Do I have to want to stop before going to counselling?

No, you do not have to have decided to stop before the first conversation. DigiSucht aims its cannabis counselling at people who have questions about their use or need help, and mindzone counsels on effects and risks, use patterns and dependence. Feeling unsure or worried is reason enough. Anyone with an unclear goal is in the right place in counselling. This article explains which concerns have a place there and how you can deal with your uncertainty.

Why counselling makes sense even without a goal

Counselling is a place where you can put your thoughts in order without having to commit yourself yet. The specialist listens, asks questions and shows you options. The decision stays with you.

DigiSucht writes that most people leave it at trying cannabis or stop on their own after a while, and that only a small share develop problematic use. It is important to recognise early on whether cannabis is becoming a problem. The page starts with the question of whether you have ever thought about using less cannabis.

Which goals are possible

A goal does not have to be stopping straight away. Many people start with smaller questions:

• I want to know how much I really use.
• I want to use less in certain situations, for example in the evening or before work.
• I want to take a break and see how I feel about it.
• I would just like to talk with someone who knows about it.

The service takes each of these concerns seriously. A goal can change later, and that is part of the process. The article Cutting down or stopping completely: which is better for me? compares the routes.

How to bring your uncertainty into the conversation

You do not need to put it perfectly in the conversation. A sentence such as “I am not sure I have a problem. It still preoccupies me” is enough to start. The specialist will then ask what exactly concerns you, such as the amount you use, how often, your reasons or effects on everyday life. You can also note beforehand in which situations you use cannabis and how you feel afterwards. This helps in the conversation and is a good basis for later.

A use diary as a help

You can also keep a use diary without a counselling centre. Over a few weeks, you note when, where, with whom and why you use. This makes patterns visible that are easy to overlook in everyday life. You do not need a goal for this. The record shows you what matters to you. The article Does a use diary help when stopping cannabis? explains how this can look in practice.

When counselling is especially important

DigiSucht lists self-check questions, for example: do you more often feel a strong urge to use cannabis? Do you have trouble limiting your use? Have you increased it recently? Do you neglect other things in favour of cannabis? DigiSucht recommends professional counselling to anyone who answers yes to one or more of these questions.

According to DigiSucht, a further reason is when cannabis increasingly takes on the task of dealing with unpleasant feelings such as boredom, fear or trouble falling asleep. Even if school, training or work suffers, that can be a reason to call.

Prevention also means self-observation

The younger you are and the more often you use cannabis, the greater the health risk, according to cannabispraevention.de. You can therefore raise an early start in counselling. The article What are the consequences of starting cannabis use early? explains the connections.

What helps you concretely in counselling

Counselling works with your concern and does not set a target for you. The specialist helps you sort your thoughts, recognise patterns and consider steps that fit your everyday life. This includes voicing questions you would hardly ask yourself, such as whether your use still does you good.

You can come without a fixed goal. That is enough as a start.

Thoughts that keep you from calling

• I'm not addicted, after all.
• I do not want to have to explain to anyone why I use.
• If I call, I have to stop straight away.
• They cannot tell me anything I do not already know.

Each of these thoughts is understandable, and none of them has to be resolved before the conversation.

Terms: ambivalence and use goal

Ambivalence means that a person wants two things at once, for example to continue using cannabis and at the same time to cut down. A use goal is the direction you take with counselling, for example using less, differently or not at all. Both can apply at the same time, and counselling works with this tension.

A goal can grow over time

At the start there is often a vague feeling; later a concrete goal may be added. That can be using less in the evening, a clearer view of the reasons, or the question of whether sleep and mood are suffering. If you change your goal later, that is part of the process.

When you should not wait

In acute crises, or if you have thoughts of harming yourself, going to the emergency service or the emergency department takes priority over all other considerations. Otherwise the rule is: get in touch earlier if you can no longer control your use or if appointments and duties suffer as a result.

Next steps

Call an addiction counselling centre and honestly say that you do not yet know what you want. That is enough as a concern. If you do not like one service, look for another. An overview of the process is given in the article Where can I find an addiction counselling centre for cannabis? If you want to learn more about the way from the call to the conversation, read the article How does the first conversation at addiction counselling work?