It may have started with having a glass of wine after dinner. It may be a pattern in your family of how women deal with stress—masking the pain or expressing it physically instead of emotionally. At first, it may have worked and not caused any problems. But now, your loved ones are expressing concern. You might have gotten into some legal trouble, like getting a DUI, or neighbors witnessed something you didn’t want them to, and now there are whispers in your circle. Your family may have bailed you out multiple times, but you’re still not sure you’ve got a problem. Or, you may be sleeping more and more, irritable, and no longer enjoying things you did before. You may be experiencing shame and secrecy about how bad it has gotten, and it’s getting hard to justify that it’s just “mommy wine culture.” Overuse of substances can be a coping skill for some people—however, the problem is, it works until it doesn’t (and starts causing problems).

There is a significant variation in degrees of substance use issues. Someone doesn’t have to have a full-blown diagnosis, and many extremely high-functioning people wouldn’t even meet the criteria. But if you think it’s more than you feel comfortable with or it’s starting to cause problems in your life, let’s talk. I highly value your confidentiality, and your comfort to explore your true feelings and behaviors in therapy is of utmost importance to me. If you’re concerned about your own or someone else’s substance use, contact me today. You are so worth it and deserve to be in the driver’s seat of your own life again—not the substances.