Find Your Path to Wellness
Are You Struggling with Substance Misuse?
Substance misuse in midlife is a growing concern and can become a coping mechanism for dealing with overwhelming life challenges. While these substances may offer temporary relief, they can lead to dependency, health concerns or exacerbate mental health issues, including anxiety and depression.
Some signs you need help
You rely on alcohol, cannabis or other substances to unwind or cope with stress.
You’ve noticed a change in your relationships, work performance or daily functioning due to substance use.
You’re experiencing feelings of shame, guilt or regret after using substances.
You’ve tried to cut down but find it difficult to reduce or stop.
You’re worried about the health impacts of your prolonged substance use.
How Therapy Can Help
First, gain an understanding of the underlying emotional, psychological, and behavioral issues contributing to your substance misuse. Then, examine the role of your genetics and how substances affect the brain’s reward system. This leads to how family dynamics, social environments and childhood experiences influence your substance misuse.
We can develop healthier coping strategies to manage stress, emotions, and triggers that could lead to substance misuse. Learn to recognize the situations, emotions, people, or places that trigger cravings or a desire to misuse substances.
Create a Prevention Plan including goal setting, strategies to manage substance misuse and learning how to handle setbacks.
These evidence-based therapies are effective for helping with substance substance misuse:
-
Helps individuals challenge and change negative thought patterns that contribute to substance misuse.
-
Explore your reasons for using substances and increase your motivation to change behaviors.
-
Learn to accept the challenges of midlife without turning to substances and focus on living a meaningful life aligned with your values.
-
Learn mindfulness techniques, stress management, and self-compassion practices to help you find balance in all aspects of your life – mental, emotional and physical.