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…
Relapsing can be painful and overwhelming, but luckily there are some things we can do to help prevent ourselves from getting to that point. We can take active steps to help ourselves take our lives back and to release ourselves from the grips of addiction. Avoid Toxic Relationships When we are caught in the cycles…
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…
Relapse is a difficult and sometimes painful part of the recovery process. There are some warning signs that can signal the onset of a relapse. Becoming more aware of these warning signs can help us to seek out support for ourselves or for loved ones when needed. Depression affects many of us struggling with addictions.…
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…
Addiction is often known as the “family disease,” and for good reason – it affects the whole family, and the patterns and habits of addiction are often shared, even inherited, by multiple family members. To have a healthy recovery, we benefit greatly from having the support of our families. Their involvement means we can learn…
Sometimes the most damaging effects our addictions can have on us are the limiting beliefs they cause us to adopt and believe to be true. Very often these limiting beliefs contributed to the development of our addictions in the first place. We come to think so poorly of ourselves that our mentality is one of…
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…
So much of recovery is about creating a healthy routine and surrounding yourself with healthy people. It’s nice to have a break from regular life when you travel, but if you are recovering from addiction, taking time away from your routine and your social support may be risky. However, overcoming addiction is about having more…