No one wakes up and says I am going to get addicted today. In fact, substance use often is viewed as the solution, until it becomes the problem.

Are you worried that your substance use may have crossed into abuse?

Substance use problems look different from person to person. A first DUI brings one person to counseling. Weekend drinking that's started hurting a marriage or a job brings another. A third person has struggled with addiction for years and needs help building a life in recovery. Family Service Agency (FSA) treats all three.

FSA has served Little Rock and the surrounding area for more than 75 years. Our substance use services include assessments, individual counseling, group sessions, education, relapse-prevention planning, and referrals to higher levels of care. Asking for help is hard, especially under shame or pressure. We work to make it possible for clients to speak honestly and start making changes that fit their actual lives.

Help with a Wide Range of Substance Use Concerns

Nobody has to hit rock bottom to qualify for help. Substance use runs along a continuum, and FSA works with people across all of it, from a single alcohol-related incident to a long-standing disorder.

People come to FSA for reasons like these:

  • A DUI or other alcohol-related charge.

  • A positive drug screen.

  • Court, probation, or employer requirements.

  • A family member's concern.

  • Problems at work, school, or home.

  • Drinking or drug use that's been creeping up.

  • A relapse after a period of sobriety.

  • Anxiety, depression, trauma, or other issues running alongside the substance use.

We start by figuring out what's actually been happening and what kind of support fits. The substance and the circumstances matter, but treatment gets built around the person.

"We see people before, during, and after the problem takes root," Andrew Beavers, LPC, LADAC, said. “It’s great to catch it early.”

"Some are dealing with the consequences of a DUI, while others have watched substance use take over nearly every part of their lives. Wherever someone falls on that continuum, we begin with an honest conversation about what is happening and what they want to change."

Individual Substance Use Counseling

Individual counseling gives a client a private place to look at their use without judgment. Sessions cover patterns of use, triggers, stress, relationships, consequences, motivation, and what's been tried before.

Telling someone to stop isn't the work. The work is understanding what the substance has been doing for them, because it's usually doing something. Alcohol manages social anxiety. Marijuana brings on sleep. Stimulants hold off depression or exhaustion for a few more hours. Once a client and counselor can see that connection clearly, they can build a plan that works for the individual.

That counseling often focuses on:

  • Spotting triggers and high-risk situations.

  • Building motivation for change. Learning coping and refusal skills.

  • Repairing relationships the use has damaged.

  • Managing cravings.

  • Working through the thoughts that keep the use going.

  • Writing a relapse-prevention plan.

  • Building routines that support recovery.

  • Responding to a lapse without letting it become a full relapse.

"People usually know what substance use has cost them," Beavers explains. "Our work is to help them understand the pattern, recognize where they still have choices, and build a plan they can actually use outside the counseling office."

Group Counseling and the Value of Shared Experience

Group counseling offers something individual sessions can't: proof that a person isn't the only one going through this. Participants hear their own frustration, fear, and shame reflected back by someone else in the room.

A group teaches, holds people accountable, and gives them a place to practice new skills. It also puts people from different points in the change process in the same room. Someone new after a DUI can learn from someone whose use spiraled over years. Someone back in recovery after a relapse can hand hope to someone just starting out.

Tony Fagan, a substance use disorder counselor, who leads groups at FSA, sees that connection as central to the work.

"A good group helps people lower their guard," Fagan says. "They begin to recognize parts of their own story in what someone else is saying. That connection can replace shame with the understanding that change is possible and that they do not have to do it alone."

Group is also where people talk through the ordinary friction of recovery: family conflict, social pressure, boredom, cravings, anger, work trouble, and the hard part of leaving familiar people and places behind.

"Recovery is built through daily decisions," Fagan explains. "The group gives people a place to talk about those decisions honestly, learn from one another, and come back the next week ready to keep working."

Substance Use and Mental Health

Alcohol and drug use rarely occur alone. People drink or use substances to manage anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, loneliness, or chronic stress, and over time the substance often makes those same problems worse.

FSA is a full behavioral health provider, so our clinicians treat the whole person instead of isolating the substance use. When it fits, counseling addresses the use and the emotional concerns underneath it at the same time. That combination builds more durable coping skills and keeps untreated distress from quietly undoing the client's progress.

Referrals for Detoxification and Residential Treatment

Outpatient counseling works for many people. It isn't the right starting point for everyone. Some clients need medically supervised detox, residential treatment, or another intensive service before outpatient counseling can do much good.

FSA maintains a referral network for detox and residential treatment. A referral considers the substances involved, withdrawal risk, frequency and intensity of use, physical health, home environment, prior treatment, and whether the client can stay safe outside a structured setting.

A referral to a higher level of care isn't a rejection. It's a match between the person and the support they need right now. Clients often return to FSA for outpatient counseling once detox or residential treatment is done.

Paying for Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Money shouldn't be the reason someone doesn't ask for help. FSA accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and most commercial insurance. We also have access to state funding that can help cover services for eligible clients without insurance or other resources. Coverage varies by situation, so reach out and we'll walk through the options together.

People come to substance use counseling for a lot of reasons. Some are ready to quit for good. Some just want to know if their use has become a problem. Some are here because a court, a probation officer, a family member, or an employer required it, and they haven't decided yet whether they need help.

FSA starts with where a person actually is. We treat clients with dignity and still expect them to look honestly at their choices, their consequences, and their goals.

For more than 75 years, Family Service Agency has helped people across the Little Rock metropolitan area work through hard circumstances and build healthier lives. Whether the issue is a DUI, risky use, a relapse, or a long addiction, help is available.

If alcohol or drug use is affecting your health, relationships, job, legal standing, or peace of mind, contact Family Service Agency to learn more about substance use assessments, individual counseling, group sessions, and recovery support in Little Rock, Arkansas.