When one of more of our family members is struggling with addiction, we are all affected and the negative impacts extend to all of us. We perpetuate toxic patterns of enabling, denying and exacerbating each other’s addictions. We are all hurt by the negative consequences, the arrests, accidents, abuse and self-harm. To feed our addiction, […]
Category: Resource Center
Learning to Feel Our Emotions
The ways in which we handle our emotions are often extremely toxic for our mental, emotional and physical health. Many of us have a very bad habit of suppressing our emotions. We avoid wanting to feel them, so we bury them, distract ourselves from them and deny them. When we suppress our emotions, often it’s […]
How is Addiction a Family Disease?
Addiction is sometimes referred to as a family disease because it affects everyone in the addict’s life and also because underlying issues and contributing factors are often shared among family members. How does addiction function as a family disease? For some families, addiction is genetic, and we pass the traits onto our children. Families with […]
Working Through Regret
If we allow it to, regret can totally consume us and the pain of it can contribute to our addictions and depression. Our cycles of addiction can bring us more regret as we accumulate years of self-destructing, making mistakes and hurting other people. Regret can be a bitter poison that eats away at our joy […]
Handling Feelings of Hopelessness
Addiction, just like depression, can rob us of our hopefulness, our joy and our optimism. We can feel totally stripped of our faith and depleted of our energy. We might have had plans for the future, ambitions we held close to our hearts, things we felt hopeful about. Addiction can take all of that away. […]
How Can I Talk to My Children About Addiction?
Talking to our children about addiction can be difficult. We might find it awkward or uncomfortable, or worse we might worry we’re putting ideas in our kids’ heads about doing drugs. The unfortunate truth, though, is that children are being exposed to drugs and alcohol at very early ages, from their friends, from marketing, from […]
Healing our Inner Demons
The term “inner demons” refers to the issues and worries in our lives, the troubling and distressing thoughts we find ourselves most plagued by. Our inner demons often cause a tremendous amount of anxiety and stress. Sometimes we obsess about them and experience recurring thoughts that we feel consumed by. Our thought patterns can become […]
What Are Warning Signs of Suicidal Tendencies?
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Knowing a loved one is suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts is one of the hardest things we can experience. While many people keep their thoughts of suicide to themselves and don’t share them with anyone, there […]
Holding onto Shame
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Living with addiction means we’re often holding onto many years’ worth of suppressed emotions. One of the most destructive and debilitating emotions that we hold onto is shame. We all make mistakes and have regrets that we […]
Reflecting on the Past Year and Looking Ahead
When we are working to move forward in our recovery, it is so important to look back and reflect on the past so that we can celebrate our successes and take inventory of what we can improve upon. Looking forward to the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 is the perfect time of […]