We Can Help
IT'S ABOUT SELF HONESTY
There is no shame in being an addict but there is a huge conflict in hiding it.
When I was drinking the amount of energy and guilt I expended while trying to hide and maintain my substance abuse was absolutely amazing.
When I finally admitted to myself and to others that I was an alcoholic it felt like this great burden was taken off my shoulders.
I will be honest with you though, I was almost immediately hit with this massive remorse and absolute fear.
Remorse in what I had done and what I had become and fear as to what my next step would be. Just because I had admitted to myself and others that I was an alcoholic didn't mean I was cured.
It is about self honesty.
Even though I did admit what I was, I still wasn't ready to stop. I went through the motions but my inner core was not ready.
One of the things we try and do at The Power Of Addiction is help you find that core. I'm guessing that if you are reading this you think you may have a problem. We can work with that. We can help you find a balance within you.
Developing self correction
Part of working on the inner core is developing self honesty.
I found being truly honest with myself was extremely difficult. I would make excuses, fade into non-realities and go into semi denial.
As I learned to speak in the "I" and I took responsibility for not only my actions but my thoughts and reasons I began to develop a self-awareness. A form of self correction.
I began to develop an inner conversation. One that allowed my inner self to confront and correct the addictive behaviours inside me.
As I develop that ability I became much more honest with myself and with others and it was at that point that I was able to confront myself and step into true recovery. At The Power Of Addiction we work with you both individually and in group ( if you choose ) to develop this skill set.
COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY WITH A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL
After I was able to be honest with my inner self and able to communicate my addiction to myself I was in a much better position to speak more effectively with mental health professionals.
Before developing this ability it was basically a waste of time for myself and a professional. I was not telling the truth, I was modifying the reality. I was trying to say what they wanted to hear. Trying to sound "normal" to get myself out of trouble. If I could not tell them the truth how could they truly understand my position?
It is at this stage in the process that we reach out to a trained licensed psychiatrist.
I am fully capable of discussing and developing the inner strength that you need to move forward from an addict's point of view since I am one and have been through the journey. Yet there are underlying psychological processes that are on going which need to be addressed professionally. Processes that unfortunately contributed to your addiction. Those underlying factors must be diagnosed and addressed by a licensed psychiatrist which The Power Of Addiction has access to.
STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS
The next phase of the strategy is to work directly with the psychiatrist and myself mapping out your recovery solution. One that may require lateral involvement with others in the field of recovery that we collaborate with. We may suggest your involvement with a sleep therapy clinic, a massage therapist, a nutritionist, a relaxation consultant, a personal trainer , a life style coach.
All of which we have exclusive access to. Through this multilevel collaboration we can work with you in developing the foundations of a recovery program that will be modified as you progress through it.
This program can be created at any stage in you recovery. Whether you are in your first week of recovery or your eighth year and realize you are having difficulties.
The program is designed to promote living that includes sobriety not sobriety that includes living.
aftercare and creativity
After the mental and emotional solutions have been mapped out and you are actively in the process of building, developing and strengthening your capabilities through counselling, self-awareness and personal practice an after care program is available.
It is be based on creativity.
It is my opinion that one of the strongest aspects of addiction is creativity. I was extremely creative in how I obtain my substance of choice, how I paid for it, how I hid it and how I tried to hide my addiction. I used vast amounts of creative energy in how I managed my life with addiction, how I avoided people and how I manipulated people.
The next phase in The Power Of Addiction is to channel and develop that creative energy.
I'm not saying I want you to become an artist. What I am suggesting is that through the creative process of photography we can help you develop one of the core aspects of addiction and push it in a different direction. As you push it from its main source of addiction and deflect it in another direction you automatically weaken it's known pathway. In other words instead of the creativity always pushing towards alcohol it will now be pushing towards photography and as it develops new pathways its desire towards alcohol will diminish.
Again, that is not to say you were going to become a photographer, all we are trying to do is weaken the bond with alcohol.