Sometimes one of the ways in which we cope with our addictions is to normalize them and treat them as if they are acceptable, reasonable parts of our lives that we can treat normally. We normalize everything we go through as if it’s not problematic. We tell ourselves that the struggles we’re going through areRead More
As we’re working to recover from our addictions, and as we’re learning more about all the different elements of addiction and mental illness, it can serve us tremendously to learn from people’s real-life experiences and to witness their growth firsthand. Oftentimes the things we read about and learn intellectually can’t impact and motivate us inRead More
A hugely important part of our recovery is changing how we view ourselves, and therefore our addictions. We tend to perceive ourselves with a great deal of shame. We feel so disappointed in ourselves, so remorseful and so regretful that we suffer from low self-esteem and have a fragile sense of self-worth. We hate ourselves.Read More
There are various forms of denial we experience when it comes to addiction, and for many of us who identify as addicts, we’re often most in denial about the devastating effects our addictions are having on our lives. We try to avoid the painful truth of our problems by focusing on the seemingly positive effectsRead More
A significant amount of our work in recovery is learning to shed the harmful thought patterns we’ve been practicing and perpetuating over time throughout our struggles with addiction, the ways of thinking, the fears and the limiting beliefs that have prevented us from healing and creating the lives we want for ourselves. Sometimes, though, we’reRead More
There are many signs we might be struggling with addiction, and changes in our behavioral patterns are some of the most obvious telltale signs we have a problem. If you’re questioning whether or not addiction might be an issue for you, try to become more mindful of the behavioral changes you experience, both after usingRead More
If you’re struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The addictive substances we become dependent upon impact our lives in various destructive ways, and one of the most tangible ways is how much they affect our personalities and the way we function in our lives. Oftentimes we aren’tRead More
Sometimes throughout our struggles with addiction, we will use certain drugs first that serve as gateway drugs to other, harsher drugs that end up becoming our drugs of choice, the ones we default to for an extended period of time. These preliminary substances or behaviors are often known as gateway drugs and are considered toRead More
When struggling with addiction, we often face so much judgment, both within ourselves and from other people, that it becomes imperative that we find spaces and allies with which we don’t feel judged in order to help us recover. It’s crucial that we feel safe and secure enough to feel comfortable within our own skinRead More
The relationships we build over the course of our lives have the capacity to help strengthen and support us or to weaken and destroy us. They can contribute either to our healing or to exacerbated suffering. As addicts, we often struggle with relationship-building, partly because we’re in a relationship with others also coping with addictionRead More