We sometimes think of our recovery as a one-person job, as work we have to do on our own, in isolation. While it’s true we have to take ownership of and responsibility for our recovery and do the work for ourselves, we can find immense support and comfort in our relationships, particularly those with peopleRead More
We have certain thought patterns and emotional patterns that can contribute to our addictions because we’re turning to these patterns as coping mechanisms rather than confronting the issues fueling our addictions head on. Among these destructive patterns are our avoidance, our suppression, and our denial. What are we avoiding? What are we suppressing? What areRead More
We sometimes think of our recovery as a one-person job, as work we have to do on our own, in isolation. While it’s true we have to take ownership of and responsibility for our recovery and do the work for ourselves, we can find immense support and comfort in our relationships, particularly those with peopleRead More
When we’re in recovery, even though we may have successfully gotten clean, we’re often still coping with mental and emotional health challenges, difficult life situations and complex issues that take time and work to resolve and to heal from. We can find ourselves dealing with very emotionally taxing crises that upend our lives and thatRead More
As we’re doing the work to recover, the energy we carry around our recovery can mean the difference between being able to heal ourselves and remaining stuck in relentless recurring patterns of dependence and addiction. Many of us struggling with addiction are also grappling with mental health issues, and we’ve developed certain thought patterns thatRead More
If you’re struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). One thing that many of our mental health issues and addictions have in common is the very difficult symptom of intense mood swings. We can go from feeling like we’re on top of the world, invincible and flying high,Read More
As we are working towards recovery, there are some emotions that can actually stand in our way and impede our forward progress and momentum. Anger is one of these emotions, and we can become paralyzed by the force and strength of it. Sometimes we’re carrying anger towards people who’ve hurt us, whom we can’t seemRead More
When we have loved ones who struggle with addiction, there are multiple different ways in which we enable them and help to facilitate their addictive patterns. One of the ways we do this is by assuming responsibility, both for our loved ones and for their addictions. We blame ourselves for their hardships, for their badRead More
Traditional forms of treatment for addiction and mental illness don’t always tackle all of our systems simultaneously, our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual systems as a whole. They often will treat, but not cure, individual symptoms without addressing the underlying reasons as to why we’re so unwell. Some medications, for example, will make a particularRead More
Many of us develop certain thought patterns that contribute to our depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, and therefore also to our addictions. These thought patterns can be pervasive and can take over our thinking, impacting not only how we think and feel, but also how we behave, what choices we make, and howRead More