Polski
English
Español
What can you come to us with?
Addictions
Addiction takes away not only health, money and time, but also the sense of having a say in your own life. It leaves marks for many years: it changes the whole family, your relationships and the way you see yourself. At the Unique practice in Warsaw we offer consultations and psychological support both for people who are addicted and for those close to them.
Book a visitAddiction develops gradually and often goes unnoticed for a long time. It starts as a way of releasing tension and in time becomes the only familiar way of handling difficult emotions. That is why the resolution to "stop tomorrow" so rarely proves enough.
It is worth knowing that addictions are not limited to substances. The same mechanism drives working beyond your strength, gambling or compulsive phone use - and the consequences can be just as severe.
If you are asking yourself "is this an addiction?", something has already begun. Noticing the problem is part of the change.
When is it worth looking for help?
You do not have to be certain that it is an addiction - if anything worries you, it is worth talking about it.
Talk to a psychologist- Despite sincere resolutions it is harder and harder to limit the amount or the frequency.
- You reach for a substance or a behaviour to cope with stress, sadness or boredom.
- Those close to you comment on it, and you explain yourself or hide the scale of the problem.
- You neglect duties, relationships or your health, even though they used to matter to you.
- After the brief relief comes guilt and the promise that this was the last time.
- You live with someone who is addicted and all your attention goes into controlling their behaviour.
- You grew up in a home with an alcohol problem and you see the effects in your relationships today.
In which situations do we help?
Alcohol addiction
What it is
Alcohol dependence develops over years and stays invisible to those around for a long time. Its symptoms include losing control over the amount, drinking despite negative consequences and a growing tolerance.
How it may show up
Regularly reaching for alcohol to improve mood or sleep, hiding the drinking, guilt afterwards, attempts to cut down that end in a return to the old pattern.
How therapy helps
During the consultation we help you look at the situation and decide on the next step. We point you to the right facility if inpatient treatment is needed. We also work on what accompanies the drinking or is left behind by it: anxiety, guilt and difficulties in relationships.
Addiction to psychoactive substances
What it is
We speak of addiction when taking a substance slips out of control and continues despite negative consequences for health, work or family. This applies both to drugs and to sleeping pills or sedatives, where the problem often begins with an entirely legal prescription.
How it may show up
Increasing doses, organising the day around the availability of the substance, withdrawal symptoms, withdrawing from contact with others.
How therapy helps
Above all we work on the emotions that triggered the urge to reach for the substance. We also offer support once treatment has ended: in recognising the situations that raise the risk of relapse and in rebuilding a daily rhythm and relationships with others.
Gambling and behavioural addictions
What it is
Behavioural addictions concern activities rather than substances. They include addiction to gambling, to games, to the phone and the internet, as well as compulsive shopping and workaholism. The mechanism is the same in every case: brief relief, after which the tension returns.
How it may show up
Losing control over time or money, neglecting other areas of life, hiding the scale of the problem, a growing need for a bigger dose to get the same effect.
How therapy helps
In behavioural addictions psychological work matters especially, because it concerns the emotions the behaviour was meant to regulate. We look at what purpose it served and search for other ways of coping.
Compulsive sexual behaviour
What it is
Pornography addiction and compulsive sexual behaviour involve repeating behaviours despite the harm they do to relationships, work or self-esteem. It is a subject loaded with shame, which makes it hard for many people to ask for help.
How it may show up
A sense of lost control, unsuccessful attempts to limit the behaviour, hiding it from a partner, growing guilt and withdrawal from closeness.
How therapy helps
We address the mechanism behind the behaviour and its effects on relationships, closeness and self-esteem. Depending on what you need, you can choose a consultation with a psychotherapeutic or a sexological focus.
Codependency - when a loved one is addicted
What it is
Codependency is a way of functioning that develops in people living close to someone who is addicted. Life with an alcoholic or another addicted person gradually organises itself around their behaviour, at the cost of your own needs.
How it may show up
Controlling, hiding the problem from others, taking on responsibility for the consequences, guilt and exhaustion. It is common to believe that with enough effort you will manage to save the other person.
How therapy helps
Therapy for codependency helps you regain contact with your own needs and boundaries. Help for the families of addicted people makes sense regardless of whether your loved one takes up treatment - your wellbeing does not have to depend on their decision.
Adult children of alcoholics and of dysfunctional families
What it is
These terms describe sets of difficulties that come from growing up in a home without stability or predictability - with an alcohol problem or with another form of dysfunction.
How it may show up
The symptoms include difficulties with trust and closeness, excessive control, a sense of responsibility for others, a strong fear of rejection and the conviction of not being enough.
How therapy helps
The work consists of looking at the patterns brought from home and checking which of them still serve you and which are worth changing. We work on how you build relationships, where you set boundaries and how you treat yourself.
How can we support you?
A psychological consultation serves to put the situation in order and choose a way forward. At Unique we work with adult children of alcoholics and of dysfunctional families, with codependency and with behavioural addictions; in substance addictions we offer support alongside specialist treatment and after it has ended.
- 1
We talk about the situation
During the first consultation we look at what is happening, for how long, and how it affects your daily life, your work and your relationships.
- 2
We settle on the form of help
Together we decide what will be most effective: work at our practice, a psychiatric consultation or a specialist centre.
- 3
We work on change
We address what triggers and sustains the mechanisms of addiction: emotions, relationships, patterns brought from home. This is the work that helps the change last.
Regain a say in your own decisions
You do not have to hit rock bottom to reach for help. The sooner you look at your situation clear-headed, the more options you have. Book a consultation in person in Warsaw or online.
Pick a slot in our calendar here
The booking calendar is only available in Polish. Prefer to book in English? Call or write to us and we will arrange it.
The booking calendar is only available in Polish. Prefer to book in English? Call or write to us and we will arrange it.
Most frequent questions about addiction and codependency
Do you run addiction treatment programmes?
We do not run certified rehabilitation treatment. People addicted to psychoactive substances (including alcohol) can use consultations and psychological support at Unique. If needed, we will help you choose the right facility. We offer comprehensive support in the areas of adult children of alcoholics and of dysfunctional families, codependency and behavioural addictions.
Is it worth coming to therapy after finishing rehab?
Yes. Rehabilitation focuses on maintaining abstinence, while psychotherapy lets you address what the addiction was covering: emotions, relationships, self-esteem. It is significant support in preventing relapse.
How do I get out of a gambling addiction?
Treating a gambling addiction usually requires combining several measures: limiting access to gambling and to money, putting your finances in order and working on the emotions the game was meant to regulate. That last element is decisive for lasting change, and it is what we work on at the practice.
How can I help an alcoholic who does not want treatment?
You cannot make the decision for another person, and that is often the hardest thing to accept. What you can do is stop shielding them from the consequences of drinking and take care of yourself. Many people begin therapy for codependency at exactly the moment their loved one refuses treatment.
What is codependency and how do I recognise it?
Codependency is a way of functioning that develops in people living close to someone who is addicted. It is marked by controlling their behaviour, taking on responsibility for the consequences of their decisions, hiding the problem from others and gradually giving up on your own needs.
Does this therapy make sense if my parents are no longer alive or I have no contact with them?
Yes. The work concerns how you function today in relationships and towards yourself, not your relationship with your parents. Neither contact with the family nor their participation in therapy is needed.
Where can I find this kind of therapy in Warsaw?
You are welcome at the Unique Psychological Practice in Ursynow (ul. Beli Bartoka 8/76) or for an online consultation.