Group therapy is a common element of treatment for addiction and other mental health issues. A group typically comprises five to 15 participants and is led by one or two therapists. Sessions usually last an hour and a half or two hours. Group therapy can be used as a stand-alone therapy or in combination with…
Life skills training is an important part of addiction recovery. Life skills training comprises skills like finding jobs, finding a place to live, paying bills on time, and building relationships. These don’t seem directly related to addiction recovery, but they are fundamental, and lacking these skills might endanger your recovery. Here’s why. Life skills build…
Whether you’re recovering from addiction or mental illness, self-care must always be your first priority. This is difficult for some people to accept. You might have many responsibilities you don’t feel you can let go of or delegate, especially if you’re a parent. You might be dedicated to your career and feel obligated to do…
Relapse is common among people fighting addiction. Rates of relapse depend on the substance, but typically the rate is higher than 50 percent, and for opioids, the relapse rate may be at least 80 percent. That might seem discouraging, but there are several things to keep in mind. First, a relapse doesn’t mean you’ve failed.…
ADHD is a major risk factor for addiction. Having ADHD makes you about 50 percent more likely than the general population to develop a substance use issue, most commonly alcohol. People with ADHD often have racing thoughts that jump from one topic to another, which can be exhausting. They often try to turn down the…
For a long time, addiction was considered a character flaw or weakness. People who became addicted, usually to alcohol or possibly opium, were thought to be weak-minded people who made poor choices. Now, largely as a result of the efforts of Alcoholics Anonymous, most people believe that addiction is a kind of disease. Some percentage…
We’ve come a long way in understanding addiction, but unfortunately our language doesn’t always keep up. We now know that addiction has a large genetic component and that your risk of addiction has a lot to do with social factors, trauma, and mental health. Despite this, much of our language about addiction remains accusative and…
One problem people often face in the first year of recovery is feeling disillusioned because sobriety is not the panacea they expected it to be. They may be doing very well, but perhaps they expected more. They feel deceived, disappointed, or cynical. They might start to wonder if they’re doing something wrong, or if sobriety…
Lack of motivation can be a major impediment to getting sober. Only about 10 percent of Americans with substance use issues seek and receive treatment. The vast majority of those who don’t seek treatment are just not ready to quit. They might not believe they have a problem, they might fear change, they might fear…
As with any endeavor, half of success in addiction recovery is just avoiding the pitfalls. You can do a lot of things right, but if you make a big enough mistake it could set you back pretty far. The good news is that most mistakes in recovery are easy to avoid if you know what…
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