“When I found out my son was addicted to drugs, I blamed myself. Instead of doing what was best for him, I got into the habit of fixing his messes” “Rehab was great, but I knew I’d have to go back to my family afterwards. And boy was my family dysfunctional!” Family therapy is an […]

“Rehab was amazing, but if not for the outpatient treatment program, I think I’d have relapsed pretty fast. Life on the outside is tougher than I remembered” “Going from no responsibilities to all the responsibilities in the world is wild! I didn’t want to do more treatment after leaving rehab, but going it alone would’ve […]

“I thought rehab would be the worst time of my life, but I ended up loving it” “Inpatient treatment taught me about all my good personality traits. Instead of seeing myself as a failure, I can now see how strong I really am” “I didn’t just learn how to stop using drugs. I learned how […]

Addiction does not usually occur in isolation. Most people battling addiction have one or more co-occurring disorder. This can refer to any other mental health disorder, although some are far more common than others. There are a number of reasons that addiction has co-occurring disorders. Addiction is often the result of a mental illness, beginning […]

Much of the narrative around addiction focuses on the negatives. We’re told that addicts can’t be trusted. Addicts can’t ever have another drink. Addicts can’t make up for what they’ve done. When people talk about addicts they talk about their limitations. There is an implicit understanding that addicts are expected to live a kind of […]

If you were already far along in your recovery before you relapsed, you might be asking how do I know if I need to go back to rehab? Addiction recovery is rarely linear, and it differs from person to person. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, there are some indications to help you make your […]

For addicts, boundaries are a tricky concept. When you are addicted to a substance, boundaries break down for a number of reasons. Because drugs or alcohol become your priority, you may disrespect other people’s boundaries in order to get access to the substance. Furthermore, you become entangled with people as they try to help you […]

When my therapist suggested trying hypnotherapy in my addiction treatment, I was both excited and skeptical. On the one hand, having my mind reprogrammed seemed like an attractive, effortless way of approaching addiction recovery. On the other hand, it surely could not be that easy. The reality turned out to be a mixture of the […]

A couple of weeks ago, I had to have surgery. Without going into the details, it was a minor procedure with two to three weeks of bed-rest recovery. Unfortunately, part of that recovery is weathering bouts of searing pain that last for hours at a time. And, as a recovering addict, physical pain is not […]

If you know anything about alcohol and drug rehab, you understand that addiction recovery is not linear. There are peaks and troughs along the way. Many people relapse a number of times. Unfortunately, this leads some to be cynical about alcohol and drug rehab. Often, that cynicism gets directed at the more alternative treatments used […]

Every week since March, my phone has shocked me by showing me my screen time. I can spend upwards of nine hours on my phone when I am home all day. And, while I know that is nothing to be ashamed of in these trying times, it does alarm me. As a recovering addict, any […]