“You can’t beat addiction out of somebody,” he said. “You can’t yell loud enough to get them to stop. When I was in active addiction, nobody hated me more than me. I despised myself, couldn’t look in the mirror and wanted to die almost every day.” For guest article, “Tough Love Doesn’t Work: A New … More This is Why Tough Love Won’t Work
What’s the answer? Often we hear that “Tough Love is the answer.” But what can you do when tough love just isn’t the answer? “My family’s tough love approach played a big part in my attempting suicide,” he said. “It’s not their fault I attempted suicide, but their words and actions put me over the … More So Someone You Love Isn’t Making the Changes You Want Them to Make?
Guest Post by Claire Gillespie 03/22/17 You love your child. Your child is an addict. Your child needs help. How do you carry on showing that love, without supporting or enabling the addiction? Instead, professionals suggest setting boundaries and asking questions like “What do I need to do in order to support my own self-care … More Tough Love Doesn’t Work: A New Approach to Helping Addicts
Fight, flee or freeze? Survival depends on making the right choice. Sometimes our minds get it wrong and our fight ends up locking us into behaviors that fight against us. Fighting for freedom can sometimes become a fight with freedom. I have learned that as I dropped the gloves, I won my life back. The … More The More You Fight, The More The Fight Will Fight With You
I learned that if I didn’t open up and feel my sadness, I wouldn’t be able to feel anything. Acceptance helped me to find my way out of depression and to find a life that I wanted to live. What if an open door to sadness is an open door to life? Going through depression … More An Open Door to Sadness is an Open Door to Life
Acceptance helped me to find my way out of depression and find a life that I wanted to live. ___ Diagnosis. Di-A-Gnosis: to know-through The more that you fight-or-resist-or-hate-or-numb-or-push-away your pain, addiction, thoughts or memories the more territory it will occupy. No one wants to be labelled. But if you are in pain, it can … More Will Accepting Your Addiction or Mental Illness Really Work?
Are you creating a life or creating distance from life? ___ Whatever creates distance from living can become an addiction. I have found that even healthy practices can make me feel less real, less alive… Our practice of yoga, exercise, suntanning, shopping, social media, enjoying a social drink or writing this blog can each be … More Addiction and the Urge to Create Distance
My mother’s alcoholism trapped her in the middle of two worlds, making her unsure of which way she would go ___ By Alex Camire I was sitting in a chair against the wall of a dimly lit room in the corner of the ER. My mom, who was sobering up and preparing to go to … More Guest Post: A Trauma Informed Approach to Sin
“I hate my parents.” I work with families and teenagers in recovery. I often hear these words or words like them, uttered with bitterness. Sometimes accompanied by tears and distant stares. The words may be directed towards parents or family, ex-lovers, friends… or even drugs. At first, the words are spoken, jabbed like verbal daggers. … More Hate or Hurt?
For article on The Healing Power of Silence in Recovery, click on the photo above. I write articles about wellness, leadership, parenting and personal growth. My hope is to deliver the best content I can to inspire, to inform and to entertain. Sign up for my blog if you want to receive the latest and best … More Recovery and The Power of Being Quiet
Getting High on Recovery 