Kate Heavey BA (Hons) FdSc BACP (Accredited) - Alcohol dependent / alcohol addiction counselling. Alcohol abuse psychotherapy. Alcoholism therapy. Individuals, partners and families impacted by alcohol in their relationships.(Surrey). Online alcohol addiction counselling offered via Zoom, Signal, WhatsApp and the phone.
The aim of this page is to for you to decide if you have an issue with alcohol and, if you do, what you want to do about it.
Alcohol is a legal substance yet heavy consumption can take years off your life and it has been likened to a slow suicide which is self-harming and painful TO YOU and the relationships around you. Please know you do not have to live this way. It takes courage to admit you have a problem and to seek help.
You can contact me in confidence to discuss what is happening (don't let shame keep you away!).
Questions to ask yourself:-
Once you start are you unable to stop?
Are the consequences of your drinking getting worse?
Are you losing family, friends, relationships and/or jobs?
Has your world got smaller leaving you feeling isolated and alone?
Is your health a concern to you (or others)?
Do you drink to block out memories, life events, and emotions or as a way of detaching from reality?
Does the term 'Jekyll and Hyde' ring true?
Do you have will-power for everything else and get confused why this is the one thing you cannot stop?
Have you tried 'controlling' only to fail (e.g. change of drink, setting out to have only 2, etc.)?
If you answer 'yes' to any of these, you are not alone. Support is available and the very fact you are here is the first step in getting help yet now you have to take a further action by contacting me if you want your life, and relationship to alcohol, to change.
Myth busting
To be dependent on alcohol you do not have to be moneyless, homeless or sat on a bench (although many think that is where a person dependent on alcohol ends up). It may be you are functioning whilst using to deal with / escape from life. So,right now, you have everything, just!
If you are physically active in your drinking then the chances are you may have lost the power of ‘choosing’ alcohol as you may be physically dependent and your body will crave alcohol once you take that first drink. At this stage, self-will, swearing off of it, changing your drink, delaying the time you start, etc. will all be to no avail.
Drinking does not have to be 24/7 and it is not about how much you drink it is about why you drink. To some, a couple of glasses of beer, wine, spirits, etc. can be too much whilst to others a couple of bottles of vodka is not enough! Alcohol misusers come in a variety of shapes and forms.
So how can counselling help alcohol usage?
If you are a heavy drinker / social drinker than moderation will be possible; this work includes looking at the reasons for the escalation of use (generally to escape life).
If you are more of the alcohol dependent / alcohol addicted / alcoholic variety, with an allergy to alcohol, then abstinence is probably the way forward as you may never be able to safely drink.
As a counsellor, I will support you and be alongside you in your journey encouraging you to be honest and open as we look at the underlying causes of your drinking and if you can moderate or if your way forward is abstinence.
We will look at whether you are a social, heavy or alcoholic drinker which can be a hard question to face yet, once you know, you can decide what path is right for you.
The elements of the cycle we will look at are:
- Dormant (what is fuelling your 'pour me')
- Trigger, although I prefer the word 'reactors' (i.e. loneliness, supressing feelings, resentment, self-punishment)
- Preparation (this is what happens before you act out)
- Acting-out (the actual drinking itself)
- Regret (how you feel when you have 'done it again')
- Rebuilding (life goes back to normal for a while before the cycle repeats)
(Addiction Cycle, Dr Paula Hall)
This forms a template for addiction which, together, we can work on you understanding.
If alcohol is impacting your life, and your relationships, please do reach out to get support as your path to being free from the bottle (and dreadful hangovers!) can only start by taking action.
Remember: Nothing changes if nothing changes.
Contact
Contact from website
Please click here to contact me directly from this website.
Email Contact
Email harmoniouscounselling@gmail.com
I will email you back the same day if a working day. Please be rest assured emails are confidential and only seen by me.
Telephone Contact
Call 07941 305511
If I am unable to answer please leave a brief message informing me of your enquiry along with your name, telephone number and when it is a good time for me to call you back.
Please note:- If your number is not familiar to me, and you do not leave a message, I will not call you back as I am aware this could be dangerous without knowing your individual situation.
My answering machine is confidential and your message will only be listened to by me.
Text / WhatsApp Contact
Text 07941 305511 to make an appointment.
If I am in an appointment I may not be able to answer you straight away yet I will get back to you as soon as I am able to.
Not ready yet?
If you feel you are not quite ready to commit to an appointment please feel free to message me. I have been where you are now and I am happy to help with your transition.
Can you identify with this quote......."A man who drinks too much on occasion is still the same man as he was sober. An alcoholic, a real alcoholic, is not the same man at all. You can't predict anything about him for sure except that he will be someone you never met before." RAYMOND CHANDLER, The Long Goodbye
KATE HEAVEY BA (Hons) BACP (Accredited) - ALCOHOL ADDICTION COUNSELLOR IN SURREY. ALCOHOL DEPENDENCY CRANLEIGH. ALCOHOL PSYCHOTHERAPY. ZOOM ALCOHOL PROBLEM COUNSELLOR. ALCOHOL MISUSE WEST SUSSEX.
