It can be extremely difficult to handle our loved ones’ denial about their addictions. To us it’s evident they are struggling and need help. We are so worried about them. We fear for their safety and for the safety of the people around them, including ourselves. When they are in denial, they are convinced they […]
Category: Resource Center
Giving Ourselves Emotional Space to Heal
Often when we are struggling with addictions, depression and other mental and emotional health issues, we don’t have the space to focus on our healing. Many of us are in relationships that are so consuming that we can’t focus on ourselves, often because they are toxic or abusive. We prioritize our relationships over our own […]
What is at the Root of our Compulsions?
Our addictive urges and compulsions can be all-consuming and debilitating. They can drastically interfere with our daily routines. They can deter us from our healing progress. When we aren’t able to stop ourselves from acting on them, we are often filled with sadness, guilt, embarrassment and regret. We feel angry with ourselves. We know our […]
Embracing the Moment
When we are struggling with our cycles of addiction and mental health issues, we often have a very hard time being in the present moment. We dwell on the past and worry about the future. We replay things we find bothersome or troublesome. We give a lot of our attention and energy to the things […]
How Can I Be Happy When I’m Struggling?
Our addictions and mental health issues can take over our lives and make us feel like there is nothing to be happy about in life, nothing to redeem us, nothing to look forward to. When we are struggling, one of the best things we can do for ourselves is learn how to look for the […]
Pushing Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone
When it comes to living with addictions and mental health issues, we can find that our addictive behaviors, relationships and thought patterns become so ingrained within us and so familiar that they, in a way, become comfortable. It can be easier to stay in our comfort zone than to do the difficult work of creating […]
Investigating Our Emotional Patterns
Sometimes when we are approaching recovery, it is relatively easy to identify our behavioral patterns. They’re pretty clear and easy to see. We can pinpoint our go-to drugs of choice and addictive behaviors fairly easily. What can sometimes be harder to identify are the emotional patterns underlying our behaviors. These patterns often drive our addictions, […]
How Do I Stop Feeling Like I’m Not Good Enough?
One thing so many of us share, whether or not we struggle with addictions, is this incessant feeling that we’re not good enough, that we don’t measure up to other people, that we aren’t who or what we wish we were. These limiting beliefs are a part of what connect us as human beings. They […]
Being Honest with Ourselves
Facing the truth of our addictions and mental health issues is one of the most challenging things we’ll ever have to do. It means owning up to our mistakes and the ways we’ve hurt other people and ourselves. It means recognizing our shortcomings and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. It means embracing humility and the […]
How Can I Start Letting People Help Me?
Many of us living with addictions have a very hard time accepting help. We might be prideful and not want to show our vulnerability by asking for help. We might be afraid that people will judge us as weak, or hold it against us that we needed help. People who we hoped would help us […]