Addicted people tend to ignore stress and even deny it altogether, particularly when stress levels have become heightened, excessive, and overwhelming. We don’t want to admit that our anxiety has gotten out of control and that it feels unmanageable. If we can’t handle everything in our lives, then we’re not invincible and infallible. Instead, weRead More
When we’re in recovery and working to maintain our sobriety, one of our greatest challenges is the powerlessness that we feel over our addictions and emotional difficulties. We feel overwhelmed by our addictive urges and compulsions. We feel overcome by emotional triggers and overpowered by the temptation we feel to return to our drug ofRead More
Perhaps one of the scariest elements of our addictions is the fact that they can rob us of our ability to trust our instincts. When we’re under the influence, our judgment is impaired, and we’re not thinking clearly. The addictive substances and behaviors we’re dependent upon have lasting effects on our thinking and our abilityRead More
Addicts in recovery are often held back by the belief that recovery is an impossibly challenging experience. We’re telling ourselves repeatedly that it’s impossible to quit. This monologue convinces us that sobriety is unattainable for most people. We tell ourselves that getting sober is not realistic for us. Each misstep and relapse along the wayRead More
We learn in recovery how important it is to monitor our thought processes and to be mindful of when we’re thinking negatively. We learn that our thought patterns can direct our emotions and that when we think negative thoughts, we feel worse – we feel more sadness, anxiety, insecurity, worry, and self-doubt. When we’re negativeRead More
Addicted people find themselves repeatedly choosing their addictions over everything else in their lives. This includes families, friends, careers, financial stability, and even mental and emotional health. We consistently choose our addictions over our well-being and everyone we love. We’re often aware of how destructive our addictions are, yet we keep choosing them anyway. WhatRead More
Those of us struggling with addiction, and seeking to understand what factors contribute to our addictions, know intuitively and from firsthand experience that our emotions play a major role in our addictive patterns. We can tell from our own personal lives and experiences with addiction that when we feel certain emotions, we’re more likely toRead More
How we behave impacts everything in our lives, from the choices we make, to how we feel about ourselves. When we’re engaging in self-harming behaviors, for example, we tend to make very self-destructive choices. Self-harm leaves us self-hating, with an internal monologue that disparages and belittles ourselves. We often aren’t very mindful of our behaviors.Read More
One of our biggest challenges in recovery can be trying to conform to the recovery programs we think we should be following, rather than creating the right recovery program for ourselves that works best for us. When we’re doing the hard work of recovery, it’s helpful to receive support and guidance along the way. Sometimes,Read More
Our fear of change keeps us trapped in our cycles of addiction. We’re afraid to make changes to our lives, routines, lifestyles, and habits. If we make these changes, we’re scared to lose our sense of individuality. We’re afraid to do the challenging work of recovery, and we’re afraid of the potential outcomes. Most ofRead More