Addiction Is Less About Drugs And Alcohol And More About This…
When I first started using at fifteen, it didn’t occur to me I was self-medicating. All I knew was that the pain and turmoil inside me lessened when I drank or used drugs. Long before I picked up my first substance, I chose unhealthy roles to cope with my emotions. My first role was the
CONTINUE READING
Help! My Son Keeps Relapsing.
Have you ever heard your addicted loved one say, “I’m only hurting myself?” You probably want to scream, are you kidding me?!The truth is, they’re not.That’s why it’s important to have outside help. When you love someone struggling with addiction, it hurts. You’ll be overwhelmed, angry, frustrated, worried, and anxious, all at the same time.
CONTINUE READING
Tired Of Being Controlled By Addiction? Check Out These 5 Reasons To Get Clean And Sober.
In moderation, a glass of wine is a great way to unwind from a long stressful day. An ice-cold beer at a barbeque can be a conversation starter. A hot toddy will warm your insides on a cold winter day. Social gatherings are built around good food and good drink. But what happens when you
CONTINUE READING
Addiction Is Less About Drugs Or Alcohol And More About This.
When I first got high at fifteen, it didn’t occur to me I was self-medicating. All I knew then is that when I drank or used drugs, the pain and turmoil inside me lessened. Long before using, I chose unhealthy roles to cope with my emotions. My first role was the Invisible One. I was
CONTINUE READING
To The Family Living With Addiction, I See You.
Addiction is a disease, that if left untreated, can have fatal results. Yet many families still buy into the shame and stigma, fighting their life and death battles alone, in secrecy, behind closed doors. One worried mother recently broke her silence and reached out to me. This mother had never talked to anyone before and
CONTINUE READING
Watching Your Child Struggle With Addiction Is Painful, But This Will Help.
It’s 3 a.m. and your son has not come home – again. You want to cry, or wail, or pound on the walls until your fists turn bloody. But you know that won’t change anything. Tears well in your eyes, as your husband sleeps beside you. For one crazy moment, you want to reach over
CONTINUE READING
Why Addiction Is A Family Illness
Addiction comes in every shape, sex, color, and size. It affects every economic class and neighborhood and touches one in seven families across North America. We tend to believe addiction is about drug and alcohol abuse, and it is, to an extent. But drugs and alcohol are only a small part of the problem. The
CONTINUE READING
The Real Reasons You’re Not Getting Clean And Sober
The Real Reasons You’re Not Getting Clean And Sober. People think they know you, but they don’t. Truthfully, you barely recognize yourself. Lately, you can’t even look in the mirror. You try not to think about it, but deep down, you know… your addiction is taking a massive toll on you and your family. Money,
CONTINUE READING
Survival In Families With Addiction
Survival In Families With Addiction. When a family member struggles with addiction, everyone in the family feels it. Living with a substance abuser is intense, scary, painful, and chaotic. To minimize chaos balance is sought within the family system through a mode of dynamics and survival. Family dynamics are the patterns of relating, or interactions,
CONTINUE READING
4 Stages Of Addiction.
Recovering from addiction is both challenging and rewarding. To change one’s life, you must first admit there’s a problem. However, addiction is complicated and denial plays a vital role in this illness. Substance abusers minimize the severity of their problems, and recovery means more than just remaining abstinent. Abusing drugs and alcohol is only 15
CONTINUE READING
Help! My Parents Won’t Stop Enabling My Brother.
Nicole says her older brother Jim has become a stranger to her. She and Jim were close as children, but all that changed when Jim entered the eighth grade and started smoking marijuana and then moved on to harder drugs. Nicole went on to graduate high school and university, while Jim dropped out of school
CONTINUE READING
Letting Go Isn’t Easy.
Life doesn’t always go as planned. You stumble, you fall, and for the most part, you pick yourself up and learn from your mistakes. Every experience we go through is meant to teach us something. But what happens when instead of learning from our mistakes, we keep repeating them? For people struggling with substance use
CONTINUE READING
Who’s Protecting You From You?
No more would she live for othersShe stopped putting herself lastShe stopped settling for crumbsShe stopped asking whyIn front of the mirror, she finally understoodIt was time for her to lead the way Who’s Protecting You–From You? It’s not news that addicted persons are dying in their quest to get high. Nor is it surprising
CONTINUE READING
7 Ways To Help Your Addicted Loved One.
Addiction is an ugly disease that appears unseeing, unhearing, uncaring and unloving. You’ve probably talked to your loved one about getting clean/sober until you’re blue in the face. But you can’t seem to break through their enormous wall of denial. You’ve racked your brain trying to come up with the right words. You‘ve rehearsed it
CONTINUE READING
Sober Love
The first time I saw Dave he was black and blue and sporting a broken jaw. The night before Dave had been jumped by the goon squad but he didn’t let that stop him. That day I was on the opening shift. I unlocked the bar doors and there he was! The man of my
CONTINUE READING
7 Things You Should Know About People Who Struggle With Addiction.
If you’ve never struggled with addiction, you’re lucky. You’ll never know the hopelessness of being addicted, or of wanting to stop and not being able too. Imagine something so powerful that it uses you. It’s like that for those of us who are susceptible to a substance use disorder. We voluntarily take our first drink
CONTINUE READING
The Dangerous Truth About Enabling.
With addiction in the family, the line between helping and enabling is blurry. You might think you’re helping when you do for your addicted loved one, what they could and should, be doing for themselves. But what you’re really helping is the addiction taking over your loved one. Imagine addiction as a monster that’s hijacked
CONTINUE READING
Grieving The Loss Of Someone Who Still Lives.
Grieving The Loss Of Someone Who Still Lives When you love someone who struggles with addiction, an internal battle plays out. On the one hand, you’re grateful they’re alive. On the other, you’re mad as hell at them. Somewhere in the middle, you’re sick and exhausted, and you don’t know what to do. It’s different
CONTINUE READING
A Day In The Life Of The Addicts’ Mom
Before you judge, take a walk in their shoes… A Day In The Life Of An Addicts’ Mom The shrill ringing of the phone had me bolting up in bed. As I reach to answer, I remind myself to breathe. I handle the receiver as if it’s a deadly viper. I loathe it. The phone
CONTINUE READING
When Helping Turns Deadly; Signs and Symptoms of Enabling Behaviors
When helping turns deadly… Signs And Symptoms Of Enabling Behaviors. Addiction is an insidious illness that compromises every aspect of life. It also negatively impacts the lives of family members. Addiction changes the way people think, feel and behave. These changes can most often be seen through unhealthy behavior patterns such as isolating, disconnecting from
CONTINUE READING
Dear Mom
Dear Mom, I know you’re tired. Your child’s addiction is tearig you apart. You avoid people who ask too many questions because honestly, you don’t have any answers. How does one explain what it’s like to watch their precious child struggle with addiction? You’ve kissed their face a thousand times. You’ve watched them sleep and
CONTINUE READING
Does Society Enable Addiction?
In the last decade, we’ve come a long way towards understanding addiction. Once thought of as an immoral issue associated with weak-willed persons, now most people view addiction as a disease that’s progressive in nature, delusional in thinking, and maladaptive in behavior.Addicted persons are our parents, siblings, spouses, friends, doctors, lawyers, firefighters, pilots, teachers, servers,
CONTINUE READING
3 Signs You’re Almost Ready to Get Help for Addiction
Addiction is finally getting the attention it deserves as a legitimate medical issue and not simply a “problem” associated with “weak willpower.” Today, medical professionals, scientists, and addiction specialists have a much better understanding of how addiction changes the structure and function of the brain. While the decision to quit is ultimately up to
CONTINUE READING
Finding Me – Recovering From Addiction
Does it hurt to be real?’ asked the Rabbit. ‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘But when you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’ ‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ asked Rabbit, ‘or bit by bit?’ ‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse.
CONTINUE READING