Addiction
Addiction isn’t just about alcohol or drugs. It can be gambling, gaming, porn, shopping, food, exercise, work, or scrolling, basically anything that starts as relief or reward and slowly takes over. If you’re feeling trapped between “I need this” and “I hate this,” you could benefit from coming in for a chat.
Addiction or dependency can show up in a lot of ways
- Promising yourself you’ll cut back… then not following through
- Thinking about it a lot; planning your day around it
- Doing more to get the same effect, or feeling flat and irritable without it
- Hiding, minimising, or lying about your behaviour to avoid conflict
- Blow-ups in relationships, money stresses, work or study slipping
- Mood swings, sleep issues, low energy, shame or isolation
- Using to numb stress, boredom, loneliness, or tough memories
Warning signs you might need help
- You’ve tried to stop or control it and can’t keep it up
- You use more or for longer than you intend
- Loved ones are worried about you, or you’re worried about their reaction
- You’re breaking your own rules (e.g., “only on weekends”)
- You’re taking risks you wouldn’t otherwise take
- You feel anxious, low, edgy or unwell when you cut back
- It’s pulling you away from your values, goals, or the person you want to be
How treatment can help
- A confidential space to talk honestly without judgement
- Help to map your unique cycle, your triggers, urges, payoffs, costs. We’ll help you find the leverage points, where your efforts to change will provide the biggest payoffs
- Practical ways to ride out urges, reduce harm, and rebuild routines and supports
- Address the drivers (stress, mood, trauma, ADHD, loneliness) so change actually sticks
- Plan for setbacks without shame, so each slip becomes data, not defeat
- Coordinated care when useful (GP, psychiatry, peer support); neuropsychology input if your thinking/memory are affected
At our Northbridge practice (and via telehealth across WA), we take a warm, straight-talk approach. You set the goals, cutting back, stopping, or simply getting your life back in balance, and we’ll help you take doable steps toward them.
