Will my therapist push me to quit immediately?

No. Effective addiction therapy meets you where you are. Many clients start in ambivalence and use Motivational Interviewing to build their own commitment. Quitting before you’re ready usually backfires; the work supports the change you actually decide on.

Are sessions confidential — even from my employer or family?

Yes. Sagemitra holds strict confidentiality. The only exceptions are the standard ones — imminent risk to self or others, or court-ordered disclosure — which your therapist will explain in the first session.

Can therapy help with porn or gambling addiction?

Yes. Behavioural addictions respond to similar protocols as substance addiction — CBT, relapse prevention, MI. Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder is increasingly recognised in clinical literature, including ICD-11.

What if I relapse during therapy?

Relapses are part of how recovery works for many people. Your therapist will not shame you. A relapse becomes information — what triggered it, what was missing — and feeds directly into a stronger relapse-prevention plan.

Therapy for Addiction & Substance Use

Addiction is treated, not punished.

Whether the substance is alcohol, drugs, nicotine, or a behaviour like gambling or porn, the underlying pattern is similar — and modern, evidence-based therapy works.

Find a therapist for Addiction Take wellness check

Most people who recover from addiction do so without inpatient rehab; outpatient therapy plus a recovery community is the most common path.

You are here.

Does this sound like you?

The everyday voice of addiction & substance use.

Read these slowly. If two or more land, you are not alone — and you are not broken.

“I told myself I’d stop and didn’t.”

“I’ve hidden how much I’m using from people I love.”

“I’m functioning at work and falling apart underneath.”

“My substance is the only thing that reliably calms me.”

“I feel ashamed every time I think about getting help.”

“I don’t know if I’m an addict — but this isn’t working.”

A clearer picture

What addiction & substance use actually is

Addiction is the brain’s reward system locked into a pattern that keeps producing short-term relief and long-term harm. Substances and behaviours both qualify — alcohol, smoking, drugs, gambling, compulsive sexual behaviour. The shame around addiction is often the largest barrier to getting help.

Effective treatment combines therapy, peer support (12-step or SMART Recovery), medical care for withdrawal where needed, and structural changes to environment. Sagemitra is an outpatient resource — for severe withdrawal or active risk, we will refer you to a residential setting.

Clinical reference

Maps to Substance Use Disorders (DSM-5, varying codes by substance) and Gambling Disorder (DSM-5 312.31). Behavioural addictions are increasingly recognised in clinical literature.

The shape of the work

Specific sub-areas we work with

Addiction & Substance Use shows up in a number of recognisable patterns. Therapists who work with this concern are familiar with each of these.

Alcohol
Smoking
Drugs
Gambling
Behavioural Addictions
Compulsive Sexual Behaviour

The work itself

How therapy actually helps

An addiction-trained therapist works without moralising. The first sessions stabilise — assess severity, manage cravings, set up a recovery structure — before deeper work on what the substance has been doing for you emotionally.

Approaches that work

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Builds your own commitment to change, especially when ambivalence is high. First-line for early-stage work.

CBT for Addiction

Identifies triggers, builds coping skills, and prevents relapse. Strong evidence base across substances and behaviours.

Relapse Prevention

Specific protocol for the high-risk situations and emotional states that drive relapse.

Trauma-informed work

For the substantial overlap between trauma and addiction — addressing the underlying pain that the substance has been managing.

What changes

You build a stable plan for early sobriety or controlled use
Cravings become predictable and survivable rather than overwhelming
Shame loosens its grip on the recovery process
You repair relationships strained by the addiction
You build supports that keep you steady when therapy ends
Relapses, if they happen, become information rather than failure

Outcomes are typical, not guaranteed. Your therapist will set honest expectations in your first session.

Matched for you

Therapists who specialise in addiction & substance use

View all therapists for addiction & substance use

Dr. Kabir Mehta

8+ years · Ahmedabad

Anger, regulation, and parenting after rupture

DBTCBTSomatic regulation

Dr. Aman Khan

11+ years · Delhi

ACT and CBT for depression, low motivation, and the stuck years

Dr. Meera Pillai

13+ years · Bangalore

EMDR + somatic therapist for trauma, PTSD, and Complex PTSD

EMDRSomatic ExperiencingIFS

View all therapists for addiction & substance use

Common questions

Things people ask about therapy for addiction & substance use

Most people recover from addiction without inpatient rehab. Outpatient therapy plus a recovery community is the most common path. Severe physical withdrawal (alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids) needs medical supervision — your therapist will refer you if so.

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