Part II By Bob Tyler, BA, LAADC-CA, SAP, ACRPS In part one of the series, we introduced the dangers associated with the craving cycle: obsession, compulsion, physical craving, and drug seeking behavior. We also noted that, despite its danger, many alcohol and drug treatment centers focus merely on teaching the tools of recovery to utilize …
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Part I By Bob Tyler, BA, LAADC-CA, SAP, ACRPS Greetings! Welcome to the Craving and Relapse Prevention series. In a broad sense, most of what we do with our patients can be considered relapse prevention. However, the information in this series covers what most in our profession would consider specific relapse prevention tools. Giving credit …
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The tendency to see what you expect to see, to project your core beliefs outward, is very powerfully manifest in what you say, in your words. So, if you’re walking around believing, “I am a mess” or “I am a loser,” or “I am unattractive,” then chances are you will also say these things, in …
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What does toxic shame do to us? Why is it such a destructive thing? First, there’s a physical consequence. Our perspective on life and the feeling tone we are holding about ourselves affect our health in many ways. Our core beliefs affect not only the way we see ourselves and the world, but also affect …
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A holistic and integrative recovery acknowledges and utilizes the power that resides in all four rooms of the human experience: the physical, the mental, the emotional, and the spiritual. The physical room gives us the insight that addiction is a disease, and working from that insight has offered us many powerful tools and approaches. I …
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Pain seems to be a part of the human experience. Naturally, most of us prefer to feel loved, safe, and connected rather than sad, lonely, or afraid. But the latter feelings seem to be a part of life. In Buddhism, the First Noble Truth states that: “Pain in life is inevitable but suffering is not. …
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When we talk about purpose, we generally refer to something in the outer realm, something we want to do. We tend to believe that if we achieve this thing or that thing, then we will acquire what we want, whether that’s fulfillment or happiness or a better standard of living. We often look at our …
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We often hear addictive behavior described in other terms—as a disease, or as a coping mechanism. Both can seem inherently negative in connotation. They suggest that that there’s something wrong that needs to be fixed. “I am an addict and that’s what’s wrong.” In the western medical model, the problem is the disease of addiction, …
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“I am whole and perfect in every way.” From a spiritual perspective, life’s journey can be seen as an attempt to reclaim this truth. In fact, even our addictions can be a result of our attempts at restoration. Even our addictions can come out of the attempt to restore the connection to our true nature. …
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