Addiction is a disease that does not only affect the sufferer; it affects everyone who has a relationship with the person who is addicted. Psychologists view families as “organizations” or “ecosystems” in which each member of the family plays a...
Resentment is an everyday occurrence for everyone, whether or not they suffer from addiction or alcoholism. For those in recovery, however, resentment can cause a person to once again seek solace and comfort in drugs and alcohol. Everyone gets...
Arguments abound over whether drugs like suboxone and methadone are more effective in treating addiction that abstinence-based treatment and recovery programs. The controversy, it seems, revolves around two factors: mortality rates and quality of...
Cravings for drugs and alcohol are entirely normal in the early stages of recovery. We have yet to go through the work of our recovery program and do not have a strong defense against the first drink or drug. As we progress in our recovery, we will...
12-Step recovery focuses on helping others as a way to maintain sobriety. The Twelfth Step states: “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all...
Suffering from addiction causes one to have many questions. We don’t know why we can’t stop, why addiction has taken over our lives, and why we continue to go turn to substances even when we don’t want to. Addiction treatment often incorporates...
Everyone needs a sense of purpose if they are to feel fulfilled in life. In active addiction, we often struggled to grasp any sense of purpose or meaning, aside from the incessant and uncontrollable desire for intoxication. As we continue on the...
The decision to seek help is the single greatest decision we have made in our lives. Many of us were averse to reaching out for help because it meant we had to open up about our problems with drugs and alcohol or address shameful behavior that we...
The environment one lives in plays a major role in their development of addiction. Addiction arises from a combination of both genetic and environmental factors, but environment can play a major role in whether the genetic trait is activated....
Every day is a day when we must reaffirm our commitment to sobriety. Many recovery programs incorporate daily activities, such as prayer and meditation, that allow us to reestablish a connection with a higher power of our own conception to guide us...
