Personal & Private Alcohol Drug Addiction Counselor

Easy Answers : Hard Questions Your
Most Honest Self Appraisal!

Beware Mixing These Potent Questions with Toxic Substances!

Patrick J. Hart Psy.D. Private Alcohol Drug Addiction Counselor Seattle

Straightforward Questions: Simple Responses: Yes or No?

Just Give Yourself Some Honest ~ Accurate Answers!

a despondent man suffering a hangover

Some Relevant Questions:
Level with Yourself ~ Does alcohol really still work for you?

  • Do you lose time or have work problems due to your drinking?
  • Is drinking compromising your friendships, marriage or family?
  • Do you drink for emotional relief or to manage your moods?
  • Are some events or activities hard to negotiate without alcohol?
  • Is drinking negatively affecting your reputation or self esteem?
  • Do you find yourself regretting the actions you take when drinking?
  • Can you accurately predict exactly how much you will drink?
  • Do you sometimes get more intoxicated than you had intended?
  • Have you had financial difficulties as a result of your drinking?
  • Do you associate with alcoholic companions and find yourself in inferior environments?
  • Does your family criticize your drinking?
  • Have your energy level and ambition decreased while drinking?
  • Do you yearn strongly for a drink at a definite time daily?
  • Do you want a drink in the morning or early afternoon?
  • Does alcohol create problems with overeating or sleeping?
  • Has your effectiveness or efficiency decreased since drinking?
  • Has problem drinking jeopardized your job or business success?
  • Do you drink to relieve stress or escape from worries or troubles?
  • Do you drink alone, in isolation, and without company?
  • Have you secretly wondered if or admitted that you are an alcoholic?
  • Have you ever had a loss of memory or blackout while drinking?
  • Has your counselor or physician ever advised you about alcoholism?
  • Do you drink to feel at ease socially or to build up your self-confidence?
  • Have you ever been hospitalized for alcoholism or drinking?
  • Does alcoholism run in your family or are most of your friends alcoholic?

Do You Now Find Yourself Abused . . .
. . . . By the Drugs You Used to Love?

A woman sheepishly snorting cocaine

How is Your Cocaine Use . . . Really Treating You?

  • Have you experienced excessive or negative consequences or problem use of cocaine (or other chemical substances)? These can include: getting high on drugs or getting drunk on alcohol and not being able to fulfill important role obligations at home, work, or socially. Do you believe that you need chemical substances in order to fit in with others, or to function adequately at work, or to cope at home?

  • Have you been driving under the influence of substances or risking arrest because you are loaded?

  • Do you have an arrest history for drugs or drinking or driving under the influence (DUI or DWI). Do you have more then one DUI or DWI? Have you been ordered to treatment or taken a deferred prosecution for drunk driving, DUI, or DWI?

  • Do you find yourself preoccupied with getting or using drugs and do you work and plan to protect your supply of drugs. Have you been making substance use too central and important in life; or been obsessed and preoccupied with using narcotics or other substances?

  • Are you seeing a change in your tolerance for various addictive chemicals? For example, have you been needing progressively more cocaine or other drugs to get high or getting high much more easily? Does it take more or less of the substance than was necessary in the past to satisfy your craving? As use continues, chemically dependent people must first use more of their drug of choice to get the desired effect. Then, the drug abuser often experiences decreased tolerance for the drug.

  • Are you having trouble reducing, abstaining, staying away from narcotic drugs or other substances? For example, are you not able to control how much or how often you use cocaine or other substances, or are you using more than usual or abusing other substances instead? Chemically dependent people may try switching between various drugs to prove “I am not addicted.”

  • Do you have withdrawal symptoms or fear you are addicted and may have withdrawal? When not using chemicals do you get physically ill? Withdrawal symptoms may include having the shakes or tremors, or suffering severe anxiety or panic, or feeling nauseous, or having a perpetually runny nose.

  • Once you cut down or stop using your drug of choice, do you experience intense and annoying emotional problems or do you complain of symptoms such as depression, anxiety, or aggravating cravings or obvious withdrawal symptoms?

  • Have you considered private drug counseling, addiction treatment or rehabilitation center programs?

  • Are you using substances to avoid or stop withdrawal symptoms? For example, are you using drugs to prevent fatigue, or are you feeling hung over from drinking and drugging? Do you use more drugs to stop withdrawal symptoms once they’ve started?

  • Are you continuing to abuse cocaine, crack, or other substances even though they cause more and more problems in your life? Chemically dependent people are not readily able to respond to a doctor, therapist, or the advice of other professional counselors to stop or cut down because of obvious problems that substance abuse has caused in their lives.

  • Have others told you that you are addicted or have the come right out and called you an addict? Do you get really defensive when others talk to you about addiction or ask you to get help for substance abuse?

  • Have you found yourself giving up important activities and interests or losing friendships because of cocaine addiction or other substance abuse? Signs of addiction include no longer participating in activities that once were important, giving up close friends who don’t get high, and losing friends because of how cocaine or other drug use affects your relationships with others.

  • Have you stopped and started cocaine, crack, or menthamphetamines and again, wondered if you are addicted? Do you promise yourself to quit using cocaine, smoking crack, abusing narcotics or other drugs, and then not keep your promises? Have you kept this internal promise secret — only to begin getting high on narcotics again and being unable to remain abstinent from cocaine or other drugs? Are you secretly slipping and admitting to yourself that you are an addict?

  • Are you getting into all manner of trouble because of cocaine, narcotics or other drug abuse? Have you repeatedly lost jobs or been unable or unwilling to find a job? Have you been getting arrested or engaging actions that find you at high risk for arrest? Are you having related legal problems, sabotaging otherwise valued relationships, or having trouble with family, lovers, or friends?

  • Have you experienced financial loss and do you have problems supporting yourself because of narcotics cocaine or other substance use?

Do Nothing and Nothing Changes! If what you are doing works for you – as the adage goes – don’t fix it! Otherwise, I look forward to meeting with you as soon as you wish. In the meantime, easy does it, and thanks for your interest in my practice.

If you are suffering . . . give me a call! 206-547-HELP 206-769-STOP

Dual Diagnosis This website provides information and resources for service providers, consumers, and family members who are seeking mental health and addiction recovery assistance or education. Women for Sobriety Women For Sobriety is both a self-help recovery program for treatment of women alcoholics or addicts. It is, in fact, the first national self-help treatment program for women alcoholics. Based upon a Thirteen Statment Program of positivity that encourages emotional and spiritual growth, the “New Life” Program is extremely effective in helping women to overcome their alcohol problems or drug addiction and to learn a wholly new lifestyle. Psych Central Articles Psychology central welcomes you to our community scientists and psychologist-practitioners of the psychological sciences! Psych central offers a wide range of free informational and educational articles and resources on psychology, support and mental health and addiction recovery rehab and  treatment resources online. Seattle Counselors Association A greater Seattle professional organization for mental health counselors, family counselors, chemical dependency and other addiction counselors, social workers, therapists, and psychotherapists from all counseling fields and backgrounds in King and South Snohomish Counties. Eating Disorder Referral Service This comprehensive website provides information and treatment resources for all forms of eating disorders. Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa and Compulsive Binge Eating. The Sober Recovery Directory The SoberRecovery directory lists hundreds of drug rehab and treatment centers, alcohol rehabilitation centers, sober living houses and recovery related resouses. This site offers perspective and help with referrals and information for heroin, cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, and treatment program options including detox, teen boot camps, wilderness programs and outpatient programs for adults or adolescents. Intervention.net Site by Walter Scanlon, respected author on the subject of family intervention offers elegant descriptions of various addiction treatment and  intervention strategies. Twelve Step Meetings in Seattle: The Twelve Step Fellowship Is AA for You" "Alcoholics Anonymous Seattle is a fellowship of men and women that who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking."

Seattle Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Meetings A schedule for Alcoholics Anonymous and related twelve step meetings in Seattle. Resources for 12 step meetings in Seattle for codependency anonymous, alanon, alateen, adult children of alcoholics, sex addicts anonymous, over eaters anonymous and the like.

Seattle Mental Health & Addiction Counseling

Explore your use of alcohol and other drugs: Are you still using for fun and recreation? Or have the consequences of your use started to create problems in your life? Have those hangovers been getting worse? Does your use seem out of control? Does your drinking pattern involve more than social relaxation and fun? Have you concluded that drug use is getting in the way of your occupation and relationships or that it is destroying your physical and mental health?

When it is a shame to continue — there is no shame in calling out for help! Private Counseling Practice: Individual therapy of addiction in Seattle.

  • Alternatives to rehabilitation programs
  • 12 step treatment
  • Cognitive Behavioral Relapse Prevention
  • Dr. Hart Private Alcohol Counseling