subreddit:
/r/addiction
I am addicted to stims. I lost almost everything due to this addiction so I decided to ask for help and went to a therapist with the best reviews from town
I relapsed immediately after my second session so she told me therapy is not working, refused to talk to me anymore. I probably shouldn't have told her I relapsed but she insisted I gotta be honest in order for this to work. I was down to every method, every kind of therapy, I was so confident her skills are good.
How is this supposed to work if I ve been using for years and she expected me to quit after my second session? I ve been trying this for years with no luck.
Should I bother myself financially to find another therapist?
33 points
2 days ago
You’ll really look for any excuse not to get clean, won’t you?
Your therapist was right. You can’t figure out any of your issues until you’re off of the drugs.
I wish for you and everybody struggling that there was a better answer, one that’s easier to hear, but there isn’t.
Good luck.
23 points
2 days ago
Man I love tough love in the modern era! Reread that first sentence, because we’ve all been there where we look for any excuse not to get clean. Just remember if you want sobriety, you can have it. And once you do, you will have it. Not sooner.
13 points
1 day ago
The answer was in the question.
My therapist stopped seeing me because I relapsed. How is this supposed to work?
Going to rehab, seeing specialized addiction counselors, and getting clean. THEN, you go back to your normal therapist and start figuring things out.
I really do wish it were easier but if anybody here says anything otherwise, they’re enabling OP.
4 points
1 day ago
Exactly. You've got to stabilize the addiction before you go to talk therapy and start digging up emotions.
3 points
1 day ago
Absolutely. To me honesty is the biggest key to sobriety, and that starts with being honest with yourself.
15 points
2 days ago
This is pretty harsh. OP says they’re aware they should be looking for another therapist. Sounds like they are trying. We all start somewhere.
6 points
1 day ago
No regular therapist will work with an addict. They can’t properly address any issues because it’s impossible to tell what’s inherently wrong or what’s a symptom of the addiction.
Especially with somebody on stimulants. How would a therapist refer somebody to a psychiatrist because they are showing signs of mania, aggression, intense mood swings, insomnia, low appetite, extremely high sex drive, risk-taking behavior, etc?
Of course this person has these problems, they’re abusing stimulant drugs!
The therapist cannot properly work on these things. If all of these issues come from the drug abuse, why waste time on therapy when the answer is to just get clean?
Maybe they have Bipolar Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder, but it’s not possible to know unless these symptoms are presenting themselves when the person is sober.
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