When living with addiction, many of us tend to be in such deep denial about it that we are unable to admit we have a problem. We refuse help when it’s offered to us and resist the idea of change. Oftentimes this comes from a place of fear. We’re afraid to do the hard workRead More
As the loved ones and friends of addicts, we often feel inclined to want to help them so much that we end up taking more responsibility than we should for their recovery. We see them not doing the work they need to do in order to recover, so we step in, hoping we’ll inspire themRead More
Our Recovery: Improving Our Mental and Emotional Health For those of us living with addiction, our life experiences can be a source of shame and self-hatred. Our identities as addicts make us feel down on ourselves, insecure and self-condemning. Part of our recovery is working to improve our mental and emotional health, and a hugeRead More
Our struggles with addiction have a way of overpowering us and taking over our lives, so much so that they dominate the ways in which we self-identify. We come to identify ourselves as addicts and little else. We forget all about the interesting lives we lived before addiction took over our days, routines, lifestyles andRead More
If you’re struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). There are many different kinds of therapy to take advantage of in our recovery, some more conventional while others are more holistic. One form of therapy we might not be familiar with is grief counseling. This particular kind ofRead More
With loved ones in recovery from addiction, we can feel a wide range of emotions, many of which we’re hesitant and afraid to discuss because we want to show unconditional support, hopefulness, and optimism. We want our loved ones not only to feel supported by us but to be motivated and encouraged by us andRead More
When we have loved ones in recovery, we can experience unique challenges that can be difficult and overwhelming to understand let alone live with. This can be especially true for those of us who have parents in recovery. We’re dealing with different family dynamics and alternating family roles that can disturb the equilibrium of theRead More
One of the hardest things we have to do when trying to have a healthy relationship is disclose the fact that we’re addicts. Many of us are so afraid of this difficult disclosure that we avoid relationships altogether. We push people away when they try to get too close to us. We isolate ourselves andRead More
Many of us struggling with addiction and mental illness are resistant to trying therapy and any other healing tools, often because we’re afraid to do the hard work required to get better. We’ve become so comfortable with avoiding our problems that the thought of actually facing them terrifies us. We don’t want to look atRead More
When we’re struggling with conflict and unresolved issues in our relationships, couples counseling is one of the healing tools we can try, to help us with our conflict resolution patterns, strengthen our communication skills, and deepen our connection. When one or both of us is living with addiction, the counseling dynamic can be impacted inRead More