Addiction

Heading back to work after you have been away can be challenging. Think about the final day of a vacation. No matter how relaxing your time away has been, the odds are pretty good that on that last day, you are already thinking about all the emails and projects that await you when you get...Read More

You have heard the expression, “ Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” It is an idea dating back to the 1600s—and many of us simply accept it as true. We believe that if we apply our willpower, we can find a way to accomplish just about anything.It’s a nice, motivational idea.But it can also...Read More

Core PrinciplesThere are times when advice becomes so familiar that it is easy to stop hearing it. For example, if you are in recovery from a substance use disorder, you are likely familiar with the 12 Steps (or some variation on that theme) associated with Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous. You might even be overly familiar...Read More

To Languish Is to StruggleMany people are struggling right now. The public health emergency (which is, unfortunately, ongoing) has upended our lives in so many ways. And while we have dealt with all of the changes—and the changes to those changes—brought on by the pandemic, there have been plenty of other things that have added...Read More

The modern world—and social media in particular—has changed the way we think about the word “friend.” Heck, in current usage, the steadfast noun can even be used as a verb, as is: “Hey, I friended you. Why haven’t you accepted my friend request?”Friends vs AcquaintancesBut let’s face it, the vast majority of people on your...Read More

Misconceptions About Addiction Imagine yourself sitting at a table with three other people. Maybe you have come together for a meal or to play cards or just to enjoy each other’s company. The conversation wanders here and there, as conversations do, until one person—maybe it’s you—mentions a mutual friend who has been drinking too much....Read More

When a person is struggling with a substance use disorder, their relationships often fall apart. Maybe they have let their coworkers down again and again, so their work relationships are strained. Maybe they have borrowed money from family or friends to support their habit and failed to pay it back. Maybe their erratic behavior has...Read More

Members of the armed forces—particularly those who spend time in combat zones—face many challenges during their time in the service. And for many, those challenges follow them home in one form or another after their service has been completed. As a result, many veterans turn to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism. In fact,...Read More

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could go through life and never feel anger—not because we’re suppressing the emotion, but because we simply don’t have anything to feel angry about?Anger in RecoveryBut in reality, of course, we have plenty to be angry about. Like getting cut off in traffic. Or the boss dropping a big...Read More

When you are in the grips of a substance use disorder, it is all too easy to convince yourself that your situation is unique. You might believe that you would not be struggling with drugs and alcohol if only your life were just a little bit better. If you were not struggling to make ends...Read More