ADDICTION COUNSELING
IN ARVADA, CO
Compassionate Therapy for High-Functioning Adults
You Don’t Think of Yourself as an “Addict”
You’re responsible. You show up. You’ve got things under control. You don’t miss work. You have a successful career; in fact, you just got that promotion you’ve been wanting.
You don’t hit “rock bottom.”
But something is not quite right.
You pour yourself a glass or three of Chardonnay most nights to unwind or ask yourself, “Is working 55-60 hours a week really that bad?” You stopped counting at the 6th chocolate chip cookie while watching reruns of the Gilmore Girls or hanging in your closet are 15 pairs of rag & bone jeans and you wear 1, maybe 2 pair.
It feels great in the moment, right? When you get the dopamine hit, but later the shame, remorse and regret set in.
It’s not like you can’t go a day without drinking or your spouse is complaining about your spending.
You tell yourself, “It’s just stress.” “I’m not as bad as my friend, Jim.” “This is the last time.” “I’ll figure this out” - and then don’t.
High-Functioning Addiction Often Goes Unseen
Addictive patterns don’t always look messy, chaotic or disorganized.
Often, they look like:
Using alcohol to sleep
Working constantly to avoid feelings of self-doubt
Shopping to mask feeling like a fraud
Scrolling every night just to cope
Are you caught in the addictive cycle?
First there’s some type of Trigger. A internal or external cue like stress, anxiety, certain social situations or painful memories that create a desire to use a substance or engage in a behavior.
Then you notice Fantasizing or Obsessing about using a substance, engaging in a behavior, past resentments or simply the ruminations of a bad day.
Next is the Ritual. The only thing that brings “relief” from the mental noise of the obsession is to begin the chase towards feeling good. This is the routine you engage in to obtain your addictive substance or behavior e.g. driving to a liquor store, scrolling on-line shopping sites, getting ready for a night out.
Then comes the Behavior or the act itself - getting drunk, bingeing on brownies, scrolling your phone for cat videos
Lastly comes the experiencing of negative consequences that lead to feeling Shame, Guilt, Remorse. These painful feelings often trigger the next addictive cycle.
how i can help
Counseling can help you break the painful cycle of addiction.
You Don’t Have to Carry This Alone
What Addiction Is Doing for You
In my experience, addiction is rarely about willpower. It’s about regulation. Your nervous system is trying to calm anxiety, avoid overwhelm, soften loneliness or escape boredom.
For many high-achieving adults, addictive patterns can be rooted in trauma, emotional neglect, avoidance or long-standing anxiety.
They are behaviors that become patterns. The substance or behavior isn’t the core problem.
It’s the solution your system found. And solutions can change.
How Addiction Therapy Works
First, understand how the behavior has been trying to help you.
Then build in new ways to feel steady - without relying on something outside yourself. Learning essential skills to deal with the painful emotions that lead to cravings, stopping the cycle of addiction and replacing the behavior with helpful behaviors, tools and practices.
Addressing any deeper patterns that are driving these behaviors.
Lastly, making it stick. You don’t want a quick fix - you want sustained, lasting change.
My approach comes from a place of compassion and understanding: no shame or judgment, it’s simply a pattern that needs fixing.
imagine a world where…
You no longer rely on substances or problematic behaviors to cope.
You have the tools to manage cravings. You are aware of your triggers and have the skills to confidently manage them in the moment. You have replaced these past problematic behaviors with behaviors that are nourishing and support your wellbeing.
You feel self-assured in handling your emotions as they come up.
You no longer rely on substances or problematic behaviors as distractions. You are more present in your daily life and make choices based on your values and how you want to live your life. You feel more grounded and connected to yourself like never before.
You don’t feel defined by addiction.
You no longer feel weighed down by past choices and have let go of guilt and shame. You recognize the purpose these past behaviors have served, and know that it is not your identity.
I want you to know:
You can stop the cycle of addiction.
Let’s work together to get to the root of the problem so you can experience lasting change.
faqs
Common questions about therapy for addictive patterns.
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Many people who struggle with addictive patterns are highly responsible and successful in other areas of their lives.
You might start to wonder if something is becoming a problem when you notice patterns such as relying on alcohol to relax, promising yourself you’ll cut back but not following through, or feeling uneasy about how often you’re using something to cope.
You don’t need to hit rock bottom to explore your relationship with alcohol or other behaviors.
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Not necessarily.
Therapy can begin with curiosity and understanding rather than immediate pressure to change everything at once.
Our work often focuses on understanding what the behavior has been doing for you - such as managing anxiety, stress, or emotional pain - and developing healthier ways to regulate your nervous system.
Over time, many clients naturally begin making choices that feel more aligned with their values and well-being.
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Very often, yes.
Many addictive behaviors develop as a way to manage overwhelming feelings, chronic stress, or unresolved trauma.
Alcohol or other coping strategies may temporarily calm the nervous system, but they don’t address the deeper patterns driving the behavior.
By working with both the underlying emotional experiences and the nervous system, therapy can help reduce the need to rely on these patterns.
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This is a common belief among people who struggle with addiction.
It’s a belief that keeps you isolated and stuck in your addiction. That’s why talking with someone is so helpful – first you start to recognize you’re not alone and second – there actually is a way out!
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Addiction is a chronic brain disease, not a matter of willpower. So, contrary to old stereotypes those who become addicted to alcohol or drugs aren’t weak, immoral or irredeemably flawed.
That said, willpower does play a small part in working with habit change and this skill of self-control can be learned in therapy.
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That is one of the many myths of addiction.
Addiction can impact people who have had privileged backgrounds, earned college degrees, started successful businesses and lived their entrepreneurial dreams.
Addiction doesn’t discriminate against race, social class, socioeconomic status or gender.
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