As we are working to recover from our addictions and mental health issues, one of the things we will inevitably have to face are the unhealthy, self-destructive, harmful behaviors we have developed over the course of our lives. We are often in denial about our behaviors, have yet to become conscious of them, or are […]
Category: Resource Center
Why is Friendship Important in Recovery?
Many of us living with addictions isolate ourselves from our loved ones, for various reasons. Sometimes we can’t invest in our friendships because we don’t have the emotional energy or strength to, from battling our addictions day in and day out. Sometimes we retreat from other people because we’re afraid of being judged by them. […]
Sit with the Pain in Order to Heal It
Our addictions, depression and other mental health issues are often manifestations of our resistance to our pain, the ways in which we try to run from it, hide from it, bury it, avoid it or escape it. Healing on a deep level means being able to face our pain, to sit with it and withstand […]
I Don’t Use Drugs or Alcohol, But Am I an Addict?
Addiction is most commonly associated with a dependence on drugs and alcohol, but any substance or behavior can become addictive. Any time our reliance on something becomes problematic for us and causes us distress, we can consider it to be an addiction. Do you find yourself worrying about your use or behavior? Does it cause […]
Developing Healthy Coping Mechanisms
As we do the work to figure out our unhealthy behaviors, patterns and coping mechanisms, we can also be creating new healthy ways to cope that are self-affirming rather than self-destructive. We’ve created coping strategies over the years to deal with our trauma, our woundedness and our fears, but these strategies not only don’t heal […]
How Can I Calm My Thoughts?
One of our biggest challenges when dealing with the stress of addiction, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, is our overactive minds and how much our thoughts race. We often think that there is nothing we can do about this and that we can’t control our thoughts, but with some practice and some helpful […]
How Can I Face My Fear of Getting Help?
Many of us share the fear of reaching out for help in our recovery. When we are still caught in the cycles of our addictions, we often aren’t ready to take the steps needed to stop those cycles. We’re afraid of the withdrawal symptoms, the painful emotions of losing the substance or person we’re attached […]
Our Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
One way to understand our addiction, depression and other mental health issues is to see that they are essentially the unhealthy coping mechanisms we’ve developed in response to our emotional pain. Very often we don’t understand why we struggle the way we do, why we’re suffering so much. While we’re in the midst of our […]
Why is it Important to Have Patience with Myself?
When we are working towards recovery, it is often after years of suffering with addictions, depression and other mental health issues. Oftentimes we’ve been struggling so long we feel fed up. We want to feel better as quickly as possible, which is totally understandable, but sometimes we are impatient with ourselves in recovery which can […]
Supporting our Loved Ones in Recovery
Supporting our loved ones through their recovery process can be incredibly challenging for us, whether or not we ourselves struggle with addictions. Each recovery process is different and unique to the individual, but there are some things we can do to support our loved ones as they recover. Listen When it comes to addiction recovery, […]