Gratitude is one of the pillars of a positive mindset. Feeling grateful takes your attention off all the things you don’t have and puts it on the good things you do have. As a result, you feel safer, happier, and more optimistic. That kind of attitude is contagious and it helps to strengthen relationships, which…
In broad terms, addiction is similar for most people. It involves regular use, physical dependence, fixation, frustration, and loss of control. Whether you’re a man or a woman, you can probably recognize the familiar features of addiction. However, there might also be some important differences between the ways men and women experience addiction. It may…
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, and dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT are both common models of psychotherapy used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, depression, and addiction. Each has its uses and they may be used together or separately. In fact, DBT is a specific form of DBT, so in a sense, they…
“Kaizen” is a Japanese word that means “improvement.” The concept of kaizen is continuous, incremental improvement. That is, instead of making big changes all at once, you make continually make small changes that accumulate over time. This is most often used as a management concept. You find small ways to make a business a little…
Vaping is a thing that we, as a culture, have to deal with now. While the Food and Drug Administration is still scratching their heads over how to regulate vaping, a whole subculture of entrepreneurs and enthusiasts have grown up around these devices that turn oil into steam. Is vaping a liability in recovery? Well,…
Any significant change in life, big or small, doesn’t happen all at once and forever. There’s typically equivocation, trying and failing, trying again, making progress, sliding back, progressing again, and so on. There are typically five stages of change when you’re trying to get from here to there. These can apply to quitting drugs or…
The majority of people struggling with addiction have another mental health issue too. This is called a dual diagnosis. Often, the other issue is what leads to addiction in the first place. People often use drugs and alcohol as a way to cope with mental health issue, or to self-medicate. Sometimes they use drugs or…
During active addiction, people often tell themselves they are fine, even if they don’t feel that way. They often blame other people for their problems. It’s not until they get sober that they see the full extent of the damage addiction caused. Here are some things people in recovery regret most. Alienating friends and family.…
Gout is a painful form of arthritis. Symptoms of gout occur suddenly and include intense joint pain, usually in the large joint of the big toe. The pain may also be in the ankles, knees, wrists, or fingers. The affected joints become swollen, red, and tender, which may limit your range of motion. An attack…
Bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic depression, is a major risk factor for addiction. More than half of people with bipolar disorder will struggle with addiction to drugs or alcohol. Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance among people with bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, bipolar disorder is often mistaken for depression and it takes an average of…
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