Addiction Recovery: Healing, Growth, and Lasting Change

Addiction isn’t about weakness—it’s about deep pain. As Dr. Gabor Maté explains, substance use and compulsive behaviors often begin as survival strategies—ways to numb, escape, or cope with wounds rooted in trauma, stress, or unmet emotional needs. Addiction isn’t just about the substance or behavior itself—it’s about what’s underneath it. But while addiction often begins as a response to pain, over time, it becomes a chemical dependency—rewiring the brain’s reward system and reinforcing destructive habits.

That means recovery isn’t just about processing past pain. It requires deliberate action, structure, and accountability. The addicted mind cannot be trusted to come up with its own solution—it operates through the sophisticated lens of using, shaping thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in ways that justify continued substance use. Addiction hijacks reality, and part of recovery is recognizing that your own thinking may be unreliable in this process. This is why treatment must go beyond self-reflection—it must include practical tools for breaking the cycle.

A Science-Based Approach to Lasting Change

If you're ready to break free from addiction, I’m here to support you. As a Certified SMART Recovery® Facilitator, I specialize in helping individuals overcome substance use and harmful behaviors by using practical, evidence-based tools that focus on self-empowerment and long-term success. Healing requires both insight and action. Together, we will work on:

• Urge Resistance & Craving Management – Learning to recognize and ride out cravings without giving in.
• Relapse Prevention Planning – Identifying high-risk situations and creating a plan for staying on track.
• Environmental Change – Removing triggers, restructuring routines, and building a life that supports sobriety.
• Surrounding Yourself with Other Sober People – Replacing old using circles with supportive, recovery-minded relationships.
• Shifting Faulty Thinking Patterns – Recognizing how addiction distorts reality and learning to trust logic over impulses.

SMART Recovery® provides a structured, science-backed approach to addressing addiction. Unlike faith-based models, SMART emphasizes self-reliance and cognitive tools that put you in control of your recovery.

Beyond Abstinence: Rebuilding a Life Worth Staying Sober For

Stopping substance use is only the first step. True recovery means building a life that feels worth living without the need to numb or escape. That’s why I integrate:

• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) – Helping you recognize and shift automatic thought patterns that fuel addiction.
• Motivational Interviewing (MI) – Strengthening your internal motivation for change.
• Anger Management & Emotional Regulation – Developing skills to handle stress without turning to substances.
• Polyvagal & Somatic Approaches – Helping the nervous system shift out of survival mode and into a state of connection and resilience.

Along with behavioral changes, trauma work is essential for long-term recovery. Many people who struggle with addiction carry deep emotional wounds from childhood or past experiences that continue to drive destructive behaviors. Without addressing these underlying wounds, the pull toward using remains strong. By working through unresolved trauma, we reduce the need for escape and self-medication, replacing those patterns with genuine healing, self-compassion, and healthier coping mechanisms.

Because addiction and trauma are deeply connected, my approach is trauma-informed, ensuring that you feel safe and supported while rebuilding your life. Recovery is about more than just stopping a behavior—it’s about learning to trust yourself again, developing real resilience, and living with clarity and purpose.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone—Support Is Here

Addiction convinces you that you can manage it alone, but recovery requires connection, accountability, and a willingness to challenge the mind’s own distortions. You don’t have to stay trapped in the cycle of using.

If you’re ready to break free, build a sustainable recovery, and reclaim your life, I’m here to help. Together, we’ll create a path that is empowering, realistic, and built for long-term success.