Social anxiety..... ahh yes. I didn't even realize I had it until I got sober and looked back honestly at all the years I used drugs and alcohol to quell it.
It gets better.
In your original post you said your counselor / therapist said you don't "have a problem" and just need to make better choices.
If I were in your shoes, I'd tell my counselor "I need to correct something you said to me.... I DO have a problem. I have a problem with using substances to address my anxiety. With self-medicating. With addiction. I need you to understand that part of what I want in life is a SOBER life in which I can cope with life on life's terms and get maximum abundance and gratitude and fullness. That's what I am after and what I want your help with. If that doesn't seem to fit with what you see in me and for me, then maybe we've come to the end of our useful relationship".
Therapists are not mind readers nor are they always right. Therapy is a 50-50 proposition. They give us what they bring - but we hold a responsibility for our outcomes as well. If the therapist is getting it wrong, it's up to us to take a stand for ourselves and our needs and be honest and strong with our therapist.....
This is my opinion, my experience, my perspective only. If it doesn't resonate for you, that's OK too.
