Alex Howell, LADC I
Co-Founder & Clinician
Addiction & Recovery Counseling
In Person 500 Cummings Center, Beverly, MA and Telehealth Across Massachusetts
Recovery Is About More Than Stopping Substance Use
People rarely arrive at the same place in recovery through the same path.
Some are questioning whether substance use has become a problem. Others have already made significant changes and are trying to build a life that supports them. Some are returning to recovery after a setback. Others are navigating relationships, responsibilities, identity, and the consequences of years spent living differently.
Alex works with adults across these different stages of change and recovery.
With more than a decade of experience working alongside individuals and families affected by addiction, Alex understands that meaningful recovery involves much more than simply telling someone to stop using substances. It often means understanding what needs to change, what has made change difficult, and how to build something sustainable in its place.
More Than a Decade Working in Addiction and Recovery
Alex has spent over ten years working with people affected by substance use and addiction in a variety of circumstances and stages of recovery.
That experience has given him the opportunity to work with people who are just beginning to consider change, people entering treatment, people rebuilding after significant consequences, and people working to maintain recovery over time.
He has also seen how addiction affects the people surrounding the individual.
Partners, parents, children, and other family members may experience their own fear, frustration, mistrust, exhaustion, or uncertainty. Recovery can change those relationships, but repairing them often takes time and requires more than simply removing substances from the equation.
That broader understanding shapes how Alex approaches counseling.
A Genuine Investment in Recovery Work
For Alex, addiction counseling is not simply an area of practice. It is work he has remained committed to throughout his career.
Over more than a decade, he has seen people arrive at treatment under very different circumstances and with very different levels of motivation. Some are ready for change. Some are unsure. Some know exactly what they want their lives to look like but have struggled repeatedly to get there.
Alex does not expect every client to begin counseling with perfect motivation or a fully developed recovery plan.
Instead, he works to understand where someone actually is, what matters to them, what substance use has been doing in their life, and what changes might realistically move them toward something better.
The goal is not to lecture someone into recovery. It is to help them develop the insight, accountability, skills, and direction necessary to create meaningful change.
Who Alex Works With
Alex works with adults experiencing concerns such as:
• Alcohol or drug use that has become difficult to control
• Questions about whether substance use has become a problem
• Early recovery
• Maintaining long-term recovery
• Returning to recovery after relapse or recurrence of use
• Repeated patterns that interfere with progress
• Consequences involving relationships, employment, or other areas of life
• Difficulty adjusting to life without substances
• Rebuilding trust and relationships in recovery
• Stress and life changes connected to addiction or recovery
• Developing greater accountability and consistency
• Creating a life that supports continued recovery
Someone does not need to have everything figured out before reaching out.
Counseling can begin wherever the person currently is.
What Working With Alex Is Like
Alex brings extensive experience to the room without assuming that experience means he already knows the answer for the person sitting across from him.
His approach is practical, collaborative, and grounded in the reality that lasting change usually develops over time.
That may involve looking honestly at substance use and its consequences while also understanding the circumstances, behaviors, relationships, emotions, and patterns surrounding it.
Accountability matters, but so does understanding.
Effective addiction counseling should make room for both.
Alex helps clients identify what is getting in the way of change, recognize patterns that may be easier to see from the outside than from within them, and develop strategies that can actually be carried into everyday life.
Different Stages of Recovery Require Different Work
Recovery does not look the same at every stage.
Someone considering whether they need to make a change may need something very different from someone who has already established months or years of recovery.
Early work may focus on recognizing patterns, strengthening motivation, managing cravings or triggers, establishing structure, and making immediate behavioral changes.
Later work may involve relationships, identity, purpose, accountability, emotional health, rebuilding trust, and learning how to maintain a life that no longer revolves around substances.
Alex's experience across different stages of recovery allows treatment to reflect where the client actually is rather than where someone assumes they should be.
When Substance Use Affects Relationships and Families
Addiction rarely affects only one person.
Substance use can alter communication, trust, responsibilities, finances, expectations, and the way people respond to one another. Even after substance use changes, those patterns do not necessarily disappear immediately.
Alex's experience working with individuals and families throughout the recovery process gives him a broader understanding of how these dynamics develop and why recovery can sometimes be difficult for everyone involved.
Individual counseling can include exploring these relationship patterns, understanding the impact substance use has had on important relationships, and identifying ways to rebuild trust and communicate differently moving forward.
Building a Life That Supports Recovery
Stopping substance use can be an enormous accomplishment.
But eventually another question appears:
What comes next?
Long-term recovery often requires building routines, relationships, responsibilities, coping strategies, and goals that make continued change worth protecting.
For some people, this means rebuilding areas of life damaged during active addiction. For others, it means learning how to handle stress, boredom, conflict, disappointment, or success without returning to old patterns.
Alex works with clients not only on reducing harmful substance use, but on developing the stability and direction that can support meaningful change over time.
Addiction Counseling in Massachusetts
Alex provides addiction and recovery counseling for adults in Massachusetts.
Treatment may include exploring patterns of substance use, motivation for change, relapse prevention, coping strategies, accountability, relationships, recovery maintenance, and the broader life circumstances affecting continued progress.
The work is individualized based on the client's current needs, goals, and stage of change.
Related service: Addiction Counseling in Massachusetts
Where Alex Provides Counseling
In Person: 500 Cummings Center, Beverly, MA
Telehealth: Available to adults throughout Massachusetts
Licensed in: Massachusetts
Credential: Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor I (LADC I)
Insurance & Payment
Insurance participation varies by clinician, state, service, and plan.
H&H Counseling verifies clinician participation and plan eligibility before scheduling so clients can better understand their options before beginning services.
Interested in Working With Alex?
You do not need to know exactly what treatment should look like before reaching out.
Whether you are beginning to question your substance use, trying to make a change, returning to recovery, or working to protect progress you have already made, the first step is simply helping us understand what you are looking for.
Use the Request Care form to tell H&H a little about what is happening and what kind of support you are seeking. We will follow up about service fit and next steps.
Submitting a request does not guarantee a particular clinician or appointment time.
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