Those of us living with addiction who are also parents face specific challenges. Our addiction affects not only us but the people around us, and our children are uniquely affected. Our role as their parents makes us responsible for our children’s well-being, but when we’re struggling with addiction at the same time, we are impacted… Continue Reading How Does Our Addiction Impact Us as Parents?
While it may feel like addiction is one person’s problem, it is really a problem for everyone around her too. Not only do the consequences of addiction radiate outward to your friends and family, but dysfunctional relationships may also contribute to the development of addiction. Treatment for addiction can’t just focus on one thing. It… Continue Reading Why Family Therapy Makes Addiction Recovery Easier
Every kid looks forward to the holidays. It’s a time when you can open presents rather than go to school. However, for adults, holidays often mean stress, anxiety, and sometimes, depression. If holidays are a tough time for you, here are some ways to keep depression from taking over. Manage your commitments. Perhaps the most… Continue Reading 6 Ways to Manage Holiday Depression
The decision to get treatment for drug or alcohol addiction is never easy. Many people know that addiction is messing up their lives but they’re still reluctant to get help. Many fear the stigma of being labeled an addict. This may be even harder if you have kids. It’s not easy to admit you need… Continue Reading How to Tell Your Kids You’re Entering Treatment
Addiction is often known as the “family disease,” and for good reason – it affects the whole family, and the patterns and habits of addiction are often shared, even inherited, by multiple family members. To have a healthy recovery, we benefit greatly from having the support of our families. Their involvement means we can learn… Continue Reading The Importance of Family Involvement
Our addictions and mental health issues can cause us to create deep rifts in our relationships. When we are using and/or depressed, we can treat the people around us in ways we might not otherwise. We might be consumed with anger, bitterness and resentment that we unleash on the people around us. We might be… Continue Reading How Do I Rebuild My Relationships?
Depression is the most common mental health issue in the world. It affects more than 16 million American adults every year. Symptoms include sadness, sleeping too much or too little, slow movements, poor concentration, hopelessness, and frequent thoughts of death or suicide. Since depression affects so many people, you probably know someone with depression, but… Continue Reading How to Help a Friend with Depression
Watching a loved one struggle with addiction is stressful and painful. It’s very difficult to understand addictive behavior if you’ve never experienced it personally. Watching someone you love slowly self-destruct is hard. If you’re in this position, here are some ways to deal with it. Stay safe. The most important thing is to stay safe.… Continue Reading How to Cope with an Addicted Loved One
Thanksgiving is a stressful holiday for many people. You may have to travel or cook for a lot of guests. Whenever you have a big family gathering there are bound to be arguments of some kind. If you are still relatively new to recovery, you may feel extra pressure, especially if your family members drink… Continue Reading 6 Tips to Have a Sober Thanksgiving
Addiction often makes people do things they would never otherwise do. One of the biggest regrets of people in recovery is that they did things to hurt the people they care about. Addiction often leaves many broken relationships in its wake. People early in recovery sometimes feel anxious and frustrated that their loved ones still… Continue Reading How Do You Get Your Family to Forgive You in Recovery?
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