Has your drinking become a problem?  Counselling may help!

Traditionally people who find themselves drinking heavily, whether it be more than two drinks daily or weekend-only binge drinking, are advised to go to Alcoholics Anonymous.  Now, I am not knocking AA.  Several of my clients became AA members before they met me and it has worked wonderfully for them (they see me for other reasons, now that the alcohol doesn’t cover up their pain).

However, not everyone WANTS to give up drinking totally.  As a result, I have found that some clients can benefit from what is called the “harm reduction” model.

What is harm reduction?  It’s being aware of what triggers excessive drinking for you and taking steps to avoid those triggers.  It’s learning how to enjoy one or two instead of always having five or six.  It’s making sure that every time you drink in public, you have a safe way to get home.   And these are just a few of the things I teach….

Essentially, harm reduction involves bringing mindfulness and planning to your drinking, rather than an “all or none” approach.  The benefits include better health, both mental and physical, and better relationships with others.

If you’d like to cut down on your use of alcohol, or your use of any substance, call me!  I have helped others with this issue, and I have techniques that can help you too.