Substance Use Disorder and Addiction Treatment in North Carolina | Blooming Medical Group, PLLC

Have you ever wondered whether your relationship with a substance or a behavior has become something more than a casual activity? Everyone has behaviors they’d like to change, but when using a substance starts controlling your choices, relationships, or health, it can be a sign of something more. Substance use disorder and behavioral addictions are common, treatable conditions, not a matter of willpower or character. If you’re struggling with addiction, you are not alone, and an accurate assessment paired with a holistic, multidisciplinary treatment plan can help you reclaim your life.

At Blooming Medical Group, our psychiatric providers work with you to build a treatment plan for your addiction that helps you feel steadier, healthier, and more in control of your life. You don’t need to keep struggling in silence or wait until things get worse. Addiction treatment in North Carolina is available.

To schedule your addiction treatment evaluation with one of our mental health providers in North Carolina, call 910-644-0887 or book an appointment online. Reclaiming your health and feeling in control is possible with the right care team.

What is the difference between substance use and a substance use disorder?

Not all substance use is indicative of substance use disorder. Addiction can leave you feeling like you’ve lost control over something that used to feel manageable, or like your life has started to organize itself around using. Occasional or social use is different from a diagnosable disorder.

What you’re experiencing may be more than a casual practice if you notice:

  • Using more of a substance, or for longer, than you intended
  • A persistent desire or repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut down or stop
  • Cravings or a strong urge to use, even if you logically know you don’t want to or shouldn’t
  • Giving up important activities in favor of using
  • Needing more of the substance to get the same effect, or experiencing withdrawal when you stop
  • Substance use that interferes with work, school, relationships, or everyday functioning
Three adults sit together outdoors, smiling and talking. The man in the foreground faces away from the camera, while the two people in the background appear to be enjoying a conversation and drinks. The setting is bright and casual.

You don’t have to keep pushing addiction on your own. Our North Carolina psychiatric providers can help you understand what’s happening in your body and brain and develop a plan to help you feel more in control of your own life.

What types of addiction do we treat?

Addiction can involve different substances, behaviors, patterns of use, and underlying drivers, and the appropriate treatment for you will depend on your symptoms, the level of disruption in your life, your current support system, and the substances or behaviors involved.

Our North Carolina psychiatric PAs assess and treat various addictions and substance use disorders, including:

Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol use disorder involves a pattern of alcohol use that causes significant impairment or distress. It’s one of the most common substance use disorders, and it often develops gradually, making it easy to minimize or overlook until it starts affecting daily life. Our psychiatric providers will assess your symptoms and learn more about your life story to determine the right path forward.

  • Drinking more or longer than intended
  • Unsuccessful attempts to cut down or stop
  • Strong cravings or urges to drink
  • Continuing to drink despite relationship, health, or work problems
  • Giving up activities you used to enjoy in favor of drinking
  • Needing more alcohol to feel the same effect
  • Withdrawal symptoms such as shakiness, sweating, or anxiety when not drinking

Opioid Use Disorder

Opioid use disorder can develop from prescription pain medication, illicit opioid use, or a combination of both. It’s a medical condition with effective, evidence-based treatments, including medications that can meaningfully reduce cravings and support long-term recovery.

  • Using opioids in larger amounts or longer than intended
  • Strong cravings or urges to use
  • Continued use despite physical or psychological problems it causes
  • Giving up important activities because of use
  • Spending significant time obtaining, using, or recovering from opioids
  • Tolerance, needing more to achieve the same effect
  • Withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, muscle aches, or anxiety when not using

Stimulant Use Disorder

Stimulant use disorder involves problematic use of substances such as cocaine or methamphetamine, or the misuse of prescription stimulants. Patterns of use can range from occasional binges to daily use, and treatment is tailored to your specific pattern and history.

  • Using stimulants in larger amounts or longer than intended
  • Strong cravings or urges to use
  • Continued use despite social, occupational, or health problems
  • Neglecting responsibilities in favor of using
  • Increased tolerance over time
  • Fatigue, low mood, or irritability when not using

Behavioral Addiction

Behavioral addictions involve compulsive engagement in an activity despite negative consequences, even though no substance is involved. Common behavioral addictions we treat include gambling, gaming, internet use, shopping, and compulsive sexual behavior and pornography addiction. These patterns can develop gradually and often co-occur with other mental health conditions, so effective addiction treatment addresses both the addictive behavior and any underlying factors driving it.

  • Preoccupation with the behavior, even when not actively engaging in it
  • Needing to engage in the behavior more frequently or intensely to achieve the same effect
  • Repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back or stop
  • Continued engagement despite negative impact on relationships, work, or finances
  • Using the behavior to escape stress, anxiety, or other difficult emotions
  • Restlessness or irritability when unable to engage in the behavior

Co-Occurring Disorders

Substance use disorders frequently occur alongside other mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, or bipolar disorder. Treating addiction in isolation without addressing the entire picture of your mental health rarely leads to lasting recovery. At Blooming Medical Group, we assess your mental health in its entirety to give you the best chance of achieving relief, balance, and stability.

  • Using substances to cope with anxiety, depression, or other symptoms
  • Mental health symptoms that worsen with use or during withdrawal
  • A history of mental health treatment alongside substance use
  • Difficulty determining which symptoms came first
  • Relapse patterns tied to periods of emotional distress

How do psychiatrists treat addiction?

Psychiatric treatment for addiction typically combines the careful management of multiple psychiatric conditions with medication management, practical coping support, and, when helpful, therapy or program referrals tailored to your symptoms, history, and goals. At Blooming Medical Group, we see medication as one tool rather than the whole toolbox, particularly when treating addiction.

We help facilitate holistic addiction care by providing:

Medication Management

For many people, medication-assisted addiction treatment makes a meaningful difference in reducing cravings and supporting recovery. Our North Carolina psychiatric providers carefully review your symptoms, history, and goals to determine whether medication is appropriate and, if so, which option fits you best. We use medication during addiction treatment to help minimize withdrawal symptoms, reduce cravings, and help prevent relapse.

Common addiction treatment medications include:

  • Naltrexone, for alcohol or opioid use disorder
  • Acamprosate, for alcohol use disorder
  • Disulfiram, for alcohol use disorder
  • Medications to address co-occurring anxiety, depression, or other conditions

If you are on a medication, your psychiatric provider will monitor your response closely, adjust as needed, and aim for the level of support that helps you sustain recovery. We pride ourselves on being judicious with medications and coordinating carefully given the complexity of addiction treatment.

Documentation and Forms Support

Navigating addiction treatment sometimes means dealing with paperwork, which can end up being a trigger for some.

Our mental health providers help patients with:

  • FMLA forms
  • Workplace or school accommodation requests
  • Disability documentation

We want you to stay focused on your recovery and health. Your mental health provider will help complete relevant documents and forms as part of your ongoing care so that you can focus on feeling better.

Coping Mechanism Support

We naturally develop coping mechanisms as we move through life. Some are helpful, and some are destructive. In many cases, the substance or behavior that became problematic is often one of these coping mechanisms. We work with you to sustain or develop healthy coping mechanisms that actually support where you are today so that you can feel more in control of your life and build long-term resilience.

While medication is often an essential component of an effective treatment plan, lasting recovery comes from more than a prescription. We work with you on practical, everyday coping strategies, such as:

  • Relapse prevention planning
  • Sleep and lifestyle adjustments
  • Identifying and managing triggers

Specialist Referrals

The best, most effective addiction care involves a team. When therapy, counseling, support groups, or a higher level of care would support your progress, we help connect you with trusted specialists and evidence-based services, including intensive outpatient programs or residential treatment when appropriate. For more complex cases, we can also help coordinate referrals so that you always have a clear next step.

What should I expect during my telehealth psychiatry appointment for addiction?

Your first appointment will be a 45- to 60-minute psychiatric evaluation designed to help us understand your unique story and what has brought you to seek care.

We will cover:

  • Your current substance use and any prior treatment
  • Current mental health symptoms and struggles
  • Previous diagnoses, medications, or experiences with mental health providers
  • Current concerns and goals
  • Your lived experience so that we can get to know you as an individual
A woman in a white shirt sits at a desk with a laptop and a coffee cup, smiling and looking to the side in a bright, modern office space.

Our goal is to create a comfortable, collaborative, non-judgmental space where we can begin building a treatment plan that feels right for you. We encourage patients to be active participants in designing their care plan, and we will meet you with the thoughtful, compassionate support that you need to find real, lasting recovery.

Ongoing Psychiatric Care for Addiction Treatment in North Carolina

Following your initial evaluation, you will meet with your psychiatric provider for 30-minute appointments. The frequency of your appointments will depend on your treatment plan, current medications, and how you are feeling.

During these meetings, our providers will:

  • Monitor your response to medication and therapies
  • Make adjustments to your treatment plan as necessary
  • Help achieve stability by monitoring symptoms and catching early signs of relapse

Finding a treatment plan that works to help alleviate the day-to-day struggle with addiction is essential to restoring your quality of life. But long-term recovery depends on long-term care management. We will walk with you along your journey to help you develop the toolkit you need to maintain a life you actually enjoy.

Start Your Addiction and Substance Use Disorder Treatment with Blooming Medical Group Today

Book an Appointment

Living a full, joyful life in recovery is not only possible, but it is within reach. At Blooming Medical Group, we thoughtfully and compassionately evaluate and treat addiction to help patients achieve presence and stability. Here, we make addiction care comfortable, accessible, and judgment-free for adults across North Carolina, with telehealth appointments available to individuals statewide.

To start your North Carolina addiction treatment, call 910-644-0887 or book an appointment online. Taking the first step toward treatment is always the hardest. We are honored to be trusted with your care.

Addiction FAQs

Holistic care is the best way to achieve balance and lasting recovery. While we do not require patients to work with an outside therapist, especially if cost is a consideration, we do encourage our patients to see a therapist or attend a support program to address addiction from all angles. If needed, your psychiatric provider can refer you to one of several trusted therapy practices or programs we collaborate with. Often, addiction treatment that yields real results is multidisciplinary.

Relapse is common and does not mean treatment has failed or that you are incapable of recovery. It’s often a signal that the treatment plan needs adjusting, whether that means a different medication, a higher level of support, or addressing an underlying issue that wasn’t previously treated appropriately. We are judicious and thorough in our approach, and during your first appointment, we will carefully assess your history to build a plan designed around what you actually need for this season you are in.

No. You don’t need to have already quit, cut back, or be at any particular stage of recovery to reach out. Many people come to us while they’re still using, and that’s exactly where treatment should start. Waiting until you’ve “gotten it together” on your own is one of the biggest barriers to getting help. Our providers meet you where you are, assess your full picture, including any co-occurring mental health conditions, and build a plan around your actual starting point, not an idealized one.

Withdrawal from certain substances, particularly alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioids, can be dangerous without medical supervision. If you’re considering stopping or significantly reducing your use, it’s important to talk with a healthcare provider first rather than detoxing on your own. During your evaluation, we will assess your substance use history and level of physical dependence to determine whether medically supervised detox is appropriate for you, and if so, we’ll help coordinate a referral to a trusted detox facility or program as a safe first step before ongoing outpatient care.