Substance Abuse Counseling and Co-Occurring Therapy in Concord, NH 

HOW DO I KNOW?

“Recovery” is a deceptively simple word. You hear it and you think “sobriety” but once you actually get sober you realize it’s so much more! There are your relationships to deal with, your job, emotions, managing your day and commitments, daily stress, sleep, dealing with triggers, physical health and the list seems to go on and on. Within all those categories are the subcategories of boundaries, assertive communication, coping skills, time management, etc. All of this can lead to feeling a loss of trust, respect, ambition with yourself or from others. There is shame and guilt. If all that still weren’t enough, on top of it all, how do you even know if you have the dreaded “SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER”! Dun dun dun! 

Well, let’s start by calling it what it is: a behavior you no longer wish to engage in.

An unhealthy habit.

I’m not here to diagnose you, unless you find that helpful, so you get to call it what makes sense to you. This is your journey, your life, and no one gets to judge you for it, least of all yourself.

Often when people hear “substance abuse” or “addiction” they think of someone in the middle of active use and usually think of extreme cases such as heroin, meth, or late stage alcoholism. These challenges (past or current) can look vastly different person to person.

The following are some examples of how substance abuse may appear in your life: 

• It can include substances such as marijuana or nicotine. 

• It can be a short time in your life such as binge drinking from younger years. 

• It can be someone who misuses and wants to prevent it from turning into something bigger. 

• It can be someone in recovery. 

• It can be a family member of a loved one with a substance abuse issue. 

And more.

Whichever one resonates for you, you just know you feel stuck, unsatisfied, and without purpose or direction.