How to speak to a professional

Step 1 - acknowledging you may have a drug or alcohol issue

• Make a note of the times and instances that you have used and how much you used each week
• Some questions you might want to ask yourself:
  • How did it make you feel straight away?
  • Did this change after a few hours or during the day after using it?
  • Did it match up to your expectations?
  • How did it make you feel afterwards? Some people might report strong negative feelings. Or, there may have been  repercussions from drinking or using drugs such as arguments, a decline in physical health (energy) and missed social engagements. 
  • What impact has it had on you or loved ones? Have you missed health appointments? Have you fallen behind at work or started to neglect responsibilities around the home? Whatever the impact, there’s a good chance that excessive alcohol/drug use will affect your mental health. Low self-esteem can increase dependency on drugs or alcohol to the point where it no longer feels manageable. 

Step 2 - speaking to a substance use service, health professional or listening ear service

• Using your answers from the set of questions above, you could either pass them to the health professional or talk them through. 
• You can start to unpack how it’s affecting your everyday life and what you would like to do differently.  
• Engage and listen to the feedback, and see how you can take steps to start controlling your drug/alcohol use. 
• Attend appointments (medical checks or follow-ups) as needed.
• If you're comfortable doing so, you could inform your loved ones that you are taking steps to address your dependency or addiction.

Step 3 – be accountable, work towards your goal and find interesting ways of staying on-track

• It’s not uncommon to relapse or have false starts with recovery. After all, you've relied on it for a considerable amount of time, so you're familiar with the ritual of using and the overall end result(s). The main thing is to accept there is likely to be a healthier way of managing stress, anxiety or other worries.  
• Replacing substance use with something that's more positive and makes you feel good can help restore a positive mindset. Changing tact can get you out of unhelpful routines and move you towards the pride of counting the hours, days, weeks and months of no longer feeling the urge to take substances. You might want to consider going for a walk, taking up a new hobby, going to a yoga or fitness class (there are so many available free of charge online), five-a-side football, playing a board game, having a relaxing bath or learning how to meditate. The list of options goes on and on... 

Find out more about specialist support nationally and in your area

Support services, like those listed on our website, can guide and support you every step of the way – even throughout recovery.

Support Services