The traumatic experiences we’ve endured are some of the most painful and emotionally challenging things we’ll go through in our lives. Our response to trauma is often to suppress it, to avoid thinking about it, and to try and forget it ever happened. We run from it, hide from it, and try to escape it.Read More
We often think of social media as a harmless tool for connecting with people and expressing ourselves. We use it to share updates of our personal and professional lives. We use it to stay in touch with loved ones. We find helpful quotes, insightful articles, and uplifting material online. For many of us, though, socialRead More
Being the loved one of an addict can be a uniquely challenging experience. When we live with a loved one struggling with addiction, the challenges can increase exponentially. What is it like to live with an addict? What can we expect to experience and learn from living with an addict? The Turmoil and Instability ofRead More
As we’re working to recover, there are certain resources we can take advantage of that can greatly increase our chances of being able to stay sober. Many treatment programs offer recovery coaching, and there are also private coaches you can work with. Similar to addiction counselors and therapists, coaches have experience helping people to recoverRead More
Experiencing addictive cravings and trying to withstand all the temptation they bring with them can be overwhelming and destabilizing, to say the least. We feel so strongly tempted by our drugs of choice that we feel as though we need them. We think there’s no way we can manage without them. We feel totally consumedRead More
When we’re struggling with our addictions, and when we’re feeling challenged in our recovery, much of our difficulty comes from the fact that we don’t fully believe recovery is even possible for us. While we consciously want to believe we can get sober, subconsciously we feel otherwise. We’re perpetuating all kinds of limiting beliefs aboutRead More
Psychotherapy is a key element of addiction treatment and recovery. At its core, a substance use disorder is the result of some kind of pain, often from trauma, abuse, neglect, or a mental health issue. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than half of people with substance use disorders also have co-occurringRead More
When we’re thinking about the emotional contributing factors to our addictions, we can’t overlook the pervasive theme of a lack of self-worth for so many of us. We see ourselves as inadequate and inferior to other people because of our addictions and the mistakes we’ve made. We feel worthless and undeserving of success and happiness.Read More
Rumination is when you get stuck in a mental rut and keep thinking the same negative thoughts over and over. Typically, people ruminate over unhappy memories or things they’re afraid might happen in the future. Rumination is a common feature of major depression, anxiety disorders – especially obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD – and other mentalRead More
Even when we’re wholeheartedly committed to our sobriety and invested in our recovery, we can find that there are persistent impeding factors that can threaten to derail our progress. Some of these impediments might be unavoidable. Others we can be mindful of and prevent as we’re doing the work to recover. Sometimes these impediments jeopardizeRead More