The Importance of Addiction Counseling in Staying Sober

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One of my favorite bloggers writing on the subject of sobriety, the Drunky Drunk Girl, recently posted a piece about why counseling should be part of living sober. She does not downplay the importance of AA and other types of mutual support groups to maintaining sobriety.

But, she says, professionals are needed to help "unravel the core issues" hidden under the addiction.

I've been doing this work for a few years, and I glimpsed some of these core issues. I mean glimpses because even the those in therapy are not completely invested in the process. It could take years of work and courage to digging, and for many this is too daunting.

Whether a client has had the most horrific childhood, suffered abuse and neglect, witnessed addiction and violence, and subjected to immeasurable harms caused by poverty; or the client comes from old money and had access to all the educational and vocational opportunities afforded by money, the underlying issues are very much similar — unresolved, unprocessed emotional pain originating in childhood. It can be parental neglect, enmeshment, a traumatic event, or even a habit (modeling) — if your parents drank fine wines with every meal, it wouldn't seem abnormal that you consume over 5 or 6 drinks during an evening out, which becomes the norm.

My job is to ask question, then listen, ask more questions and listen some more. And what comes to the surface is magical thinking, habitual (mindless) behavior, projection, distorted negative self-image, lack of a support network, anxiety and depression, etc. And they all intersect at one point or another.

It's possible to work through all this. However, you have to be willing to work at it and learn to be okay with the discomfort. There is just no other way.

https://drunkydrunkgirl.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/the-importance-of-professional-counseling/