BBQBOY

Hi all, has anyone had any luck with a therapist? After many years in AA, I still end up failing. I was staying away from the therapist idea, but I 'm at my wits end. I've tried all the rest of the programs and here I sit enduring yet another Librium taper. Any feed back would be great. Thanks

SoberAlky

Hello BBQBOY, don't feel bad about failing with AA. AA is not treatment. I didn't really succeed at sobriety until I distanced myself from AA. For me, attending AA kept alcohol front and center of my life - in this case, the not consuming of it. I eventually succeeded by completely overhauling my lifestyle, finding new friends and new social circles in which alcohol eventually became irrelevant to the way I lived.

Getting back to therapy though, I still see a therapist for cognitive behavioral therapy regularly, and it helps immensely. I highly recommend it. I would also recommend looking into intensive outpatient group therapy as well. The IOP I attended after treatment met 9 hrs/week, plus one hour individually with the therapist. A psychiatrist can also help with medications to ease cravings. I am on a cocktail of gabapentin and baclofen, with naltrexone, Vistaril and Ativan as needed to calm the AV and/or the anxiety/panic that was the driving force behind my drinking. The therapist and psychiatrist are both part of the same practice, so they can easily "compare notes" on my progress. I've been told at AA that I've just substituted one addiction for another by taking medication, and all I need to do is keep working the steps, etc. But tell me this, would you want your family doctor to treat your illnesses like it was still 1935?

Also, have you looked at inpatient treatment? I've said in other threads while I have many criticisms of the treatment industry (I don't like their strongarm tactics), and it's a big decision to just walk away from your life for a few weeks, I wouldn't have been able to stop had I just not finally admitted that I couldn't do it myself.

sg1970

The way I see it anything is worth a shot. You have nothing to lose by trying it and everything to lose if you continue drinking. Best wishes.

twal

I've tried many therapists and some are better than others. I would say go for it and find one that you like. If it's not a good fit for you then I recommend you keep looking for one that you connect with. They can be extremely helpful for your sobriety. Good luck!

least

I saw an addiction counselor and she was very helpful, not just in getting sober, but in living my life in a positive manner.

uncle holmes

Yes I've had luck with therapists. I've found them to be very bright people and usually give interesting perspectives to baffling problems.

However, their success rates as far as sobering up alcoholics and drug addicts is low from what I hear.

Bmac

I can relate to soberalky. After 23 years of sobriety, the anxiety and the OCD became too much and I used booze to self medicate when my other meds didn't work. Now I have an appointment on Weds. with a therapist who has spent his 31 year career working with panic attacks and anxiety. I can't wait to see him and get started.

Aellyce

Hi BBQBOY.

This was an interesting thread about therapy with some good questions and info I think. I also posted a bit about my experience in it although it does not nearly give proper justice to it.
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...s-therapy.html

I love being in therapy and I started mine "officially" after a life-long interest (both professional and personal) in psychology when I got sober, means I might be a bit biased here... I've had great success with it so far. Because of my interest, I researched my options thoroughly before starting and preferred finding both the approach and therapist on my own in the beginning. I would recommend doing the same to anyone who is interested in learning about the various options and thinking what might be the best fit at a particular phase of our lives. So much info available online.

Some people might not agree with me on this, but I think the "trick" is to find the combination of suitable therapeutic approach and therapist (means largely how we connect with them) for a particular goal and patient. For me, I like the more holistic approaches that address much more than just a specific problem area (i.e. addiction or a distinct behavior), because I'm someone who likes and really benefits from a thorough and complex understanding of myself, my strengths and weaknesses, and how I can tackle my problems and get the best out of my experience in a larger picture context. But not everyone is like this and, as I said, it really depends on the problem. For example, if you had some traumatic experiences or stubborn cognitive/behavioral problems that are difficult to process and are holding progress back (from lasting sobriety), it might be best to address those simultaneously with recovery as they do often get in the way. Same for particularly persistent/severe emotional issues such as depression or anxiety, for which it might even be good to see a psychiatrist.

SoberAlky

I forgot to mention yesterday that you will want to find therapists and psychiatrists that are versed in addiction medicine. The psychiatrists I have seen are both board certified in addiction medicine. And I agree with the holistic approach as described above. My IOP therapist said once that addiction is a consequence of "stuck feelings." Addiction is just a symptom of those "stuck feelings" and must be dealt with before moving forward. Just dealing with the addiction itself is not an end to those means.

freshstart57

I had to deal with my alcohol consumption BEFORE I could deal with my stuck feelings. I also found that a lot of the stuckness went away with the alcohol.

I believe that seeing people trained in treatment of behavioural problems is the way to treat behavioural problems. Seeking a good therapist is an excellent idea.

BBQBOY

Thanks for posting your experiences everyone, it really helped me out a lot.
I am now in the process if finding an addiction therapist. Fingers crosses