Who wants to be dark and dreary around the holidays? Everything around us suggests that this is a season of merriment, that holidays are meant to be a time of touching togetherness and affirming bonds of family and friends. But for those whose lives have been affected by living with addiction, this season can also …
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One of my students stated this very opinion in a recent class. We had been discussing the use of addiction medications to treat addiction. She was initially opposed to the idea, and voiced that resistance in a demonstrative manner. But, at the same time, she seemed intrigued with the possibility of treating drug problems with …
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September is Recovery Month. It is time to be thankful for those who have overcome addiction and a time to remember those who are still lost. To me, however, recovery month is not just about the addicted, but rather about those who have survived the addiction of another. As we know addiction is not a …
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Denial is a word that people in recovery use often. It refers to an addict denying their own increasing use and abuse and it’s affect on their life and the lives of those around them, or an enabler denying the progression and impact of an addict’s escalating addiction. But is denial always pathological? Are there …
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In the last 20 years or more a lot of information has come to the surface about the somewhat hidden issue of porn addiction for men. Although there had been options for guys to get their hands on porn long before the internet age, easy access to both free and paid website offering every type …
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The following experiential exercises for helping groups, both inpatient and outpatient, to process issues of trauma and grief are taken from both The Living Stage and RTR Relationship Trauma Repair by Tian Dayton, both available at HCIBOOKS.com The Trauma Time Line: Working with Context and Narrative Goals: 1. To provide a visual context through which to …
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Who doesn’t self-medicate, at least a little? Sinking into a plate of pasta and a glass of wine or chowing down on French fries after a stressful day really does work to smooth out the rough edges and give us that “ahhhh” feeling. But when does this sort of behavior cross that invisible line between …
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Could You Be A Sex Addict? Most people have times in their life when they are very sexual in their behavior. This is often at the beginning of a relationship and, despite good intentions; this behavior tends to decrease as the relationship matures. Being intimate more than usual or thinking more frequently about sex is …
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In the busy world in which we live every day it is so important for parents of teens and even the tweens to really keep an eye out for changes in their child’s behaviour. Often simple yet easily identified changes are the first hints that you son or daughter may be using and abusing alcohol …
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