Drugs, Alcohol, Sex/Pornography
Have substances, alcohol or sex and pornography become problematic for you? Maybe you binge on weekends, or maybe you use substances or alcohol every day. Perhaps you are already experiencing changes to your mood and increased anxiety. Maybe you use these things as ways to unwind, but other people are seeing an ongoing problem in your life. Sometimes, you miss work or cancel social arrangements in order to watch porn, or to drink, or to use substances; maybe, you hang out with people who do the same things that you do but avoid places and people where drinking or using substances would be frowned upon. Maybe, sex and /or pornography has started to disrupt your sexual arousal, your libido, your bank account, and even your relationship. Do you sometimes say things like “but everyone drinks a lot in New Zealand” or “it’s just what Kiwis do, it’s a drinking culture”? Or maybe edging and masturbation have become your dominant form of sexual activity, but sexual relationships have become impoverished and unsatisfying. Substance and alcohol abuse is a common problem encountered in society, as is the overuse of pornography or sex as a way of coping, but at the expense of many other aspects of life.
Treatment is available that does not involve rehabilitation and in-patient/residential treatment, depending on the severity of the substance/alcohol abuse/misuse. For sex and pornography, treatment in the community bodes well for future outcomes. It is important to recognise that no-one has to remain enslaved within the realm of harmful substance/alcohol use or within the grips of destructive desire. Psychologists and psychotherapists in this practice are focussed on addressing dual diagnosis, if present, where these issues occur alongside other mental health conditions. Depending on the severity and length of time of your abuse/misuse of substances or sexual behaviour, various forms of treatment will be considered: harm reduction therapy (HRT), motivational interviewing (MI), abstinence approaches and the Minnesota model (AMM), referral for residential treatment. Group therapy will also run at various points of the year. Please note: harmful sexual behaviour that involves children does place an obligation/duty on a therapist to disclose this behaviour to relevant bodies. This is non-discretionary and necessitated by law.
