Dealing with shame when you can't seem to quit

        Alcohol and drugs take the edge off.  There's no doubt about that but when your need to block out the negatives in your life start to put you in the danger zone with your consumption you soon realize that quitting is just not that easy. The obsessions and compulsions that drive this lack of control travel on a continuum that can be seen  as a journey from light use to addiction - no one starts off with a drinking/drug/technology problem it just develops; sometimes frighteningly fast and sometimes over a lifetime.  The end result is the same and the feelings of powerlessness and shame often rise as a result.
     
The habit of judging our weakness is enough to send us straight to the bottle - shame is a great driver of substance abuse.  Know that your brain undergoes significant changes when you have dependence or addictions in areas that control both drive and executive thinking so the voice that will normally get you to put the breaks on is on a "break" while the part of your brain that drives things such as emotion, hunger and fear is supercharged.  You can get things back to normal but it needs time without psychoactive drugs and behaviours to achieve this.
         Finding your most powerful motivations will start your neuro-detox - could be your children or it could be your sport!  Find someone to guide you through the process of gaining control through this time because it really is so very hard just to get a start.  I know because I've see people do this journey every week for nearly 20 years.  Doing it alone is even harder and doing it without a plan is almost impossible.
        Always remember every attempt is not a failure - just use it as a learning opportunity so you can see what triggered you to use/drink today and find a solution for tomorrow.    
 

As you take those first steps, let the shame go and feel the power return!

                                     Aly Birmingham Geats 

ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL WORKING IN A HIGH STRESS ENVIRONMENT?

DRUG AND ALCOHOL OR TECHNOLOGY ABUSE, DEPENDENCE AND ADDICTION ARE THE HIDDEN HEALTH ISSUES OF A HIGH FUNCTIONING YET HIDDEN GROUP IN AUSTRALIA.

   
There are serious issues regarding professionals accessing appropriate help for these issues and there are often serious issues in the treatments that are available for this group as reflected in the recent popularity of "rehab tourism".

  That our “best and brightest” feel the need to literally flee the country to address these complex issues is a real wake-up call for us all.  The unfortunate aspect of these treatment centres is that they cannot address in depth, why an individual is having these problems – compulsive behaviours seen in substance abuse must be addressed within the context of an individual’s life in order for them to maintain change.  The idea that this can be done in a brief stint in an overseas rehab unit is both naive and potentially dangerous. 

  
 There are services in Australia that are second to none but not all individuals are comfortable in group or public treatment models.  The high functioning client is functioning with varying degrees and levels of impairment and not likely to seek help where their identity may be exposed.  It's one reason why they are such a hard-to-reach group.  They are captains of industry, performers, medical directors, vets, dentists, police officers and accountants and there is immense fear and shame around this perceived weakness - a stigma that can destroy careers and families.  These professionals have the most to lose.

  We work in complete privacy with our clients and set in place many safeguards to protect their anonymity at all times.  Our clients know that this tight security is a given so they can focus on their goals.   

Context Health & Education
www.counsellingnorthside.com.au