There are many factors that can contribute to our addictions – our family’s experience with substance abuse, our genetic makeup, our mental illnesses and our lack of healthy emotional coping skills. One factor we often ignore but that can be particularly problematic is boredom. When we think of boredom, we think of it as being…
Forgiveness can be hard to do when you have so much anger inside of you. When you know someone struggling with addiction, all you can think about when you look at that person is all the hurt they caused you. Practicing forgiveness is an important step in maintaining a relationship with a recovering addict to…
One element of our addiction recovery that we don’t always take the time to address is the prevalence of our unhealthy boundaries. We often are so eager to return to our regular routines, to see our family and friends, and to get on with our lives, that we don’t even think of our boundaries as…
We use our addictions in different ways in our lives, one of the most common being that we’re attempting to fill the emptiness we feel within us. We use drugs, alcohol, sex, relationships, gambling, and any substance or behavior that makes us feel good, to compensate for the voids we feel in our lives and…
A huge contributor to our addictions and mental health issues is our lack of self-worth. We feel insecure about who we are, about our illnesses, about where we are in our lives. We feel ashamed of ourselves. Our shame and lack of self-worth make us think we don’t deserve to be happy or experience the…
As parents, our children’s well-being is of the utmost importance to us and is usually our highest priority. We are responsible for their upbringing and their health, and we take our responsibility very seriously. We feel honored to be their parents. When we’re struggling with addiction, our priorities can become totally skewed. The toxic substances…
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). When we’re struggling with suicidal thoughts, we’re overcome with an intense need for relief from our emotional pain. We’re often depressed and battling other mental health issues, and often addiction as well. We become convinced that the thoughts…
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Self-medicating is the term used to describe our use of addictive substances and behaviors to relieve our mental and emotional pain. Rather than actual medication or natural remedies that would help us to heal, we’re relying on toxic…
Living with addiction, many of us come to feel quite accustomed to and familiar with regret. It becomes second nature for us to feel ashamed of ourselves, remorseful and full of regret for our mistakes, wrongdoings and shortcomings. As a result, we feel depressed, anxious, insecure, inadequate and inferior. We use our addictions to help…
Approaching recovery can be daunting, overwhelming and anxiety-inducing for many of us. We’re afraid to do the hard work necessary for recovery. We’re hesitant to leave behind the comforts of our familiar lifestyles. We’re afraid to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and to sacrifice the drugs of choice we’ve become so dependent upon.…