things). No one starts these behaviors thinking, “I won’t be able to control it.” or “this is going to hurt me,” but over time, that can begin to happen. Every person’s addiction story is different, but recognizing dependence is the first step toward making lasting change. Consider some of the following ways that you may describe your experience with addiction:
- Maybe it became a problem right away or maybe it took years. Now, it has become the most important part of your day, and you run to it when you’re feeling lonely, tired, angry, bored, or empty.
- Maybe you do it to celebrate or reward yourself after you meet your responsibilities. If for some reason you can’t do it or have it, you get angry, frustrated, short-tempered, or desperate.
- You may notice physical signs of addiction such as isolating from friends and family, or irritability and angry outbursts. These can manifest as side effects of use or as a result of withdrawal. This can apply to substance addiction and emotional addiction. Some of these signs may be obvious and some may be hidden or gradual. Physical limitations can impact your mood which can disrupt your daily life. Many addictions impair the user’s ability to manage emotional input. Our emotional and physical systems are interconnected and it’s important to look at addiction with this in mind.
- You’ve probably been slow to admit to yourself or others that you can no longer control yourself around a behavior or substance. It doesn’t seem like a problem until it is, and even then, it can be easier to pretend that it isn’t as bad as it looks (or feels).
- You might downplay the problem and over-estimate your ability to stop. Your internal monologue goes something like this, “I don’t do as much as…” “I could stop if I really wanted to,” “I used to do it even more than I am now, so it’s really not that bad.”
- You may feel the need to stop, sometimes you even want to stop, but you struggle to do anything about it. For those who try, a few days or weeks might go by before you find yourself caught in autopilot, pulled back to the old habit. So, you try again thinking, “This time it’ll be different and I’ll try even harder,” only to get caught again. And again. And again. It won’t stop. You feel guilty. You feel shame. The waves of wanting to stop and wanting to do it again keep coming.
- Sometimes, you just don’t want to give up your habit – it soothes you. You tell yourself it’s really not that bad, but deep down, part of you knows it’s not good. It’s hurting you. It’s wrecking your family.
- You might tell a few people some details but not the whole story. At some point, you might feel low enough where you find yourself surrendering and not even trying to stop. Until you find yourself at a new all-time low; realizing things just can’t continue this way and you want out.
What Happens During Addiction Therapy?
During addiction therapy, we look at your story and discover the things in your life that might be supporting or blocking change. We design a plan to move forward, specific to who you are and what you’re facing. We work to develop the skills, thinking, and behaviors that help you avoid using, even when you want it the most. We help you identify the warning signs that signal you may be heading back down the old path and where/how to get help. We develop a plan if you slip and begin using again that will include how to get help and what to do to get back on track.
We won’t stop with sobriety. That’s an important short-term goal, but real recovery goes further. It evaluates physical, emotional, and spiritual health. It establishes a support network, coping skills, and plans to address specific triggers whether they are people, places, or things.
We strive to provide a safe, comfortable environment that enables us to listen and connect. Your comfort is a top priority. If at any time you feel uneasy please let us know. We fully understand the process of getting and giving treatment. Did you know studies show that 20-57% of individuals do not return to therapy after their initial appointment? We want to lower that statistic by giving you the best care possible. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and we aim to be your support system for the long-term.
Recovery is possible. People can change and build healthy habits and lifestyles. We want to be a part of your journey!
Meet Our Addictions Counselor – Nate Bailey, MA, LPC
Listen to Nate talk about his approach to addictions therapy and how he can help you.
Further Reading On Addictions &
Substance Use Disorders
Read more about therapy for addiction and substance use disorder in our blog posts:
6 ways recovering from an addiction is like dealing with water damage
By Nathan Bailey, MA,LPC If you or a family member are dealing with an alcohol addiction, drug addiction, gambling addiction or pornography addiction it can be challenging to understand what’s happening and how best to respond. While treatment and support should be...
Don’t let a relapse hijack your recovery! 6 ways you can respond.
By Nathan Bailey, MA, LPC As we work to maintain a change that we’ve made to our behavior, we may have a circumstance where we find ourselves having relapsed. When this happens, it’s easy to shift to a “catastrophic” frame of mind from which we see the thing we...
Turn off your inner critic! 5 ways to identify your negative self-talk
By Alana Gregg, MA We all have this voice in our head. You know, the voice that pops in whenever there’s a moment of silence. This inner dialogue seems to narrate our lives by combining our situations with the meaning our brain is interpreting them with. Our...
Additional Counseling Services at
Lime Tree Counseling
In addition to therapy for addiction and substance use disorders, we also provide a range of therapy solutions, including:
Christian Counseling
When your faith is a central part of who you are, you need that as part of your counseling. Our team are all Christians, ready to help you learn what God has for you…Learn more
Marriage Counseling
Relationships evolve as life changes. Sometimes partners need help learning new skills to help them communicate better and strengthen their connection. We help couples improve their marriages through couples therapy…Learn more
Online Counseling
Life gets busy, and maybe coming into the office is not doable. Or perhaps you live in a remote area, and don’t have access to quality mental health care. We offer online counseling services to those residing in Pennsylvania…Learn more
Get Started With Therapy Today!
Please contact Lime Tree Counseling to schedule an appointment or a free consultation. We will get back to you as soon as possible and get you scheduled. In our Ambler, PA office, we serve all of Montgomery County, and our therapists are happy to offer online counseling sessions for residents of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Colorado.