Addiction Therapy And Substance Abuse Counseling in St. Petersburg, FL
Signs of Addiction
Have you found yourself justifying why you need a drink?
Do you hide how much you consume?
Has your partner found a hidden stash and you find yourself bargaining with them not to throw it away or tell anyone or you will take care of it?
Feeling guilty or bad about how much you are using?
Addiction doesn’t know gender, race, socio-economic status. When we’ve been found out, it feels isolating and shaming. Why? It feels as if we should have known better. Should we, though? Are we not all addicted to something? Is it not in the very fabric of our society? To solve the mystery of your addiction or substance abuse, you need to discover the source of your pain. Perhaps, you know what it is you are running from. But, you have no idea what to do about it. Or, you don’t even know what it is you are running from or where you’re running to. You just know that you’re running.
At Sunshine City Counseling, we will walk with you (and your addiction) to understand your triggers to anger, fear, resentment, doubt, sorrow, and despair. Together, we’ll discover the source of your pain through addiction therapy and substance abuse counseling. We will provide you with actionable tools to help re-frame and give meaning to your pain and help you manage your addiction in a way that feels empowering to YOU.
Addiction is always deeper than just the drinking, the sex, the gambling, the drugs…it is a pain problem. We’re ready when you are ready.
You may be struggling with addiction if you…
✅Hide how much you use
✅Try to stop or cut back but you keep failing despite consequences
✅Spend more and more time using
✅ Preoccupied with drinking, sex, gambling, drugs, and when you are going to do it again
✅Feel guilty or bad about using
✅There is always a component of trying not to “feel” that comes with using
“When we flee our vulnerability, we lose our full capacity for feeling emotion. We may even become emotional amnesiacs, not remembering ever having felt truly elated or truly sad. A nagging void opens, and we experience it as alienation, as profound as ennui, as the sense of deficient emptiness…”
— Dr. Gabor Mate
Substance Abuse Counseling in St. Petersburg Can Help You With Your Addiction
What compulsion sings to me round the clock, begging me to hum along? Why can’t I shut the song off? Is it because the song distracts me from some stressor, some pain, some discomfort?
The question we should be asking is...what is the pain? What are you running from so impressively? Some of our addictions are harmless, we might be tempted to believe. Sure, addiction to social media might be better for my health than, say, a substance abuse issue. But, do they not lead us to the same destination? -- an avoidant, isolated, and distracted island (The Book of Waking Up).
Anything that controls us leaves us in a vulnerable and powerless position. Depending on the nature of your addiction, it could be costing you your health, your marriage, a relationship, or even your job. At Sunshine City Counseling, you will receive actionable tools to help you understand your addiction, not just behavior modification. Addiction is more than just the act of engaging with your drug. It is a pain problem, and we are here to help you learn how to engage with your pain through substance abuse counseling in St. Petersburg, FL. And how to manage your pain in healthy ways so it doesn’t have to manage or control you…unless you want it to.
“As humans, we are hard-wired for belonging and acceptance. The things we seek to quell our pain keep us in direct opposition to that which we were created for. Scarcity whispers, “there’s never enough.” Abuse pounds, “no one is safe.” Loss reminds us, “you’re not always alone.”
— Seth Haines in The Book of Waking Up
What Keeps People From Going To Addiction therapy?
The Unknown.
Counseling can feel really overwhelming — will I have to share everything? What if I cry the whole time? What if it makes my addiction worse? There are a lot of reasons why people won’t ever pursue therapy but the unknown can often be a huge barrier to getting started.
The Addiction Isn’t That Bad
It feels safer and easier to say that your addiction isn’t that bad. Or, you can stop if you want to despite multiple failed attempts. Eventually, though, it runs out and it isn’t about white-knuckling your way out of the addiction. Yet, for a lot of people, it seems safer to keep doing the same thing over and over again. It’s predictable and known even though life kind of sucks or your partner is threatening to leave.
Counseling Is Too Expensive
Counseling is expensive. And, if you are looking for reasons as to why you don’t want to do it, this objection is usually somewhere on the list. It’s either too expensive, you don’t have the time or it isn’t that big of a problem or priority. Here’s the thing, we make time and figure out the money when it’s a priority and we know that it is worth it. We are usually pretty quick to go to the doctor and pay whatever it costs when we are sick. Why is our mental health and the health of our relationships any different?
Start Addiction Therapy And Substance Abuse Counseling in St. Petersburg, FL
Select Your Addictions Counselor
It’s important to us that you feel connected and safe with your counselor. That’s why your first session with our St. Petersburg-based counseling practice will always be free. Your healing and the work you’ll do in counseling is, in many ways, dependent on how connected you feel to your counselor. Meet our team of amazing counselors.
This is about you.
Schedule Your First Free Session
Right below this, you have access to our team’s calendars. So find a time that works for you and lock in that free session! Oh, be on the lookout for an email with our intake paperwork. This helps us get to know you and make the most of our time together!
Show Up (and keep showing up)
If you’re working with your counselor online, they will send you a link to our HIPPA Compliant online video platform so be on the lookout for that (a few days before your first session). If you’re coming into our office in downtown St. Petersburg, take a tour of our offices to ensure you are familiar. There is plenty of 2-hour street parking available. This whole process works — you’ve just got to show up and be curious.
Your Addiction Counselors
Amy Fort
Chelsy Snell
What Other Counseling Services Are Offered At Sunshine City Counseling?
Whether you’re looking for support in managing codependency, postpartum depression, depression, anxiety, or taking a deep dive into addressing your trauma — we got you. Our team of over 12 counselors is able to support you, your relationship, and/or your family in all of the ways.
We also have a fantastic life coach who specializes in working with men and entrepreneurs in addition to a certified health coach who works with men and women to improve their life, sustainably.
We have a counseling office in South Pasadena, Fl. However, we also provide support throughout the entire state of Florida through online counseling to bring exceptional mental health support right to your couch.
We also support the state of Maine.
We’d love to provide the support you deserve. You don’t have to do this alone.