Why Addiction Feels Impossible to Stop | The Right Therapist

Gestalt psychotherapist Angus Ferguson joins us to explore addiction through a trauma-informed, attachment-centred lens—why addictions develop, what lies underneath them, and why recovery requires connection, compassion, and support rather than shame.We unpack childhood trauma, ACE scores, attachment wounds, small-t trauma, the role of the reticular activating system, and why humans bond with substances and behaviours when they lack safe people to bond with. Angus explains why addiction is not a “choice,” why people often wait 12 years to seek help, and why healing is relational, not solitary.We also talk through groups, community, social prescribing, AA/NA/GA, self-exclusion tools, harm minimisation, and the emotional reality of relapse. Angus ends with practical steps anyone can take, including hotlines, therapy, and widening your support network—plus how to find the right addiction-informed therapist in Australia via Source.