Private Addiction Medicine

in New York City


Medical treatment and psychotherapy for substance dependence and related conditions

David A.N. Siegel, MD

Board-certified in Addiction Medicine · 20+ years · Upper West Side

About the Practice

My name is Dr. David Siegel. I’ve been practicing addiction medicine in New York City for over twenty years.

My practice is small and completely private — just you and me. No programs, no group sessions, no office staff, no crowded waiting rooms, no third-party involvement. Sessions are conducted in person at my office on the Upper West Side of Manhattan or by video. I answer my own phone and if I’m tied up at the moment, I return voicemails as soon as I’m free. I’m also available for emergencies by phone around the clock.

Everyone who comes to me has their own story, their own reasons for where they are, and their own path forward. My first work is to understand that — as fully as I can.

How I Think About Addiction

Addiction is often treated as though its meaning were self-evident — a behavior to be stopped, a chemical process to be reversed, a set of consequences to be faced. Each of those things is real. But none of them, taken alone, explains why addiction becomes so difficult to leave behind, or why removing the substance so often proves insufficient.

My starting point is different. Whatever form addiction has taken, it is almost always doing something — managing something, solving something, making something more bearable that is otherwise very difficult to bear. Understanding what that something is, specifically, for this particular person, is where treatment has to begin.

The medical dimension is real and necessary. Stabilization, medication as appropriate, careful tapering — these create the conditions under which the deeper work becomes possible. But they are the foundation, not the treatment itself. What the addiction was doing has to be understood and addressed. Otherwise the need that drove it remains, unchanged, beneath whatever has been interrupted.

My work combines both. The medical treatment and the ongoing conversation are not separate processes. They are parts of the same clinical approach.

Understanding What's Happened

When someone becomes dependent on a substance, their brain and body have done something biologically necessary — they’ve reorganized themselves around that substance to maintain function. It is the mind and body doing what they are designed to do.

Taking that substance away suddenly doesn’t fix this — it can collapse the system entirely. Withdrawal is real, it can be serious, and the nervous system’s readaptation takes a year or more. This is why treatment begins with stabilization: replacing what someone has become dependent on with something safer, more manageable, something we can work with carefully over time. That process creates the conditions — biological and psychological — that make everything else possible, and that allow the person to arrive at a new equilibrium rather than simply trying to return to a prior one.

The Work

What I try to provide is a genuine therapeutic relationship — an ongoing conversation, built around the individual, in which it becomes possible to look at things that have never felt safe to look at before. Not by following a program or a protocol, but carefully, at whatever pace makes sense. By helping me understand them, most people find they begin to explain themselves to themselves. That process, done honestly and without hurry, is where real change happens.

Co-Occurring Conditions

Chemical dependency rarely exists in isolation. Anxiety, depression, chronic pain, ADHD, and other conditions are commonly intertwined with it — and in this practice, they are treated as part of the same work. There is no need to arrive with a clear sense of what belongs to what. That kind of clarity, if it comes, tends to emerge from the work itself.

 Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I’m worried about confidentiality. What if someone finds out I’m seeking help?

A: That concern is one of the most common things people raise when they first call, and it deserves a direct answer. Federal law provides stricter confidentiality protections for substance abuse treatment than for general medical or even psychiatric care. Beyond that, this practice operates entirely outside of institutional systems — no insurance claims, no program records, no group sessions, no office staff, no third-party involvement of any kind. What happens here stays between the two of us.

Q: What kinds of problems do you treat?

A: Alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, cannabis, nicotine, compulsive overeating, compulsive gambling, chronic pain and addiction, and the anxiety, depression, and other conditions that frequently accompany these.

Q: Do you prescribe medication?

A: Yes. Medication is often an important part of treatment — for stabilizing the nervous system, managing difficult symptoms, and creating the conditions that make the deeper therapeutic work possible. Prescriptions are written as part of an ongoing treatment relationship, not as a standalone service.

Q: Is the first conversation really free?

A: Yes. The initial phone call is free, completely confidential, and carries no obligation. It is simply a conversation to understand what you are dealing with and whether this practice is the right fit.

Q: Do you see patients in person or by video?

A: Both. In-person sessions are conducted at the office on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Video sessions are available on an ongoing basis for patients who prefer them or are not located in New York City.

Q: What happens during the first call?

A: It’s simply a conversation — a chance for you to describe what’s been happening and for me to ask a few questions. Nothing is decided in that call, and there’s no obligation of any kind. Its only purpose is to get a sense of what you’re dealing with and whether it makes sense to talk further.

Take the First Step

When you’re ready, I’d be happy to speak with you. The first conversation is free, completely confidential, and there is no obligation of any kind. Just a conversation.

Call me directly: (646) 418-7077