Specialized programs
Addiction & recovery support
We provide confidential support for alcohol and substance use — assessment, medication where it helps, monitoring your physical health, and connecting you with treatment and counseling. Addiction is treated here as a medical condition, because that is what it is.
Come in if you have
- You are drinking or using more than you want to
- You have tried to cut down and could not
- Someone close to you has raised concerns
- You are prescribed opioids and worried about dependence
- You are in recovery and need a doctor who understands that
What happens at your visit
- We ask direct, non-judgmental questions. Honest answers get you better care; nothing here is about disapproval.
- We check the physical effects — liver, blood count, blood pressure, nutrition.
- We discuss options including medications that reduce cravings, which are genuinely effective and under-used.
- We connect you with counseling and programs, and we stay your doctor throughout.
A medical condition, treated as one
Substance use disorders change brain function in ways that are well documented. Framing them as a failure of character has never helped anyone recover, and it keeps people away from the appointment that could.
You will be asked direct questions here, because accurate answers determine safe treatment. You will not be judged for the answers.
Do not stop drinking abruptly on your own
Worth stating clearly, because it is not widely known: if you drink heavily every day, suddenly stopping can be medically dangerous. Alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures and, in severe cases, a life-threatening condition called delirium tremens.
If you are planning to stop, talk to us first. Withdrawal can be managed safely with the right support, and knowing that is often the difference between a plan that works and one that ends in an emergency room.
Medications exist and work
This is the most under-used part of addiction treatment.
There are medications that meaningfully reduce alcohol cravings. For opioid dependence, there are treatments that rank among the most effective interventions in all of medicine, measured by lives saved.
They are not a replacement for counseling and support — they work best alongside them — but the idea that recovery must be achieved through willpower alone is both wrong and needlessly hard.
If you are on prescribed opioids
Being physically dependent on a medication you were prescribed is not the same as addiction, and worrying about it does not mean you have done anything wrong. If you want to reduce or come off, we can plan a taper that is gradual enough to be manageable.
Your physical health still matters
Recovery is not only about substances. We monitor liver function, blood count, blood pressure and nutrition, and treat what needs treating — because those are often neglected during periods of heavy use and they matter to how you feel.
If you relapse
Come back. That is the whole message. Most people who ultimately recover relapse along the way, and the useful response is to work out what to change — not to disappear from care because of embarrassment.
Common questions
- Will this go in my medical record?
- It is part of your confidential medical record, protected like everything else, and substance use information carries additional legal protections. It is not shared with employers or family without your permission.
- Do I have to stop completely?
- That is your decision to make, and for some substances reducing is a legitimate goal. For alcohol specifically, if you drink heavily every day, stopping abruptly without medical supervision can be dangerous — talk to us before you do.
- Are there medications that help?
- Yes, and they are considerably under-used. There are effective medications for alcohol dependence that reduce cravings, and for opioid dependence treatments that are among the most effective interventions in medicine. They work best alongside counseling.
- What if I relapse?
- You come back. Relapse is part of the pattern for most people who eventually recover, and it is information about what needs adjusting — not evidence that treatment failed or that you did. You will not be turned away or lectured.
This page explains how we care for this condition at our office. It is general information, not medical advice for your specific situation — please talk to us about your own care.
Ready to get this looked at?
Call us or send a request and we will get you in — often the same or next day.