Category: Families & Addiction

Addiction and Family: Effects of Drug Abuse and Alcoholism

Addiction and Family: Effects of Drug Abuse and Alcoholism

Effects of Drug Abuse on Family Someone who chronically relapses has trouble staying sober. They continuously fall back into their addiction even if they are trying with all of their willpower to stay away from drugs and alcohol.  They are sick with a chronic disease. If left untreated, they will

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I Got 99 Problems and They Weigh a Ton

When we are struggling with mental health issues and addiction, we typically mask our feelings and experiences that we may have been repressing for years. This type of behavior, whether it is conscious or unconscious, creates a cycle of avoidance to ensure we don’t feel pain. When we get in this

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Talking to Family and Friends About Your Recovery

When we are in pain, it can be difficult to find the right words to reflect how we feel. It can be especially tricky when we have suffered from a relapse along our mental health journey, but communication is the bridge between the whole of humanity. We can’t expect people

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Pain Doesn’t Make Us Special, Overcoming it Does

Pain Doesn’t Make Us Special, Overcoming it Does

When we’ve experienced significant trauma, it can be easy to close ourselves off from the rest of the world and disconnect from the people we love. Our pain makes us feel isolated as if no one else could ever possibly understand its significance and its effect on our lives, but

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People-Pleasing and Self-Worth

People-Pleasing and Self-Worth

Change, especially when it comes to honoring our mental health and removing addictive patterns, means shifting multiple facets of our lives. This could look like removing people who we were once close with, removing ourselves from certain situations, even removing ourselves completely by moving our homes or changing jobs.  While

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When You’re Too Smart for Your Own Good

When You’re Too Smart for Your Own Good

An old portrait of the addict may look like someone living on the streets, a person who is not well-dressed, or someone who is uneducated. But when we look at the spectrum of addiction, we might be surprised to find that most addicts are highly intelligent. They excel at communicating,

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Helping Your Loved One with Depression

Helping Your Loved One with Depression

As a close friend or family member of someone struggling with chronic depression, it can be difficult and frustrating to navigate such a sensitive and worrisome situation.  You are likely to be concerned about their well-being, but unsure of how to help. While nothing can take the place of professional

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