WHY PEOPLE COME IN
They are here because something has shifted. What started as occasional use has become daily. The motivation to do things they used to care about has gone flat. They are using to manage anxiety, sleep, or stress, and it is not really working the way it used to. Or they have tried to stop and found it harder than they expected.
Cannabis dependence does not always look like what people picture when they think about addiction. That is part of why it goes unaddressed for so long. If something about your use has started to bother you, that is enough of a reason to talk to someone.
WHAT WE TREAT
There is no threshold you have to cross before coming in. Some people come in because a court or employer has required an evaluation. Others come in because they want an honest clinical picture of where they are. Most come in because they have been thinking about it for a while and finally decided to do something about it.
Common presentations we work with:
Daily or near-daily use that has become difficult to cut back on
Using cannabis primarily to manage anxiety, sleep, stress, or emotional discomfort
Feeling flat, unmotivated, or disconnected and suspecting cannabis is a factor
Withdrawal symptoms when trying to stop: irritability, sleep disruption, appetite changes, restlessness
Cannabis use alongside a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression
Court-ordered or employer-required SUD evaluation
THE MENTAL HEALTH CONNECTION
A significant number of people who use cannabis heavily are doing so to manage an underlying mental health condition. Anxiety is the most common. Depression is a close second. The cannabis provides short-term relief and becomes part of how the condition gets managed, which makes both harder to address.
We assess and treat both together. If there is an underlying anxiety or depressive disorder driving the use, treating the substance use in isolation is unlikely to hold. Our counselors are trained in both mental health and substance use, which means the full picture gets addressed in the same practice.
Our counselors are trained in both mental health and substance use. Whatever is driving the use gets addressed in the same practice, not referred out and lost.
You do not need a diagnosis to start. Just a willingness to talk.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Treatment typically includes:
Individual therapy using CBT and motivational interviewing approaches
Work on the patterns, triggers, and emotional functions that maintain use
Strategies for managing the underlying conditions that cannabis has been treating
SUD evaluation if documentation is needed for court, employer, or licensing purposes
Referral coordination for higher levels of care if outpatient is not the right fit
