Addiction is one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions. Globally, approximately 275 million people used illicit drugs in 2020, and alcohol use disorders affect over 400 million adults worldwide (UNODC World Drug Report, 2021; WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health, 2022) — yet fewer than one in seven people with substance use disorders receive any treatment. Addiction is frequently framed as a moral failing when in reality it is a complex interaction of neurobiological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. At Encode Mental Health Clinic in Surat, we provide psychological support for addiction to substances (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis), gaming disorder, and internet addiction. Our approach is non-judgmental, collaborative, and grounded in the evidence base for addiction treatment. Recovery from addiction is a realistic goal, and psychological support plays a central and often underutilised role in achieving it.
Addiction involves compulsive engagement with a substance or behaviour despite harmful consequences. At a neurological level, addictive substances and behaviours hijack the brain's reward system — producing intense dopamine responses that, over time, recalibrate the brain's baseline so that ordinary pleasures feel flat and the addictive behaviour feels necessary for basic functioning. The psychological factors are equally important: stress, trauma, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and unmet emotional needs are common drivers of addictive behaviour. Addiction also develops in a social and cultural context: availability of substances, family patterns, peer norms, and socioeconomic stress all contribute. Behavioural addictions — gaming, internet use, gambling — operate through the same neurological mechanisms and produce similar patterns of increasing use, tolerance, and impaired functioning, despite not involving a chemical substance.
Recognising addiction in oneself or a family member can be difficult because denial is a central feature of the condition. Common signs include using in larger amounts or for longer than intended, repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut down, spending increasing amounts of time using or recovering, giving up important activities because of use, and continuing despite clear negative consequences. In adolescents, gaming or internet addiction may present as significant distress when access is restricted, complete withdrawal from family life and peer relationships, declining academic performance, and disrupted sleep. In adults, substance addiction often follows a pattern of escalating use, increasing secrecy, and growing consequences in relationships and work. A clinical assessment helps clarify the severity and the most appropriate level of support.
Psychological treatment at Encode addresses the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural dimensions of addiction. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, goal-directed conversational approach designed to strengthen a person's internal motivation for change. It is particularly effective when ambivalence about change is present — which is nearly universal in addiction. MI explores the costs and benefits of continuing and changing, strengthening the person's own reasons for recovery rather than imposing external pressure. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for addiction addresses specific thought patterns and triggers — situations, emotions, people, and places associated with use — that drive and maintain the addictive behaviour. Relapse prevention planning identifies high-risk situations, develops coping strategies, and builds a plan for managing setbacks.
Recovery from addiction is not a single event — it is a process, and it is rarely linear. Setbacks are part of most recovery journeys, and the therapeutic approach at Encode treats them as information and learning opportunities rather than failures. The goal is progressive reduction in harm and progressive increase in functioning and wellbeing. For substance addictions, Encode provides psychological support alongside and in coordination with any medical management or detoxification process — which, for some substances, requires medical supervision. For behavioural addictions, recovery involves establishing healthier alternatives, building the capacity to tolerate boredom and emotional discomfort, and restructuring the environment to reduce access to the addictive behaviour.
Yes. Encode provides psychological support for people with substance use concerns, including alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis. For substances that require medical detoxification, Veerti works alongside medical providers and will refer to appropriate services where needed. Psychological support is most effective when integrated with appropriate medical care.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a conversational therapeutic approach designed to strengthen a person's own motivation and commitment to change. Rather than persuading or confronting, MI explores the person's own values, goals, and experiences of the costs and benefits of their current behaviour. It works with ambivalence rather than pretending it does not exist, and has strong evidence in addiction and behaviour change.
Yes. Gaming disorder is a recognised clinical condition (WHO ICD-11) and responds to evidence-based psychological treatment. Assessment examines the severity of gaming behaviour, its impact on functioning, and the psychological needs it serves — escapism, social connection, mastery, control. Treatment addresses those underlying needs while restructuring the environment and building healthier alternatives.
Relapse prevention maps the specific situations, emotions, and thought patterns most likely to trigger a return to the addictive behaviour, and develops specific, rehearsed coping strategies for each. High-risk scenarios are identified in advance and coping plans are practised. The response to a lapse is planned so that a single setback does not escalate into full relapse.
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