Addiction Counselling and Intervention Plan

Addiction counselling is a specialised procedure addressed to people with addiction problems that do not require hospitalisation in closed facilities. Sessions aim to provide individualised support and include parallel 12-step group sessions. Particular emphasis is placed on family involvement, through intervention sessions that facilitate understanding of the situation and support for the addicted person.

The Nature of Addiction

Addiction can arise from deeper psychological needs, such as the desire for connection, security and validation. Jorge Bucay describes the gradual development of addictions through the sequences of human relationships, which often leave the individual neglecting themselves.

“When I talk about the mechanisms that create dependency, I always mention that when I was an infant of just a few hours or a few days…My mother was therefore literally essential to my existence, since I could not live without her… But I also discovered my dad, and I began to understand that I really couldn’t live without those two…then came school and with it my teachers…I met my first friend, my best friend, “Pozzo” Valliente, who I thought at the time that I could never, ever, ever part with… Rosita, my first girl, without whom I knew, for sure, that I couldn’t live… later the university, which embodied studies, the future, the career – and I thought, of course, that I couldn’t live without my job… Until…I met Perla…I couldn’t live without her…Maybe that’s why we built a family, without her I don’t know how I would have lived…Until one day…I realized that I couldn’t live without me. I had never, ever thought of that.
I had never felt how necessary I was to myself; the fool!”

This self-discovery underlines that inner care and acceptance are critical to dealing with addiction.

What is Addiction

Addiction is defined as dependence on a habit or substance, which is accompanied by at least three of the following characteristics:

• Strong desire of using the substance.
• Tolerance, i.e. the need for a larger amount for the same effect.
• Deprivation syndrome, when use is reduced or discontinued.
• Wasting time around use.
• Abandonment of important activities.
• Continued use despite negative consequences.

Addiction can cause shame and low self-esteem, and for many addicts the recognition of the damage they cause to themselves and those around them is particularly frightening.

“What he fears above all is his ‘clear-headed’ self, his life dull and drab, his mental pain without the ‘anaesthetic’ effect of the substance.“
– Katerina Matsa, Psychiatrist

Psychology of Addiction

When a person is under the influence of a substance, fears of inadequacy and low self-worth are temporarily reduced. Substances such as alcohol or heroin are often used to numb emotions or provide temporary relief. However, this leads to a repetitive process that reinforces addiction.

Intervention Plan

The approach is based on:

1. Personalized Sessions: Develop a plan that addresses the individual’s specific needs.
2. Family Support: Training of family members to support the addicted person.
3. Attending 12-step groups: providing social support through groups based on mutual understanding and solidarity.

Context: Reflections on Addiction

The following quote from Jack London outlines the nature of addiction and the struggle to understand its causes:

“Why am I drinking?
What need brought it on?
Was I happy?
Or did I have too much vitality in me?
I don’t know why I was drinking. I cannot answer, though somehow I can whisper the suspicion that arises in me.
Because I had developed a great intimacy with John Barleycorn (whiskey) over the years.
A lefty can become a righty after a lot of practice. Had I become an alcoholic, me, who didn’t drink, because of a long habit with alcohol?”
– Jack London, The Alcoholic

Addiction counselling offers the first step towards recovery, allowing the person to regain control of their life and build their self-esteem and resilience.