If you have an eating disorder, you may experience troubling thoughts and behaviours around food, eating, body shape and weight. But eating disorders take various forms.

Do you eat very restrictively because you’re terrified of eating too much? Do you binge eat and then find ways to compensate for doing so? Maybe you routinely overeat or find yourself constantly ‘grazing’ and gaining weight. 

The common factors with all eating disorders are the feelings that accompany them. Do you fear being out of control around food? Do you experience self-hatred and shame and think you’re a failure? Do your thoughts and behaviours relating to food and weight dominate your life and cause you significant problems in your health, mood, self-esteem, relationships and/or ability to participate in everyday activities? Do you constantly try to stick to yet another diet, make repeated resolutions to try harder and lose weight, then blame yourself for failing to do so? Has your weight gone up or down significantly over the years? Do you hide the reasons from others about why this has happened?

If you recognise yourself in this description, please know that your struggle does not have to continue and help is possible. 

Please contact me to make an appointment.

Alcohol is present at most social events and for most people it provides a way to relax and enjoy life. But alcohol is the most commonly used and abused recreational drug in Australia. And it’s legal. Although the image many people have of an alcoholic is of a broken down old man in shabby clothes drinking on a park bench in the middle of the day, this is not what alcoholism looks like for most alcoholics. 

A sign of alcoholism is finding that you can’t control your drinking, and often end up drinking more than you planned. Or, the morning after drinking, you forget what you said or did the night before. Perhaps your drinking is causing problems at work, in your relationships, or with the law? Have you ever ended up in hospital, gaol or in a rehab as a result of your drinking? Do other people comment on your behaviour when you drink? Do you have a personality change when you drink alcohol?

These scenarios and more are common amongst problem drinkers. However, it is possible to recover from alcoholism and live a far happier and contented life, and still have fun.

If you are ready to make a change, please contact me to make an appointment.

Addiction describes the use of substances or behaviours when that use has  become destructive or out of control. If you are addicted, maybe you want to stop using, but find you cannot do so for any significant period of time. Perhaps you have stopped for a while, but stopping feels worse than using. Maybe you have chosen, reluctantly, or even gratefully, to return to your substance use or addictive behaviour, regardless of the difficulty it causes you, because of the temporary relief it provides.

Addiction leads to significant problems in a person’s life. And the using and its consequences get worse over time. Perhaps your relationships are suffering. Maybe you have lost your job, or are finding it very hard to perform at work. Is your health being affected? Do you experience blackouts, where you have gaps in your memory? Does your addiction cause you money problems? Or legal problems? Have you ended up in danger, in hospital or in a prison cell after just nipping out for what you thought would be a quick play of the pokies or a fun evening out?

There are many things to which people can be addicted. Are you are experiencing problems with any of the following?

• Alcohol
• Recreational drugs
• Prescription drugs
• Smoking
• Gambling
• Sex
• Dysfunctional relationships
• Shopping
• Self-harm
• Stealing
• Gaming
• Compulsive internet use

Some people only struggle with one addiction, whilst others may struggle with several at the same time, or at different times. If the above describes you and you want to escape the frustration, self-hatred, shame and remorse that accompany addiction, I can help you.

Please contact me to make an appointment.