Some services expect you to stop using before they will see you. I do not. People who are still using deserve skilled, honest support. Being told to come back when you have stopped can mean more harm from continued use, and less motivation to ask for help at all. I work with the person in front of me, wherever they are.
Worried about your job or your driving licence? What I report, and what stays between us.
Choose the substance
Alcohol and nicotine
- AlcoholDrinking more than you want to, or cannot imagine a week without it.
- Smoking, vaping and nicotineCigarettes, vapes and pouches, and wanting to stop.
Prescribed medicines
- AntidepressantsFinding it hard to come off a prescribed antidepressant, or worried about it.
- BenzodiazepinesDiazepam, alprazolam and others; stopping suddenly can be dangerous.
- Pregabalin and gabapentinPrescribed or not; mixing with other drugs raises the risk.
- Prescription medicinesCodeine, tramadol, zopiclone and other medicines that started with a doctor or pharmacy.
Opioids and mixing drugs
- OpioidsHeroin, codeine, tramadol and other painkillers.
- Polydrug useMore than one substance, or mixing drugs and alcohol.
Stimulants and cannabis
- Cocaine and crackWeekend use that has crept into the week, or something heavier.
- Amphetamine (speed)Using to keep going, and the comedown that follows.
- CannabisWhen it stops being a choice.
- Spice and synthetic cannabinoidsSpice, Mamba and similar products, and why they are so unpredictable.
Party and club drugs
- KetamineRegular use, and what it is doing to the rest of your life.
- MDMA and other drugsEcstasy, LSD and other drugs not covered elsewhere.
- GHB and GBLUse that has become regular; stopping suddenly can be dangerous.
- Nitrous oxide (NOS)Laughing gas, balloons and canisters, and when it becomes a habit.
Not sure which one fits? If you use more than one thing, start with polydrug use, or send me a message and we will work it out together.
What is it costing you?
You are free to carry on. That choice is yours, and I will not lecture you about it. But none of us are free from the consequences, and they rarely stay where they started.
They tend to spread the longer it goes on. It can begin with sleep, energy or money; then it reaches your work, your health, your mood and the people closest to you. You can lose a job, or come close to it. You can feel anxious or low in a way you cannot shake. The money goes, and the people who love you stop being able to rely on what you say. Not everyone loses all of these, and not everyone loses them at once.
If you are reading this because some of it sounds familiar and you do not know where to start, you are in the right place. We can start with what it is costing you, and what you want to do about it.
What therapy can offer
- Space to look at your use without pressure to change on a fixed timeline
- Harm reduction: reducing the risks while you work out what you want
- Understanding what the use does for you and what drives it
- Practical tools and coping strategies
- Goals you set, at a pace you can manage
Stopping some substances suddenly, particularly alcohol and benzodiazepines, can cause serious harm and, in some cases, death. I am not a medical service. How to get treatment without going through your GP, and the NHS has a search for local alcohol services. If you use heavily every day, please do not stop suddenly on your own.
If it is someone you love
If someone you love is affected, you can have support of your own, whether or not they get help. Support for families and loved ones.