We most commonly associate addiction with a dependence on drugs or alcohol, but addictions can also be behavioral in nature. We can find ourselves forming dependent attachments on certain behaviors such as sex, eating, gaming and gambling, attachments that can be just as intense and detrimental as our attachments to substances. We can become mentally, […]
Category: Mental Health
Remembering the Purpose Behind Our Goals
Sometimes as we’re setting goals for ourselves, outlining our intentions and clarifying our objectives in our recovery, we forget why it is we’re working so hard to recover in the first place. When we remember the purpose of our work, the meaning behind why we’re in recovery, all the reasons why we want to be […]
Dealing with Misunderstanding
As we’re coping with our addictions and mental health issues, one of our greatest challenges can be in dealing with people who don’t understand us or our illnesses. Both addiction and mental illness are common and exist within every community, ethnic group, religious affiliation, sexual orientation and socioeconomic grouping. In other words, they are universal. […]
How Drugs Worsen Our Depression
Many of us who struggle with substance abuse also struggle with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. When the two different illnesses affect us simultaneously, they are often referred to as co-occurring disorders or dual diagnoses. Those of us suffering from these particular issues are aware of the dualistic nature of our illnesses […]
Thought Addictions
Sometimes our addictions don’t just involve substances, relationships and behaviors, they also involve our thought patterns. We develop toxic thought addictions where we’ve become so attached to certain thoughts that we can’t seem to let them go. As a result, we can develop obsessions and compulsions, intense anxiety and panic attacks, and depression. Our relentless […]
Exploring Our Fears
As we’re working to heal from our addictions and mental health issues, some of the most important work we do revolves around exploring our fears. Many of us have a fear-based relationship with our fears, where we try as hard as possible to avoid having to think about them, look at them or feel them. […]
Addiction and Disconnection
Addiction is often described as being a disease of disconnection. What do we mean by this? When we are disconnected from our inner selves, from our intuition, from our purpose, we suffer a great deal. We struggle with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. We believe the worst about ourselves and develop limiting beliefs […]
What Does Self-Worth Have to Do with Addiction and Mental Illness?
We often associate addiction and mental illness with having an issue or problem with a particular substance or behavior. We think of depression and anxiety as being related to our current circumstances, losing our jobs, losing a loved one, or being overly stressed. We don’t always realize that our addiction and mental health issues stem […]
Examining Our Unconscious Fears
When living with addiction and mental health issues, many of us know we’re in pain, but we don’t know why exactly. We can tell that we’re afraid, but we often aren’t conscious of what our fears actually are. Our fears are stored in our subconscious minds, beneath the conscious awareness of our thinking minds. This […]
Why Do I Feel So Unfulfilled?
Our addictions are so overpowering and all-encompassing that they have a way of taking over our lives and causing us to feel a deep sense of unfulfillment. We don’t feel fulfilled or satisfied with our lives as they are. We don’t feel content with who we are as people. We struggle with feeling inadequate, undeserving […]