You know someone who is in an abusive relationship. The warning signs are flying fast and furious all the time. Constantly, they are in a state of emotional distress, yet they never seem willing to terminate the relationship. Even though they are constantly overwhelmed, they don’t seem aware that their relationship would qualify as abusive.Read More
Set your mind to it, we tell ourselves. Don’t be anxious. Be cool. Be normal. Mental health conditions like anxiety come with many signs and symptoms, some of which are obvious to us and some of which are not. Though we can mentally prepare ourselves to cope with our anxiety during high simulation scenarios, likeRead More
We can’t always know what is going on beneath the surface with someone that we know or even someone that we don’t know. If someone smiles, we don’t know how much effort goes into making that smile happen. If someone is sad, mad, irritable, or silent, we can never know what has inspired that responseRead More
A great misconception about recovery from depression is that all someone needs is a little cheering up. As the loved ones of someone who is living with depression, we want to find a way to make any kind of suffering stop. Where there is sadness, we want to bring happiness. Where there is hopelessness, weRead More
Being in treatment for trauma, addictions, or related mental health issues can be hard. Treatment is often one of the most challenging, yet life-changing experiences in someone’s life. During the holidays, the challenge of treatment is either enhanced or relieved. Some people are relieved not to be home, alone, or in toxic environments. Others areRead More
What if you could be your own personal cheerleader? What if you could be your own personal life coach, that motivational person who takes your perspective and flips it upside down? What if you could take the words in your mind, that critical, negative narrative voice, and change it to a loving, supportive, encouraging, positiveRead More
For a lot of people, and not just alcoholics, drinking alcohol is an escape from feelings that we don’t want to experience. It’s common for people to go to the bar after a breakup, or have several drinks after a funeral. Alcohol is a depressant, and not only can it numb physical pain to anRead More
The holiday season is a reminder of holidays past- some of them which we may remember and some of them which we may not. If we have lived with active alcoholism in our lives, we may have spent many a holiday celebration under the influence of alcohol, the point that we blacked out. A blackoutRead More
To a newcomer, the idea of life without drugs and alcohol is baffling. If you attend 12-Step meetings, you’ll notice how happy people are, and question whether or not they’re sober. How on earth could anyone go 6 months, a year, or many years without a drink or a drug? They must be lying, right?Read More
Boundaries are defined lines that draw the difference between two spaces: your side and my side. Recovery is a journey in defining, realizing, and enforcing boundaries in order to protect and nourish a developing sense of self. Physical Boundaries Physical boundaries are the most strict and obvious boundaries because they can be seen, spoken, andRead More