Many of us can relate to feeling as though we’re living with an inner critic that is constantly assessing and criticizing everything we do, think and feel, from our important life choices to mundane everyday decisions, from our mistakes and wrongdoings to our usual slip-ups and bad habits. We see everything around us with aRead More
Sometimes our recovery can feel separate from our daily lives, from the routines we grew accustomed to, from our work and relationships, from the lifestyles we’ve created for ourselves. It can be hard to figure out how to combine the work we’re doing in our recovery with the rest of our lives. One way weRead More
Those of us struggling with behavioral addictions, or process addictions as they’re sometimes called, have a unique set of challenges relating to our recovery. Behavioral addictions can include any behavior, process, or combination thereof that we become dependent upon. We can become addicted to anything that brings us feelings of release, relief, detachment, escapism, distraction,Read More
We might think of our attitude, our outlook, and our ways of thinking and feeling as all being totally separate from our recovery. We think of our recovery as abstinence from our drug of choice, and all the work we do as part of our recovery program – the therapy, the support group meetings, communicatingRead More
Many of us, unfortunately, are confronted with situations and circumstances, relationships and interpersonal dynamics that leave us feeling as though we’re being denied our dignity. We’re mistreated and looked down upon. We’re told we’re less than human and shameful because of our addictions and mental health issues. We’re treated like monsters and criminals, told we’reRead More
One common habit we can fall into that detracts from our recovery is blaming our addictions for all of our many problems and seeing it as the culprit behind why we’re so unhappy in our lives. We see our addictions as the source of all our issues, so understandably we begin to resent our addictionsRead More
As we’re working to recover, we learn that our recovery is a journey comprised of many different chapters, chapters of self-discovery and expansion, and chapters of releasing the past. We discover that there are some chapters we have to close in order to move forward. As hard as it can be to let go, weRead More
As we’re recovering from our addictions and mental health issues, we often find that there are coping mechanisms we’ve adopted over the years, often in response to our fears and deeply rooted pain. Some of our strategies for coping end up being manipulative in nature, and we’re trying to control, manipulate and direct other peopleRead More
If you’re struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It’s becoming more and more common to find real-life, difficult examples of addiction right in our families and communities. Young people, whom we want to protect and shield from these painful realities, are coming face to face with themRead 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