Many of us struggling with addiction and mental health issues have developed strong patterns of negative thinking, and as we work to heal, we realize that our thought patterns have a significant impact on our ability to recover. Our negative recurring thoughts become our beliefs, and they become instilled in our consciousness, affecting everything from […]
Category: Resource Center
Adjusting Our Lifestyles to Support Our Loved Ones’ Recovery
When we have loved ones in recovery, particularly if they have only recently achieved sobriety, we have many questions pertaining to how we should function around them. We wonder if we should modify our lifestyles and behaviors in order to support them. We think it might be insensitive to drink around them, for example, if […]
What Are Some Hidden Signs of Addiction?
Sometimes as addicts we engage in behaviors that are toxic and unhealthy, behaviors that reflect our addictions but that we don’t necessarily associate with addiction because they appear to be less dangerous and destructive as the ones we do think of us as problematic. We think because we’re not angry and volatile, violent or abusive, […]
Why We Resist Programs Like Al-Anon
Sometimes as the loved ones of people struggling with addiction, we might feel hesitant to join a support group of our own such as Al-Anon. We might feel resistance to any kind of healing work that pertains to us. This can happen for a number of reasons, and given that we experience a great deal […]
How Do We Stop Resenting the Addicts in Our Lives?
Sometimes as the loved ones of addicts, we have emotions surrounding them and their addictions that we don’t understand, that we can’t seem to come to terms with, accept or make peace with. Our resentment towards the addicts in our lives is one of these complicated emotions we struggle to make sense of. We’re filled […]
Gifts We Receive in Recovery
One thing that can help us in our recovery is to focus on the gifts we’re receiving by staying sober and by working on our health and peace of mind. Sobriety gives us so many life-changing gifts that we sometimes take for granted and forget to be mindful of. When we remember them and focus […]
How We Can Benefit From Al-Anon
Al-Anon is a support group designed specifically for the loved ones of those struggling with addiction. When we have a family member or friend in the grips of addiction, we have a unique set of challenges that can be difficult to contend with, to say the least, in part because we might not have other […]
How Can We Reclaim Our Self-Worth?
Our sense of self-worth is often extremely fragile and precarious when we’re struggling with addiction and mental illness. We don’t view ourselves with love and compassion. We tend to deny ourselves forgiveness and understanding, especially surrounding the mistakes and regrets we can’t seem to live down. We have a hard time accepting ourselves for who […]
Attending 12-Step Meetings
As we commit to our recovery program, one of the best things we can do for ourselves and our sobriety is to make the effort to attend 12-Step meetings consistently. Just like working with a therapist and a sponsor, attending meetings can help us to address some of the deeply rooted mental and emotional health […]
How Can I Determine My Identity Beyond Addiction?
Our addictions and mental health issues have a way of overtaking our lives and causing us to forget who we are beyond our illnesses. We can begin to feel as though our identities have been reduced to being merely addicts and people who are mentally ill. We have a hard time remembering what it was […]