by Dianne Fish, LPC (512) 636-7500
Everyone drinks- right? It sure seems that way when Friday rolls around and the office gears up for happy hour; your friends plan the evening around which bars to go to; the event you are attending starts with drinks and ends with nightcaps.
Well what if sometimes you have a hard time stopping at one or two drinks? What if sometimes you don't remember part of the evening? What if your behavior occasionally gets out of control when you drink or use drugs- you yell at your girlfriend, you sleep with someone you didn't intend to, you behave in ways that embarrass you in front of co-workers and you keep having to make amends?
Counseling can help you take a look at your relationship with alcohol and other substances to consider whether you or the substance is really in control. For example, we can explore what directions you want to head in your life and whether your use of a substance is preventing you from getting there. We can identify if you use drinking to avoid certain feelings and find creative ways to work with and manage those feelings. If you do want to move away from a life centered around drinking, we can seek out options to "reinvent yourself".
Below are some resources to help you consider whether you or someone you care about has a problem with substance use. You don't have to be controlled by your use of alcohol or drugs. If you want to explore these issues further, give me a call 512.636.7500 (voice or text)
- Try this online Alcohol Screening Tool to help you decide whether your drinking has control of you. Click to try screening tool
- Sober Austin website: Local resources to help with prevention, treatment options, and ongoing recovery support for addictive behaviors and substance abuse problems. Learn more about addiction resources in Austin
- Northwest Counseling and Wellness Center (NCWC): Provides Intensive Outpatient groups to help get an addictive behavior under control. Focus is broader than the typical 12-Step program philosophy with a holistic emphasis on learning relaxation and self-calming techniques in addition to addiction education and group process. I teach yoga / breathwork / relaxation techniques weekly at NCWC. Learn more about NCWC
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