Stigma lives within all of us Whether it is over use of alcohol or drugs, or mental illness, stigma will impact a person’s well being, quality of life and can lengthen their recovery time. Addiction is one of the most stigmatized health conditions that a person can experience. Whether it is over use of alcohol … More Addiction Stigma is Like Cancer to Our Recovery
Humorous, but there is a lot of truth to this video. Keep it Real
The courage to be raw about our mental health is under attack ____ Guest post by Joseph Rauch For more than 14 years Natasha Tracy has been writing about her experience living with bipolar disorder. Early on in her career, a reader criticized the tone and language of one of her pieces about her condition. … More How Political Correctness Has Changed the Language of Mental Illness
Where we reject those who suffer, we also reject a part of ourselves and our humanity recedes one more step. Where we honor those in need, we use the power that we have to help ourselves and humanity to move towards a better way. If you (or your son or daughter or parent) were living … More When We Fear Others Because of Their Mental Illness, We Fear a Part of Ourselves
Why do we still think of mental illness as a brain disorder? ___ Many mental illnesses are not simply “mental” nor is a person just… “ill.” Many mental illnesses are not simply “mental” nor is a person just… “ill.” Some studies report that people who live with addiction experienced some form of trauma in their … More “Mental Illness” is a Brain Disorder?
One of the greatest challenges to recovery is invisible. How we talk about the problem of addiction impacts all of us. It creates stigma and a belief that a person will never overcome their behavior. For the rest of the article, “4 Things About Addiction and Recovery that You May Not Know” click on the … More Why The Greatest Challenge to Your Recovery May be Invisible
Paranoia. Do. You. Know. What. It. Feels. Like? ___ No matter our experience, each of us has an issue, a feeling, a situation, a desire for… Something. That. We. Wish. We. Could. Change. And when we are alone, we feel as if that is all that we have left. To understand one man’s paranoia, watch … More Inside One Man’s Paranoia
People who live with a substance use disorder or a mental illness are more like us than we know. And that may be just what we may fear ___ (My apologies if the accompanying photo seems overly dramatic. One of my more public addictions is iPhone photo apps…) Most of you have never met me. I … More Most Days I Do Very Well In Spite of My Mental Illness… And So Do You
It is rare today that we do not hear an opioid-related story in the media. The media attention has brought opioid abuse and drug treatment directly into political and public awareness. Some of this attention is much needed, but with all of the attention, the myths have also grown. These myths matter because myths perpetuate … More 4 Things About Addiction and Recovery That You May Not Know
“Does it Matter How We Talk About People with Substance Use Disorder?” ___ Most of you have never met me. I am about to write something that may change what you think about me. I am going against the advice of people I respect – my wife and my Psychiatrist. (In fact, even saying that … More Please Don’t Hate Me Because I have a Mental Illness
Getting High on Recovery 