Many of us working to recover from addiction and mental illness often find ourselves needing to move back in with family members after having lived on our own. We might be in a tough spot financially and no longer able to afford our own place. We might need the additional support that living with familyRead More
As we’re working to recover from our addictions and mental health issues, our relationships can be one of the things that most blocks our healing and that keeps us from becoming the happiest, healthiest versions of ourselves that we’re capable of being. Our unhealthy relationships often have a lot to do with our past trauma,Read More
When living with addiction and mental illness, we tend to lack mindfulness about most things in our lives. One of the things we’re least conscious of are the choices we’re making. We make decisions based on self-destructive impulses rather than on mindfulness, wellness, and preparation. We’re impulsive, compulsive and reckless with the choices we make.Read More
Worsened Health Outcomes When we aren’t aware of our trauma or how to heal from it, the energy of it tends to accumulate within us, causing us pain long after the initial source of trauma. That painful energy is stored not only in our subconscious minds but in our physical bodies and energy systems asRead More
The work we do in recovery is as much about transforming our inner world as it is achieving sobriety. In fact, the health of our thoughts and emotions can ultimately determine how well we do in our recovery and how successfully we achieve sobriety. This means that if we are at odds with ourselves andRead More
Disconnecting From Our Trauma and Ourselves Many of us have experienced trauma so destabilizing and so painful that we disassociate from it, meaning we disconnect from it, forget it happened to us, or think we haven’t been impacted by trauma at all. We suppress our memories and force ourselves to try and forget them. WeRead More
Many of us recovering from addiction tend to sabotage our sobriety in all kinds of ways, many of which we often aren’t conscious of. We’re working against ourselves and undermining our progress without being aware that we’re doing so. We’re striving for sobriety but holding ourselves back. We can feel like we’re taking two stepsRead More
If you’re struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). When addressing the root causes of our addictions, many of us discover that the violent traumatic experiences we’ve lived through in our lives have had intense emotional effects that contribute to our addictions. For many of us, these severeRead More
Self-Limiting Mentality As we’re doing the work to recover, one thing that can hold us back most is the mentality we’ve created for ourselves around our recovery. Many of us have a recovery mindset that is full of fear and self-doubt. When it comes to both our addictions and our recovery, we often feel stressedRead More
Our addictions and mental health issues are often fueled by the traumatic experiences we’ve lived through, the intense painful experiences we’ve accumulated over the years. Many believe that the root cause of addictions is trauma for some people, and that their trauma not only worsens their addictive patterns but was the original cause of theirRead More