Substance Abuse & Addiction Counseling
Addiction gets in the way of truly living your life and reaching your goals. Using drugs may have started as a way to cope or have fun with friends. With substance abuse and addiction, you begin to use the drug more frequently at the exclusion of other activities. Part of counseling is finding different ways to cope and have fun.
Substance abuse problems can vary in intensity. Marijuana and other substances can seem harmless in the beginning, but an addiction can take on a life of its own. Sometimes, people are unsure if they can quit or if they want to quit. Substance abuse counseling can help you decide what you want to do.
Addicted & High Functioning?
People with substance abuse problems can appear to be functioning okay- still working, taking care of a family, owning a home, etc. But even when things appear okay on the outside, addiction eats away at a person's self-esteem, happiness, motivation, etc.
Therapy for Substance Abuse & Drug Addiction
Therapy can help if you are
Unsure if you have a drug problem
Ambivalent about stopping
Wanting to stop but are not sure how to stay clean and sober
Struggling with recovery
In therapy, you can
Decide if you want to stop using (or cut back)
Develop a plan to get clean
Identify triggers to using
Find other coping strategies
Find other ways to have fun
Work through underlying issues and past trauma that contributed to addiction
If interested, please also visit my pages on codependency, internet addiction, and alcohol abuse counseling.
You can also read my blog posts about addiction.
Addiction Recovery Groups (Non-12-Step Groups)
Some people just use counseling, and others prefer to use self-help groups. If you are interested in non-12-step groups, such as SMART Recovery, Women for Sobriety, or LifeRing, see my alcohol abuse counseling page for links.
Twelve-Step Recovery Groups
Narcotics Anonymous - na.org or peninsulana.org for Mountain View/Palo Alto or sjna.org for Sunnyvale/San Jose (There are many NA meetings in and near Sunnyvale.) Most meetings are 'open' meetings which means that anyone can attend; 'closed' meetings are only for addicts- defined as a person with any substance addiction, not just narcotic addiction. The NA program focuses on recovery from addiction in general, instead of addiction to a specific substance. Phone # (650) 802-5950
Marijuana Anonymous - marijuana-anonymous.org (Several local meetings) Phone # (800) 766-6779
Cocaine Anonymous - ca.org (Several local meetings)
Buddhist Recovery Groups
Therapy Office in Sunnyvale
My office is in Sunnyvale, California on Wolfe Rd., near El Camino Real (also close to Santa Clara, Cupertino, and Mountain View). Parking is easy; there is a large parking lot.
1021 S. Wolfe Rd., Suite 255
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Directions to Sunnyvale Therapy Office
About Me
I am a therapist/counselor in Sunnyvale, California. I primarily work with individual adults. (LMFT Lic. # LMFT40414)
Please visit my therapy home page for more information about me.
To Schedule an Appointment or Ask Questions
Call me or email me at stacy@stacyoleary.com to ask any questions you have or set up an appointment. You can also schedule a free phone consultation with me.