Sobriety Counseling

While all addictions have a medical bases which is both progressive and terminal, I believe psychologically addiction is a form of Attachment Disorder. For the last 20 plus years of recovery, and from working in the field of addiction, I have come to believe that what addicts experiences when they are high on either alcohol or other drugs is the feeling of secure attachment or connection. However, this feeling is produced by the substance, not from being in relationship with another human being.

This is important in that John Bowlby, the father of Attachment Theory, proposed that Attachment is an evolutionary survival strategy to protect infants from predators and therefore a core need of all human beings. By producing a feeling that meets this evolutionary need that we all have, alcohol and drugs reduce the importance of real attachment or connection to others. Alcoholics and addicts become impaired in there ability to experience secure attachment or connection to others without the use of drugs and alcohol.

This is where I focus counseling. Supporting and encouraging those abstaining from the use of drugs and alcohol in re-learning of how to form secure connection with other. I believe this is essential to both the success and the quality of sobriety that the alcoholic or addict experiences. This is why I believe 12-step programs are successful and it is the secure connections to others that anchor us in long-term, sustainable recovery. It is also why I believe the Group model of counseling has been shown to be more effective than Individual counseling in the treatment of addiction, though I think both are useful in providing a foundational model for building long lasting, secure relationship with other and improving the quality and resilience of our recovery.