Craving and Temptations, Part of our Human Experience Part of being human is to have cravings and temptations. The brain likes the feel-good feelings that are released through dopamine and the other happy chemicals like serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins which are released when a person consumes substances like drugs and alcohol and engages in behaviors […]
Last Updated: June 2022 Part of human nature is to be understood, feel wanted and needed. Learning to validate our feelings and those of others builds emotional bridges. Establishing these basic connections lays the foundation for emotional safety. It is this safety that allows us to go out into the world and accomplish our daily […]
The Opposite of Addiction is Connection As recovering addicts, we tend to spend a lot of time and energy counting the number of days we have been sober. We often look at sobriety as the opposite of addiction, but in actuality, the opposite of addiction is human connection. Regardless of the form our addiction might […]
Tunnel Vision for Behavior or a Substance One of the difficulties in regaining control and reducing compulsive behaviors is the brain becomes fixated on getting the high or pleasure brought on by the behavior or substance. This leaves little to no time for the brain to be aware of emotions, physiological changes, sensations, mental status, […]
Emotions, both pleasant and unpleasant, are part of our humanness. In some cases, we don’t want to feel unpleasant emotions. It’s just too painful. However, there are times when we don’t want to feel pleasant emotions either. Sometimes we don’t think we deserve to feel good. All Emotions have Value For some, their challenge is […]
Trying to change our behavior isn’t a simple task. Many times it’s just easier to admit that we have a problem and then not do anything about it. Often we can get loved ones, friends and even society off our backs by simply admitting, “I’m addicted.” Unfortunately, simply admitting that we are addicted seldom results […]
Lapses are Painful It is so very painful when our loved ones lapse. Such lapses bring back all of the emotional baggage once again—the mistrust, resentment, hurt, fear, self-blame, bitterness, betrayal, inferiority, anger, hopelessness, and more. One wife said, “Here we go again, I’m being dragged through this mess one more time. I just can’t do it anymore.” Although […]
Recently, while sitting in a meeting I noticed that the letters from the name of the company were printed on the end of the pages of my manual. When the pages were compressed, I could easily make out the name. When the manual was open, and the pages were separated, it was difficult to read. […]
When working on recovery there seems to be a long list of concerns — relationships, employment, money, health, regrets, guilt, the future and the list goes on. We certainly have a lot to worry about it, but does it get in our way of recovery or help us to improve? Glenn Turner observed, “Worrying is […]
A client coming to the end of therapy seemed anxious about terminating and his ability to use what he had learned in therapy. I sensed, “Hurry, I need a plan for the future.” His anxiousness was followed by a sincere question, “What can I do to maintain the progress I have made and not slip […]
