Substance Abuse Counseling for People Who Are Tired of Pretending It’s Fine
Online addiction therapy in Colorado & Florida for alcohol, marijuana, narcotics, and other drug-use concerns.You don’t have to wait for alcohol or drug use to ruin your whole life before it deserves attention. Maybe the people around you are worried, fed up, or both. Maybe you’re tired of substances making your life smaller. It’s time for judgment-free support to cut back, quit, or figure out what needs to change.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELING IN CO & FL
You’re done breezing past all the stop signs
Drinking and drug use don’t have to ruin your whole life to be a serious issue.It’s like you keep borrowing from future happiness to feel better right now. Except it doesn’t feel better anymore. The good vibes drained out, but your brain keeps feeding you bullshit. If you’re looking for addiction counseling in Colorado or Florida, you already know this is not about being a bad person. You want counseling for alcohol, marijuana, or other drug use that feels harder to control.
Other people are worried about you, or maybe fed up and angry. You keep coming back to the same thing, even though it is probably making your mood worse. You feel embarrassed, frustrated, and hopeless because the pattern keeps repeating.
Addiction can range from, “I’d be better off without this,” to, “everything is falling apart.” Talking about it has not been enough. You need real strategies to cut back, quit, or get help with alcohol and drug use before things get worse.
It’s time to try something different.Case managers looking to make step-down referrals, click here.
Specialized Addiction Treatment for People Ready for Something Different.
Finding a therapist who gets your life is half the battle.
— Alcohol Abuse Counseling
What’s right for you in a world that just adores alcohol?
It’s everywhere and always easy to get. Sometimes people look down on you for drinking too much, and other times they push you to drink more. The mixed messages around drinking are just unreal. Alcohol addiction counseling can help you work through the thoughts, feelings, and habits that keep the pattern going, whether you want help cutting back on drinking or want to quit completely. CBT and DBT are proven treatments for addressing all of the thinking, feeling, and behaviors that fuel excessive drinking (Boness, et al., 2023). Similarly, EMDR has been shown to help people move past old, painful experiences and trauma that make it even more difficult to cut back or quit (Valiente-Gómez, et al., 2023).
— Marijuana Addiction Counseling
Some say it’s not even a drug. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Oftentimes, the hardest part of quitting marijuana is that the consequences are not actually that bad. It’s not really ruining lives in the way other drugs do. Prolonged cannabis use has been shown to have serious, mounting consequences (Crean, Crane, & Mason, 2011): fuzzy thinking, morning exhaustion that creeps into the whole day, worse anxiety and depression, and a memory that keeps failing you. Cannabis use counseling is not about shaming you for using weed. It is about understanding how nuanced it can be and getting real strategies to do something about it.
— Opioid and Narcotic Addiction Counseling
It’s still possible to enjoy life without them.
It’s hard to look back on your time using opioids because they mess with your brain and memory. You heard plenty about how horrible and addictive they are, but still thought maybe you’d be different. That calculation never made sense, but even now there’s a part of you that thinks life is better when you keep getting high. Prescription drug addiction counseling can make it clearer how to get out of this, with real painkiller addiction help for the habits, thinking patterns, and emotions that keep pulling you back. It won’t be easy, but the right guidance can make all the difference.
— LGBTQ+ Substance Abuse Counseling
When Grindr becomes your life-destroying DoorDash.
It’s no secret that meth runs rampant, especially among gay men. You know you can always hop on Scruff, Sniffies, or Grindr to find your next fix. It’s just way too easy, and you’re already plugged into the community. Or maybe you want to quit drinking, or at least cut back, and literally don’t know what to do with your friends if you stop drinking so much. Addiction really is a different experience in the queer community, and you need a therapist who actually gets that.
Hi, I’m Adam,
I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Addiction Counselor. I earned a second clinical license in addiction counseling because people dealing with alcohol, marijuana, opioids, or other drug use deserve care from a clinician with specialized addiction credentials.
Every path to recovery looks different, and I don’t force a one-size-fits-all game plan. Some people love 12-step programs. Others hate them. I respect your right to choose the recovery supports and goals that fit your life.
My self-empowerment model means I give clients clear information, practical tools, and resources so they can make informed choices about their own recovery. Whether you want to talk honestly about your use, cut back, or quit completely, we will build a clear therapy plan around your goals.
- Adam Stanford, LPC, LAC Gottman Method I EMDR I CBT I DBT I Licensed Addiction Counselor I Licensed Professional Counselor
Telehealth therapy services online in Colorado & Florida
How I Work
An in-depth approach that really treats addiction.
You don't need endless processing; you need a way to change your nervous system's response. By combining the rational thinking of CBT, the self-soothing skills of DBT, and the power of EMDR to clear the "stuck" emotions in your body, I can help you stop addiction from taking over your life.
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Rewire the thinking that keeps you stuck.
We identify the harmful thoughts and underlying beliefs fueling your shame, self-blame, anger, and fear, and systematically replace them with patterns that reflect reality instead of old conditioning. It’s not toxic positivity, it’s realistic and constructive thinking.
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Build skills for the moments that hit hardest.
Being more present and aware, getting through intense emotions without making things worse, tilting the scales towards more happiness and contentment, and resolving issues between you and other people. Practical tools for riding out panicky moments, managing fear and shame without self-destruction, and holding your ground in relationships without abandoning yourself.
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Resolve trauma at the root.
EMDR helps your brain finish processing memories that got stuck when they happened. If you understand your patterns but still feel hijacked by them emotionally, EMDR often provides the missing piece that talk therapy alone can't shift.
FAQ
Questions people ask before starting substance abuse treatment.
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Sessions are $225 each (53 minutes). I'm in-network with Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare. For all other insurances, you may have out-of-network benefits that reimburse a portion of each session. I've partnered with Thrizer to handle that process automatically, which typically saves clients around 70% upfront. You can check your benefits in under a minute here.
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There are many different ways to view this, but I can make it very simple for you. If the cons outweigh the pros, then there’s a problem. The cons aren’t always the most obvious things you think of. For example, they can include having conflict with important people in your life because they don’t like your use, or never learning how to handle your emotions without substances. I don’t make assumptions- I help people decide what’s best for them and go from there.
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If it was easy, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. But lasting addiction recovery isn’t about just quitting and white knuckling it. It involves shifting baked-in thinking patterns, finding new and more positive ways to live your life and get your needs met, and addressing all the underlying issues and emotions that keep you stuck. No one regrets getting a handle on their drinking or drug use after they do. They all agree that getting started sooner is always better than putting it off.
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I certainly cannot make that decision for you, but I can help you make it. Research has shown that Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) greatly improves the efficacy of substance abuse treatment (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2019). I do not hold a medical degree and cannot prescribe. I’m familiar with the options, I can help you navigate the process, and I support your decision either way.
Ready to leave addiction in the past?
If you’re ready to change your life, let's talk. Schedule a free consultation to see if this feels like a good fit.
FOR CASE MANAGERS & COMMUNITY PARTNERSReferring a Client for Addiction Counseling?
I welcome step-down referrals and collaboration with community recovery providers. Download the referral guide for financial-fit, consultation, and continuing-care steps.