When we look back at our childhoods, many of us realize that our addictive patterns began when we were very young. The emotional responses, thought patterns and behaviors that are part of our addictions may have developed early on when were children. Sometimes we learn from our families and caregivers that it is better… Continue Reading Did I Become an Addict as a Child?
We usually think of boredom as a harmless thing, but it can actually be a trigger for our addictive behaviors and can be a factor in whether or not we relapse. A challenge for many of us is that we find ourselves bored without the substances, relationships and behaviors we’ve grown to be dependent on… Continue Reading Coping with Boredom
One of the most powerful trauma healing methods we can use in our recovery is learning to work with our inner child. As adults, we still have our inner child, or our childhood self, within us. All of the pain we experienced when we were younger is still part of us, and to heal and… Continue Reading How Can I Heal my Inner Child?
When we turn to addictive substances, relationships and behaviors, it is often because we are trying to drown out the voices of our inner demons. They play off of our deepest fears, of inadequacy, inferiority, abandonment, loss, rejection. They tell us that we’re not good enough, that we aren’t deserving of love, that we are… Continue Reading Facing Our Inner Demons
The teenage years are a turbulent time. Teens face pressure to succeed in school and get into good colleges. They have to negotiate a shifting social life and dating. They may have to work or deal with family issues on top of all that. It’s a time of change, uncertainty, and insecurity. According to the… Continue Reading 8 Signs of Anxiety Disorders in Teens
Our addictions and mental health issues can cause us to create deep rifts in our relationships. When we are using and/or depressed, we can treat the people around us in ways we might not otherwise. We might be consumed with anger, bitterness and resentment that we unleash on the people around us. We might be… Continue Reading How Do I Rebuild My Relationships?
Our addictions are often fueled by our escapism and avoidance. What many of us are trying to escape and avoid, and distract ourselves from, is the pain of our past. We will do anything to avoid having to face it. It can be terrifying look at the painful things we’ve been through – the hurt… Continue Reading Confronting the Past
One of the best things we can do for ourselves in recovery is create a relapse prevention plan – a plan for how we will respond to addictive urges when they hit. Very often when we’re not prepared for urges, our instinct is to respond to them the way we always did, by using. Our… Continue Reading What is my Relapse Prevention Plan?
Learning to love ourselves unconditionally – through our addictions and depression, through all of our life challenges and obstacles – is one of the most important elements of recovery. Learning self-love is far from a quick fix. It is a lifelong process that involves unprogramming all of the limiting and self-disparaging beliefs we’ve adopted about… Continue Reading Healing our Brokenness with Self-Love
When we are working towards recovery, one of our biggest challenges is the temptation we feel to use again. We’re hit with addictive urges that can be overwhelmingly strong. We got accustomed to giving into our urges and compulsions. We felt we had no control over ourselves. We didn’t feel connected to our willpower and… Continue Reading How Can I Cope with Addictive Urges?
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