Some of us never consider ourselves to be addicts because our addictions haven’t seriously disrupted our lives yet or caused us any catastrophic circumstances. We haven’t lost our job, been kicked out of school, or had to drop out. We haven’t ruined any relationships. We haven’t gotten arrested or gambled our money away. We are…
The process of entering and completing treatment can be life-changing and can start us on the path towards full recovery. The decision to enter treatment can be a difficult one. Often when we’re starting treatment, we’ve really been struggling with our addictions and can feel like we’re at the end of our rope and have…
Mindfulness is the practice of becoming conscious in everything we do, in our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, habits and patterns. When we become more mindful of how we are operating mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually, we start to figure out what we need to change in order to be successful in our recovery. Meditation is one…
Living with addiction means we’re often struggling with inner turmoil, tumultuous interpersonal relationships, challenging circumstances, stress, anxiety and depression. At the root of our pain is a lack of inner peace. We don’t feel grounded, centered, stable or secure. We don’t feel at peace with ourselves, our lives, our relationships. Attaining inner peace doesn’t mean…
Many of us grow up learning to hate ourselves, and very often it is our self-destructiveness that fuels our addictions. We feel insecure and lack self-confidence. We struggle with feelings of low self-worth and self-esteem. We carry a lot of shame and regret. Our self-image is based on our lack of self-love, and we often…
There’s much about being a teenager that makes drug use and addiction more likely. According to the CDC, more than 60 percent of teens have tried alcohol, more than 35 percent have used marijuana, and more than 14 percent have misused prescription drugs. While some experimentation among teens is inevitable, it is not inconsequential. Most…
When we are struggling with addictions, it’s not uncommon for us to give up on ourselves. We lose faith in ourselves. We don’t have hope and don’t feel optimistic about our futures or our chances for recovery. When we give up on ourselves, we tend to give up responsibility for our lives. We can sometimes…
When we know we need help dealing with our addictions and are contemplating entering treatment, the thought of having to leave home can be a scary one. It can be difficult to be separated from our families and loved ones. It can be very hard to push ourselves out of our comfort zone. As challenging…
There is a great deal of misinformation about addiction floating around, compounded by the stereotypes that many people have come to believe to be true about addicts and addiction. There is still stigma surrounding addiction, and incorrect assumptions that it is found disproportionately in poor communities and homeless populations. Addiction is often wrongly associated with…
Recovery is not a one-time thing where we go to treatment and then are magically cured. It is a process that we undertake and commit to for the rest of our lives. When we decide to get clean, we are making the important decision that we want to be well, we want to be happy,…
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