Fathoming the pain you caused a loved can be difficult to ascertain when you are in the active claws of addiction. Addiction alters the reality sensors in your brain. You can watch your own unkind and destructive behavior, unfold as if someone else is in control. You...
Some family members aren’t going to be able to offer you support after you leave a rehab facility. They may harbor anger and resentment for all the pain and suffering you might have caused them while you were actively in the throws of an addiction. You want them to...
Alcoholism and drug addiction are not dependent upon social status. You are not immune from addition because your mother is or was a corporate lawyer and your father the executive director of a worldwide nonprofit. It doesn’t matter if you are a Mayflower descendant,...
Self-sabotaging is when we get in our own way, perform self-defeating acts, or in today’s lingo, shoot ourselves in the foot. Self-sabotaging prevents us from achieving a goal we’ve set. It’s about setting ourselves up for failure. Although there are millions of ways...
A nervous breakdown is a catchall phrase used to describe a period of intense mental distress in which one is unable to function normally in their everyday life. Today’s mental health professionals and clinicians, don’t use the term nervous breakdown anymore. Their...
Alcoholism abuse is associated with a number of mental health concerns. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) has the closest link to alcoholism. When compared to people who don’t have...
The truth hurts because it makes us confront something to which we’ve been in denial. Think about when you first entered the rehab or your first AA or NA meeting. You might have felt dejected, angry, ashamed or any number of other emotions. The truth can hurt because...
You heard someone say the program you are in is a selfish one. This might make you wonder if all that you are doing for yourself; the meetings, group therapy, therapy and even rehab can be construed as selfish behavior. You might already have enough angst about the...
Not all therapists use the same strategies for dealing with your depression. Notice the ownership language used in the first sentence, your depression. Does this sound familiar? Hi, I’m Bill, or Jane, and I’m an alcoholic. This kind of language puts an adhesive label...
If you are in recovery for an addiction, the title question may seem annoying, or a bit after-the-fact, like spilt milk. However, studies, like Princeton University conducted in 2008: Evidence for Sugar Addiction: Behavioral and Neurochemical Effects of Intermittent,...
