When struggling with addiction, we sometimes can be so focused on the current painful manifestations of the illness, the symptoms, the tough circumstances in our lives, the obstacles we’re facing in recovery, that we aren’t ever able to gain a clear understanding of how our addictions originated in the first place. We’re so consumed withRead More
We have a cultural tendency to stigmatize addiction and to shame individual addicts for the illnesses they’re struggling with. We perpetuate stereotypes that addicts are criminals, that they’re immoral people who use their addictions as an excuse to do bad things. We associate all addicts with being people we look down upon, people that getRead More
We sometimes think of our recovery as a one-person job, as work we have to do on our own, in isolation. While it’s true we have to take ownership of and responsibility for our recovery and do the work for ourselves, we can find immense support and comfort in our relationships, particularly those with peopleRead More
Many of us have a very hard time admitting our mistakes, especially the most shameful, regretful mistakes we’ve made due to our struggles with addiction. We’re embarrassed to admit the things we’ve done. It hurts to think of the pain we’ve caused people. We feel ashamed of ourselves and disappointed in ourselves. Learning to finallyRead More
Throughout our struggles with addiction, many of us fall into patterns of trying to conceal our problem from as many people as possible. We might hide drugs in random parts of the house. We might stash bottles where we think no one will find them. We might keep entire parts of ourselves, our addictive behaviorsRead More
It takes many of us a long time to become fully aware of our addictions. For years we’re in denial about just how acute our problem has become. Some of us aren’t even aware when we do have a problem. If you think you might be struggling with an addiction, whether it’s to drugs, alcohol,Read More
Oftentimes we’re so focused on the day to day of our addictions, our drugs of choice and how to score our next high, the difficult life circumstances we’re incurring because of our addictions, the effects our addictions are having on our relationships and on our lives overall, that we don’t always realize how much ourRead More
Recovering from addiction causes us to take a hard look at how we view ourselves, the self-image we create for ourselves, how we treat ourselves, our self-talk and our self-perception. As addicts, we often are grappling with very low self-esteem, a lack of confidence and faith in ourselves, and a depleted sense of self-worth. WeRead More
When struggling with addiction and mental illness, many of us have a tendency to engage in self-defeating habits, the things we do that are self-sabotaging and that work against our goals. Consciously we want what’s best for us, we want to heal, and we want to make good choices for ourselves. Subconsciously, however, we’re stillRead More
When living with addiction and mental illness, asking for help and allowing ourselves to receive that help can feel next to impossible. We can feel overwhelmed, afraid and daunted at the mere thought. What causes this fear? Sometimes we’re afraid to look at our mistakes, wrongdoings, shame and regrets honestly and openly. Sometimes we’re embarrassedRead More