Robin Fenwick-Smith Addiction Treatment Haslemere, Guildford, London

Addiction and Co Occurring Disorders

Addiction

Those who struggle with addictive processes:

Around one in ten people struggle with an addiction or compulsive process at some point in their lives. These processes can involve substances (alcohol and drugs) or behaviours (gambling, shopping, sex, internet, etc). They tend to be obsessive (taking up a huge amount of attention), compulsive (continuing the behaviour even if part of you doesn't want to) and progressive (getting worse) over time.

The processes can begin as a solution to a problem (conscious or otherwise) which then start to cause difficulties themselves. This can be a reason why those struggling, can often stop the behaviour in the short term, but then reconnect with the problems underneath making it hard not to fall back into the old patterns.

My approach to working with addiction consists of helping clients to arrest the behaviour and put in place enough support to stop from slipping back, which allows the client to address and resolve any underlying issues facilitating long term recovery.

Those who care about someone struggling with an addictive process:

Caring about someone with an addictive personality can be very demanding and have a huge impact, whether spouse, partner, child, colleague or friend. Spending large amounts of time around a person struggling with an addiction can have implications for you, even if that person later recovers or if you are no longer around them very much. Therapy can assist families and friends with questions like how you can encourage and best help the person you care about to change what they are doing. Also how to care for yourself regardless of whether or not the addict decides to change and how to combat the long term effects or being around addictive behaviour.

I am also able to offer the following associated services :

Interventions - Structured interventions offer a way to encourage those struggling with addictive behaviour to get help. A proven method of of minimising harm and cutting short the addictive process.
Sober companions - When a person needs a higher level of support than just therapy, sober companions offer intensive, tailored assistance over the short, medium or longer term.
Family Sessions - An addictive behaviour has many implications for the way in which family relationships function and may be only one expression of difficulty the family faces. Structured sessions of family therapy offer the chance to improve communication, heal rifts, break destructive patterns of behaviour, enhancing recovery and relationships.