Addiction

An addiction involves any behaviour where you feel compelled to do something that could be harmful to your wellbeing, but you’re unable to stop.

The detrimental effects of an addiction can cause pain not only to yourself, but also to those around you. Addictions can come in many forms, with some of the more common including:

  • drug or alcohol abuse
  • sex addiction
  • gambling or gaming addiction
  • social media addiction
  • shopping addiction
  • prescription drug abuse
  • compulsive eating

Signs you may have an addiction can include:

  • an inability to stop the behaviour, even when you know it’s detrimental to your health and wellbeing
  • a loss of interest in other activities you previously enjoyed, such as exercise or hobbies
  • denial you have a problem, and/or the behaviour becomes secretive leading to feelings of isolation
  • taking risks or acting impulsively, which could result in hurting yourself or others in your life
  • your finances have started to suffer
  • you experience withdrawal symptoms or cravings when you haven’t ‘had your fix’ and/or you increasingly need more of the addiction in order to get the same ‘high’
  • your addictive behaviour is used to escape or numb yourself or to mask underlying distress
  • your work performance and/or social life begin to suffer

How Can We Help?

Addictions can be debilitating and difficult to overcome on your own, particularly if you no longer feel in control.  We recognise that addictive behaviour usually stems from some underlying distress, so we work with you in a safe and caring environment to identify the triggers and origins and create a treatment plan that aims to deal with the addictive behaviour, its current consequences as well as the initial issue or trauma.

At Peyton Psychology, we are pleased to offer our clients leading, innovative and Medicare approved psychological techniques such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)  to treat addictions. EMDR has a broad body of evidence demonstrating its efficacy in treating addictive and compulsive behaviours. Our practice manager can book in an initial appointment to discuss how this can support you, along with our other psychotherapy services.