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What is Normal Drinking?

What IS Normal Drinking? Holidays Today is a culturally normative day of drinking; long before Day Drinking became codified into our social structure as a meme, it existed as a ritualized event or expectation. The culture of celebration and the (over) consumption of alcohol has a long history in the United States; Super Bowl, New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July,...[ read more ]

Resentment and Forgiveness: Which Brain Are You Building?

“Your resentment trains you to see evidence of your rightness.” Briana and Dr. Peter Borten (The Dragontree)   The above quote was part of my meditation material this morning. In 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) identified resentment as a significant issue for persons with a substance use problem, and science has since produced significant research supporting the need for healthy habits...[ read more ]

Triggers – The Science Behind the Metaphor

a gun with "bang" coming out of the barrel to symbolize the power of a trigger of substance abuse

Triggers: The Science Did you know?: The Recovery Therapist is in long term recovery For me that means that I have been clean and sober for 27 years. (33 as of the re-write) I want to share a scenario from 27 years ago. I had long since left the pattern of drinking in bars. I gave up recreational drugs and...[ read more ]

Defense Mechanism Series: Intellectualizing, Rationalizing, Cockiness, Justifying, Explaining, Analyzing

Defense Mechanisms Intellectualizing, Rationalizing, Cockiness, Justifying, Explaining, Analyzing   In my ongoing series of posts featuring the defense mechanisms used by persons with a substance use disorder (SUD), we've covered: Passive/mild styles: Denying, Lying, Silence, Withdrawing Dismissive techniques: Minimizing, Humor, Compliance Aggressive tools: Manipulating, Accusing, Judging, Projecting and Threatening, Blaming, Shouting, Defiance Today, we'll consider the cerebral set. These are common...[ read more ]

Threatening, Blaming, Shouting, Defiance (Defense Mechanism Series – Addiction)

a man with his hand in front of his face, covered in smoke to depict defiance regarding quitting substances

Defense Mechanisms Threatening, Blaming, Shouting, Defiance This is the next in my series on Defense Mechanisms used in substance use disorder**: drug, alcoholism, or behavioral (also known as process) addiction. Defense mechanisms are the behaviors that persons with a SUD use to protect their use by keeping those close to them away. These methods can be passive, aggressive, cooperative, or...[ read more ]

Defense Mechanism (series) – Manipulation, Accusing, Judging, Projecting

a projector used to reinforce the function of the defense mechanism of projecting onto a family member when a person abusing substances doesn't want to be confronted

Defense Mechanisms (Denial Series) Manipulation, Accusing, Judging, and Projecting We have been introducing and delving into various defense mechanisms that persons with a substance use disorder (SUD)** use with family members, friends, and even themselves. The introduction to the series is here featuring denial, lying, silence. The post discussing the use of humor, compliance, and minimizing is found here. Our...[ read more ]

Defense Mechanism Series – Humor, Compliance, and Minimizing

a sign with here, there, everywhere to reinforce the lack of direction involved in compliance for a person in substance abuse recovery

Defense Mechanisms (Denial Series) Humor, Compliance, Minimizing In a series of blog posts, we are highlighting and discussing in detail defense mechanisms of persons with a substance use disorder.** To help concerned family members and loved ones understand the forms that "denial" takes, we are looking at the various ways an addicted brain finds to protect the addict’s use of...[ read more ]

Defense Mechanisms (Denial Series)

a picture of a dictionary open to the word lying to reinforce that persons with a substance use issue lie to cover their behavior

What Is Addiction, Anyway? First, a brief science summary: A brain that is hijacked by substance use disorder (SUD) seeks to protect the use of substances (or the behavior – process addiction). A person who suffers with this disorder will develop defense mechanisms – what most people call “denial” – in order to keep people away from identifying the truth...[ read more ]

6 Point Checklist for When Your Family Member Comes Home from Addiction Treatment

hello on a board with a cup of coffee to reinforce welcoming a family member home from substance abuse treatment

What To Do When Your Family Member Comes Home From Substance Abuse Treatment Welcoming a family member home after substance abuse** treatment is an emotionally charged time. Family members are usually excited, encouraged, and hopeful. They are also usually hesitant, guarded, and uncertain. Use my 6-point checklist below to help guide your decisions and interactions in the early days and...[ read more ]

5 Mistakes Family Members Make When Their Loved One Comes Home from Addiction Treatment

together we create written on a wall to symbolize a family working together after substance abuse treatment

When Your Family Member Comes Home From Treatment You’ve been waiting, and perhaps even praying, for this for a long time. Your family member finally agreed to get treatment and has successfully completed inpatient treatment for substance misuse. ** It’s both a celebratory – and anxiety producing – time. Below find 5 things that families should NOT do when their...[ read more ]



24618 Kingsland Blvd 2nd Floor, Room 8
Katy, TX 77494
On the left hand side of the CLS building

recoverytherapist@joanneketch.com
(281) 740-7563


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