Alcohol and Substance Abuse

Inner Light Counseling has on the staff a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, LCADC as well as an Experienced Alcohol and Drug Counselor working with Adolescents.

Whether it is yourself or a loved one that is struggling with alcohol or substance abuse, it is a common problem that hurts everyone. As a person suffering from this kind of addiction you can be riddled with a sense of powerlessness, guilt and shame. It leads one to feelings of despair, anxiety and depression. Addiction lowers your self of self worth and self-confidence. Fear of being caught or fear of never being able to overcome the addiction can feel overwhelming.

Your life can feel completely out of control. Your family life and career could be seriously affected.

Sometimes the desire to stop is so great – but the temptation hits to drink or take a drug and your willpower or resolve seems to weaken. Don’t despair. Millions have conquered their addiction and so can you.

At Inner Light Counseling Center we take a 12-Step approach to helping you win your right to break free from addiction. We will be there to support you through your recovery.

Post-Rehab

When your child or teenager has been in an intensive outpatient, inpatient or partial inpatient program it is crucial that they continue with individual therapy to help solidify the use of the new tools they have learned and help prevent a relapse in substance abuse, behavioral problems or symptoms of depression and anxiety. In fact, for this very reason, you won’t find a rehab program of any kind that will discharge a patient without having an appointment scheduled with an outpatient therapist.

We work with many intensive IOP programs as well as drug and alcohol programs in the area and have many qualified therapists who can help your child continue their progress and prevent relapse.

Adult Children of Alcoholics

Growing up in an alcoholic home or a home where your parents were wounded themselves, thus growing up in a “less than happy” home is common. So common that statistics say about 95% of the population has grown up in a “dysfunctional” family.

The point is that all parents are human and all have been wounded. All people are unconscious to one degree or another. Thus your childhood may have had trauma, pain, emotional, physical abandonment, physical or sexual abuse, or neglect. Your parents may have expected perfection from you. Your Mom or Dad may have been so drunk that you were ridiculed, put down, ignored or you had to take care of them. You, in essence, feel like you were the parent.

Unfortunately our past does affect us. Many people carry around what the “Eckhart Tolle” refers to as “a pain body” in the best selling book “The Power of Now.” That “pain body” affects our lives in every facet – perhaps most of all in our level of happiness and in our relationships.

The good news is that you can heal the pain in your body. And you deserve to heal the pain body and achieve a high quality of life filled with peace, happiness, contentment, power, love fulfilling relationships, etc.

Codependency

If you are a loved one of someone who has an addiction, you have been severely affected by their illness. Your life seems to have become unmanageable also and your esteem may also have been affected.

You may have tried everything to help your loved one to stop, including expressing your pain and anger. Yet still they are powerless.

You can’t make them stop – but you can help yourself to begin to recover from life as you have come to know it, filled with stress and disappointment. Oftentimes in helping oneself, the addicted person has a greater chance of recovering – breaking free from the grips of the alcohol or substance abuse or both.

Your happiness is important. You can live in greater peace and contentment regardless of what is going on around you. Let Inner Light Counseling & Holistic Center be a source of support to help you get through this difficult situation.

We have therapists that are experienced in working with drugs and alcohol as well as working with the family members of an addicted person and we would like to help.

Gambling Addictions

People that struggle with gambling addictions suffer from the uncontrollable urge to gamble despite the negative effect it is having on their life. Gambling can stimulate the brain much like a drug does. There is a vast array of gambling venues which include casino gambling, online gambling, sports gambling, lottery tickets, slot machines, poker etc.

Some symptoms of gambling addiction include:

• Preoccupation with gambling
• Needing to gamble with increasing amounts of money to get the same high
• Taking bigger and bigger risks
• Lying to hide the addiction from family and friends
• Trying desperately to get back the money you lost from gambling
• Resorting to stealing or fraud to get the money you need to continue your addiction
• Trying to control, cut back or stop, but with no success.
• Neglecting paying bills and expenses in order to use the money to gamble instead.
• Selling possessions to gamble
• Guilt feelings after gambling.

Some ways in which a gambling addiction can affect you and your family include:

• Relationship Struggles
• Financial problems, perhaps even needing to declare bankruptcy
• Legal problems
• Decreased work performance
• Your children having to go without
• Higher risk of one of your children developing a gambling addiction as they get older
• Loss of car, house and other personal possessions

One of our addiction specialists is certified and experienced in working with individuals who struggle with an addiction to gambling. You don’t need to continue to suffer untold stress due to this addiction. If you want to begin to free yourself from the pain and stress gambling has caused you and your family, you can call 908-707-0212 and we will match you with our gambling specialist.