I try to help people with drug or alcohol issues.

There are all kinds of reasons why people find them selves using substances, I'm focused on to help find out what happened to them and why the use of alcohol or drugs is a symptom.

I try to work out how the things that have happened to people might have changed the way they think about themselves, think about other people, think about how the world works or what might happen next.

If some very bad things have happened, you will probably think that bad things will happen again. If someone has hurt you in the past, you will probably be scared that it might happen again. This is trauma. Some people are so traunatised that it changes the way their brains work. When people are anxious, they sometimes ask doctors to help them. But this doesn't really work very well, and can cause as many problems as it helps. Usually resulting in dependencies on prescriptive, non prescribed, illigal drugs and/or alcohol to help at least temporarly remove the pain.

I try to help people by understanding why the bad things have happen to make us feel sad, scared and anxious. I then talk to people to try to help them understand that only they can help themselves and that by taking back control can find better ways to help themselves. Usually, that happens when they come to understand that they can think about the world in different ways, and by talking to other people is the best way to learn how to think in new and different ways.

Paul Burrows
MSc Psych, BA (Hons), Dip Adv Psy, Dip Adv Hyp.
Family Drug & Alcohol Court
Specialist Assessment & Intervetion Worker