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
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
The idea of implementing boundaries in our relationships can bring to mind negative associations and connotations. We think of having boundaries as being inflexible, strict, unyielding, and even unfair with the people closest to us. We think we’re being overly harsh, selfish, and self-centered when we establish boundaries in our relationships. Having healthy boundaries, though,Read More
For some of us, the longer we’re in recovery, the harder it is to hold ourselves accountable to the sobriety we’ve committed ourselves to. We can feel ourselves slipping on the intentions we’ve set for ourselves. We can feel as though we’re losing faith in the goals we’ve implemented for our recovery. This can happenRead More
Many of us struggling with addiction also struggle with unhealthy relationships full of conflict, misunderstanding, and miscommunication. We’re dealing with intense emotional issues that keep us from having healthy relationships with ourselves, let alone with other people. Many of our relationship challenges come from the fact that we’re lacking in communication and conflict resolution skills.Read More
It’s not uncommon for us to experience feelings of resistance and complacency as we’re working to recover. We get tired of doing the intense work required of us. We feel as though we need a break. We can feel devoid of hope, optimism, and motivation. We want to stay energized as much as possible inRead More
Sometimes in recovery, we feel enthusiastic about our sobriety. We look forward to all the promising developments in store for us. We’re excited about all the changes we’re making. We feel energized and motivated. Sometimes, though, we can become complacent in our recovery. We lose steam. We feel burned out. We lose inspiration and passion.Read More
When in recovery, we know that our greatest challenge will be to keep ourselves sober, but we don’t always recognize all of the emotional components that our recovery work will entail. We don’t always understand just how much our emotional challenges can impact our happiness, our peace of mind, our self-control, and our willpower. WeRead More