Addiction Counseling Services

It is vital to understand that, in the journey of sobriety, not drinking or using drugs is only the first thing we do… abstinence is just the beginning. The ultimate goal is becoming the best possible version of our self… the person we were meant to be. When we are focused on being the best we can be in each area of our lives, alcohol and drugs have no part. Sobriety is living a life so wonderfully exciting and rewarding we wouldn’t dare risk a moment of it by returning to the debilitating habits of alcohol and drug use. The solution to addiction is becoming the person God intended us to be; a person who lives a life where alcohol and drugs are no longer consistent with who we are.

LET'S GET STARTED

LifeSwitch provides a highly-structured 14 week, one-on-one counseling program for those suffering from the use and abuse of alcohol and/or drugs. We offer several levels of intensity to accommodate the specific needs of each unique client.

3 Three Key Elements to Success

Trusting and mutually - respectful relationship
There has to be a commitment from both the counselor and the client to engage in complete honesty. There must be mutual trust.
Realistic and time-specific goals of mutual agreement
We can't get to where we want to go unless we know the destination. We can't be sure we are making progress towards those goals unless we have measuring posts along the way.
You are the most important participant in your recovery
Client cooperation and participation in their own recovery is expected.
Enthusiasm is appreciated!

Whatever you put ahead of your sobriety
is the second thing you lose.

If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done.

Thomas Jefferson

THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME

Most addiction counseling efforts attempt to teach the client how to change their behavior so that they no longer are tempted to drink or use drugs. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), the most widely used therapy for recovery in clinical environments, is an effective evidence-based model for addiction. We use it as part of our program. It just doesn’t go far enough. At LifeSwitch, we believe that the ultimate outcome is for a client to become the type of individual where using drugs or alcohol is no longer consistent with whom they are. The aspirations and goals of the individual are such that alcohol and drugs no longer have a welcomed place. That is permanent change.

Think of the athlete gymnast who is practicing 12 to 14 hours a day to be in the Olympics. They don’t take a lunch break and eat pizza or cheeseburgers. They don’t have to put a note on the refrigerator to remind them not to eat a box of doughnuts during the day; doing so would be a breach of who they are, who they are becoming and who they ultimately want to be.

If correcting this monstrous problem of drug and alcohol abuse were as easy as avoiding the street where your favorite liquor store or drug dealer was, we could ‘recover” by picking up a pamphlet at the pharmacy on how to quit. Addiction is so much deeper than that and the permanent solution lies in determining who we are and transforming our attitudes, principles and goals in life. Sobriety is a beautiful experience. To live life where being the best that we can be in all facets of what we do is exhilarating. We find a new dimension of existence that we previously didn’t know existed. At LifeSwitch the ultimate outcome is for you to find that new existence.

ASSESSMENT

New clients at LifeSwitch begin with 120 minutes in-office for assessment, assessment review and treatment planning. This time is divided into two appointments generally within a few days of each other

TREATMENT

LifeSwitch blends a variety of evidence-based treatment modalities in developing and implementing a recovery plan individualized for each client. The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous continues to be the most effective recovery program ever developed for addiction and Twelve Step Facilitation is the clinical model of recovery that is most often used in treatment facilities all over the world. Even when this model is not used as the primary element in the treatment plan at LifeSwitch, its principles are always part of our client experience. Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its big brother Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are also effective treatment foundations that are used in every client program at LifeSwitch. Specifically, MI is based on the idea that the counselor’s most important role is to be the facilitator and cheerleader for what the client has decided he or she wants to accomplish.

Virtual Sessions

The preference for treatment sessions is one-on-one, face-to-face. However, we will make accommodations for clients who travel on business, live outside of the area or have other considerations that make it difficult to be in our office for every meeting.

TREATMENT CONCLUSION

Reaching the point where treatment can end is a good thing. The goal of the one-on-one sessions is to create an environment and supply the knowledge essential to bring about a transformation of mind and spirit that makes the use of drugs and alcohol a contradiction to the client’s new life. The clinical time together also allows the newly recovered individual to build a “toolbox” filled with the solutions and know-how to avoid the traps of relapse that have led them astray in the past. Having cleared up a substantial amount of the trash and debris left from his or her alcohol or drug-induced past, the client can move on with a new sense of confidence.

ONGOING FOLLOW-UP CARE

Some clients like to continue to meet on a less frequent basis for a few months after the end of the treatment to continue to develop the skills of sobriety and to have accountability to stay on the right path. We are glad to accommodate as long as we can outline the objectives for the extended time together and set a firm time for completion.

A Note About Spirituality

It is important for anyone seeking any sustained recovery from alcohol or substance abuse to tap into the unlimited resource of God; however the client chooses to perceive Him. While there may be exceptions, we have yet to see even one person find peace and happiness or lasting sobriety without believing in something larger than themselves that establishes the moral order of things and keeps the planets from running into each other. If you believe or are at least willing to believe in such an entity you are already there. We have had success with nearly every religion and those with no religion. Many times life has dealt an individual so many hard blows that it is hard for them to imagine a loving God that cares about them and their personal journey. As long as the client brings with them an openness to believe God doesn’t place many obstacles in the way for those that seek him.

Christianity is the foundation of the spiritual aspect of counseling at LifeSwitch. Thus, much of the material covered in spiritual conversations will have Christian undertones. That fact has never been a detriment to one’s ability to find sobriety. LifeSwitch has one primary goal for treatment: for the client to emerge from the binding chains of addiction to a new life of peace, happiness and boundless opportunities. Converting one to any particular faith is not within the realm of our objectives. What is required is that the client has an open mind and not be antagonistic towards the idea of God. A look at one’s life in the throes of their struggle with alcohol or drugs should be proof enough that perhaps their way of thinking has room for change.

12 Step Meetings

We believe that attending 12 Step meetings is an important part of recovery, especially for the long haul. Talking with others who have been down the road and hearing a diverse set of circumstances and experiences around addiction is helpful, if not essential to long term recovery. Finding friends and having social activities with those who are also walking a path of sobriety enhances the recovery experience.

Clients almost always put up a defense to meetings: “I am not comfortable speaking in groups,” or “I have social anxiety” are frequent responses. Relax. While it is highly recommended, no one is going to force you to go to a meeting if you are opposed to it. Most people become more comfortable with the idea once they get a few treatment sessions under their belt. It is important to remember that our steadfastness in avoiding change is one of the things that contributed to our journey to this time and place. Like everything else, keep an open mind and you will know what to do once that time comes.

A great place to start experiencing recovery meetings is CARTA, a strategic partner ministry of Southside Church. The group was started by the founder of LifeSwitch nearly a decade ago and is especially welcoming and comfortable for newcomers. CARTA stands for Christian Alcoholics/Addicts Recovering Together Anonymously and meets four times a week: twice via ZOOM and twice live. CARTA isn’t Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) but does subscribe to the 12 Steps originally proposed as a recovery method by the AA founders. The meetings are free to attend and aren’t Bible thumping or an attempt to convert anyone. Folks are welcome to attend regardless of their religious or spiritual leanings.