Join the The Sober October Success: A Challenge for High Achievers: Thrive Without Alcohol and Take Control of Your Life October is just around the corner, and for many of us, that means embracing a new season, gearing up for the holidays, and facing those work deadlines before the year's end. It’s also the perfect time to make one powerful...[ read more ]
Introduction to Anger as a Co-occurring Process Addiction Anger is a normal and even necessary human emotion—one that we all experience at some point. It can alert us to injustice, motivate us to set boundaries, and fuel change. However, when anger becomes a frequent and poorly managed response, it can wreak havoc on our mental, emotional, and social well-being. For...[ read more ]
Cross, Transfer, and Process Addiction The “Whack-a-mole” of substance use recovery Process and transfer addictions are often called the “Whack-A-Mole of Addiction” because they “pop up” as soon as you put down your drug of choice (which I will call DOC for the rest of this blog). The Foundation of How Cross, Transfer, and Process Addiction Happy DOC is determined...[ read more ]
Yea, that’s how I felt when the addiction research industry started - and continued - to talk about trauma. (Now that I think about it, The Brady Bunch is a good reference for this blog post. Those kids were YOUNG when their respective parents died. They had an understood “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule about talking about their grief and...[ read more ]
COVID 19, A New Normal and Being Tired “I’m so tired. Is that normal?” If you’ve ever been in therapy with me, you probably know I avoid the term “normal” in my clinical practice. I don’t find it helpful as most of the topics people ask the “normal” question about are highly contextual and in a range. Examples include...[ read more ]
What They Say About People Who Abuse Substances “They have to want it.” “It will only work if they are ready.” “You have to let them hit rock bottom.” These are common sayings in 12-Step meetings, in recovery communities, by family members and friends. It’s even sometimes (unfortunately) said in professional treatment. To be fair, it’s said out of love...[ read more ]
