# Should I tell my therapist about drug use?



## MorgansGotSwag

So ive been going to this therapist for about 2 months now and tonight he asked me if I drink or do drugs or tobacco. I said no to everything just because i didnt want to say something that would end up getting me screwed later on. He is a phd so he obviously isnt the one who prescribes my drugs(all i take is prozac) but he might have contact or a say in what im prescribed.I dont want to be told no to medication that will help me because i smoke weed, hookah, and whatever else i can get my hands on. and no im not addicted.... its been like 2 months since ive done anything just because i havent felt the need too. and he seems like a cool dude but like I said i dont want to be screwing myself over. oh and the drugs i do is mostly to deal with my SA and depression.....well the hookah is just a social thing but hell, i cant be passing any opportunities up to do things with people because the chance doesnt always come up easily, as you all know. thanks(;


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## Synaps3

Same issue came up in my situation last week when I was visiting my therapist for the first time. I decided it would be best to just leave that out because I know I'm not addicted. If she keeps asking, you might mention that you've used it a few times in the past just incase. You don't want her to loose your trust if she finds out. And it's just weed, not any hard drugs. For me it's psychedelics, but I don't consider those hard drugs. I know some people might though so yeah.


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## percyblueraincoat

You can be open and honest with your therapist. If you wish to disclose drug use to your therapist, your therapist will not automatically assume your are addicted or have an addiction. Unless,of course, the whole point of you seeing the therapist was to deal with an addiction.

You're not being judged in therapy. A therapist just needs information. They need to know what's going on, what might effect treatment plans, what you're finding easy and what you find more difficult, how you feel things are going etc. That's usually the only reason a therapist asks about that kind of stuff. They need all the information they can get in order to provide the best treatment for you and your issue. 

If you are being prescribed medication by someone other than the therapist, telling your therapist this is a good idea. Everybody is working with you towards your healing and happiness. You can be honest, open and trust that the information you provide is strictly confidential.


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## MorgansGotSwag

i want to tell him but im just worried about him telling my parents. plus, ive heard stories of people who have told their doctor they smoke bud or do other kinds of drugs and then been treated differently than all the other patients. And on top of that he had told me when I first started seeing him that he would have to notify authorites or my parents(which ever is appropriate for the situation) if I was doing anything to hurt myself or anyone else... and that may be considered hurting myself


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## kj87

If it is occasional or rare use I wouldn't say anything. If its a daily habit though it can have significant effects on any drugs you're prescribed. If it were me I wouldn't say anything, but I would keep the pot usage to a minimum. Like once a week or less or so.


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## Melinda

You don't have to tell your therapist anything you don't feel comfortable with.That being said, he won't tell your parents about your drug use (unless you told him you were planning on overdosing). Therapists aren't there to judge, so even if you did tell him I doubt he'd look down on you or treat you differently.


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## nubly

Melinda said:


> You don't have to tell your therapist anything you don't feel comfortable with.That being said, he won't tell your parents about your drug use (unless you told him you were planning on overdosing). Therapists aren't there to judge, so even if you did tell him I doubt he'd look down on you or treat you differently.


She's underage though. I could be wrong but I believe that providers need to disclose this type of information to a minor's guardian.


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## Anjali

Well, if you're not addicted, you should stop, becasue there is a good chance that it will ruin your life. it doesn't seem like that now, but it will. You probably understand now, but you don't want to understand after you've been doing it for too long. yes tell you doctor, not for the sakw of trouble, but for health reasons.


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## whattothink

You should quit the illicit drug use. Tell your therapist, maybe you can discover why you feel the need to do these other drugs at all.


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## archimeteor

I think you should disclose that you use drugs, especially if you use it to reduce anxiety in social situations. Like they said above, your therapist is not going to judge you. Telling my therapist about my drug use (pot) helped me a lot to quit my daily habit. It got to the point where it was actually causing me anxiety. I wouldn't hang out with anyone if I wasn't high, they didn't smoke weed or we weren't going to get high together. After 3 1/2 years of smoking every day I have finally kicked my habit. I have pretty much withdrawn completely from social situations, but I am getting a lot done in my personal life. I went back to school, I have a job, etc. I am going to work on me for awhile and then make some new friends. Baby Steps. It is also important to disclose your drug use if you are going to take prescriptions. A lot of them are less effective if you smoke pot, some can cause psychotic reactions (like adderall) if you smoke after taking them (small percent but still a possibility, and alcohol can be very dangerous with medication (particularly benzos). I hope this is helpful. 

PS- if you are talking about weed, it won't ruin your life if you don't let it. I will never say anything bad about it, I personally just had to stop.


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## dinosawr

As a minor it might be different, they might have to tell your parents. It's up to you if that's something you want to risk them knowing.

For me personally, I was totally honest and forthcoming about all of my drug use. My first therapist, who I'll just say had no ****ing idea what she was doing, got preachy about it and thought it would be good to tell me to stop at all costs. She proceeded to make my therapy more about drugs than about the **** I went there for. She was useless for other reasons too, and I began seeing someone else soon after.

My second therapist, who I actually connected with and was incredibly helpful, he just shrugged, said "That's your choice," and focused the conversation back on ways for me to get better. Never brought it up again.

If your therapist is useless like my first one was, they might make a big deal about it, sidetracking the issue at hand so they can push their ****ing agenda on you. But if they're going to do that, they're a ****ty therapist anyway and it's good to know sooner rather than later.


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## Double Indemnity

Ideally you'd be able to tell your therapist about your recreational drug use but we live in a world where insurance companies can audit a therapist's patient records. That is what I would be most concerned about (assuming you go through a health insurance company).


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## whattothink

Double Indemnity said:


> Ideally you'd be able to tell your therapist about your recreational drug use but we live in a world where insurance companies can audit a therapist's patient records.


I thought doctor-patient confidentiality trumps any legislation barring the patient isn't a danger to themselves or others.


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## ryobi

^not in the U.S., not since the patriot act

Anything you say in therapy can be used against you and therapist are required by law to disclose to law enforcement anything you've done or are doing that's illegal it's called full disclosure there is no such thing as patient client confidentiality in the U.S.


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## Double Indemnity

whattothink said:


> I thought doctor-patient confidentiality trumps any legislation barring the patient isn't a danger to themselves or others.


Since the insurance company is paying for it, they can audit the records at any time. This is why some people pay for therapy themselves. I believe in a self-pay situation the only time your file can be audited is if you are involved in a child-custody dispute in the court system.

Maybe (hopefully) things are better in good ole Canada.


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## karunaji

ryobi said:


> ^not in the U.S., not since the patriot act
> 
> Anything you say in therapy can be used against you and therapist are required by law to disclose to law enforcement anything you've done or are doing that's illegal it's called full disclosure there is no such thing as patient client confidentiality in the U.S.


That's really sad. I thought that Patriot act was just applicable in cases when you plan to blow up something or kill people but not to things like smoking weed or stealing twinkies from the supermarket.


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## spikecdr

I told my therapist I smoke up once and while but I'd never be under the influence with her. I did say I want to use strong drugs and she told me if I start using and I tell her she will drop me and I want to verify honest but I don't want to be dropped.


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## meandernorth

Although this post is two years old, I'll say that (in my experience) the therapist wants the information to paint a complete picture of the client. There may be certain situations in which the law requires them to report but that's often the exception and not the norm.


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