Addiction
The word “addiction” can be used in many contexts such as obsession, compulsion, or excessive psychological dependence. For the purpose of our services we will look at drug addiction (both prescription and illegal substances), alcoholism and gambling.
Medically these addictions are considered as chronic neurobiological disorders that can have biological, psychological and sociological implications for both the user, their families and their employers.
These disorders are characterised by the continued use of a substance (despite its detrimental effects) that can lead to impaired control over the use of a drug. This “craving for more for either drugs, alcohol or gambling” is often accompanied by the presence of deviant behaviours.
Here at City Beacon we offer the only non residential alcohol, drugs and gambling service of our kind within the London square mile on a strictly confidential basis.
We offer counselling services for all forms of addiction including:
- Alcoholism: Also known as alcohol dependence or alcohol addiction that has a variety of psychological effects on individuals and can increase anxiety, depression, memory loss and dementia
- Drugs: The use of drugs in the short term often produce symptoms of lethargy, depression, insomnia and loss of appetite, that may lead to weight loss. Long term use can lead to severe physiological damage, psychosis, paranoia and schizophrenia. All drugs have the ability to provide potential overdoses to the user.
- Gambling: A gambling addiction is when a person has uncontrollable urges to gamble despite how much money he has or any negative consequences it may cause should they lose this money.
