The How & Why of Anxiety & Addiction  

Anxiety and addiction are often closely connected. Many people use alcohol or drugs to cope with racing thoughts, emotional pain, or chronic stress. Others experience anxiety after growing up in a home affected by substance abuse  (or mental illness), or from being in a relationship with someone who struggles with addiction.

Over time, your nervous system may learn to stay on high alert — bracing, overthinking, people-pleasing, or trying to control what feels unpredictable. What looks like anxiety is often a survival response shaped by trauma.

As a trauma-informed therapist, I provide compassionate, direct support for individuals and families impacted by alcohol and substance use. Whether you are struggling with your own relationship to alcohol or drugs, are an adult child of an alcoholic, love someone who drinks or uses, or are a parent of an adult child with addiction, therapy offers a space to slow down and understand what’s really happening beneath the surface.

In our work together, we focus on:

• The connection between anxiety and substance use

• Healing patterns rooted in family-of-origin trauma

• Breaking cycles of shame, guilt, and self-blame

• Building healthier boundaries in relationships

• Nervous system regulation and emotional resilience

As an advanced yoga teacher, I integrate body-based and grounding practices when helpful. Anxiety and addiction live in the body, not just in thoughts. We work to help your system feel safer, steadier, and more regulated.

The goal of anxiety and addiction therapy is not just symptom relief — it’s helping you feel grounded, empowered, and secure in your relationships and choices.

You don’t have to keep managing this alone.