How Can You Spot Selfishness in Recovery?   Throughout your addiction, you behaved selfishly.  You were preoccupied with finding your drug of choice, using your drug of choice, and ignoring many opportunities to be social with family and friends.  There is a degree of selfishness in all addicts, as using is the most important part...Read More

What Does it Mean to Let Go? There is a term used in substance abuse recovery and that term is letting go.  What does this term mean?  What specifically are you letting go of?  Letting go means different things for different people but overall it means letting go of old, worn out patterns of behavior...Read More

Mindfulness Therapy for Depression   Mindfulness therapy for treating depression is a relatively new approach. There is a growing body of research that supports mindfulness therapy as a way to treat the negative thought patterns associated with depression. Depression is a major disorder affecting millions of individuals.  It is a complex mental health disorder that...Read More

Magical Thinking and Addiction Magical thinking is a belief that an event happens because of another without cause. It is superstitious thinking that you can prevent something from occurring only if you engage in a certain ritualized behavior. One popular example of magical thinking is the adage, step on a crack, break your mother’s back....Read More

Is There Such a Thing as an Alcoholic Personality? Often, individuals ask the question as to whether there is such a thing as an alcoholic personality.  There are no easy answers to that question, as the answer could be yes or no.  First, a personality encompasses the qualities that form a person’s character.  The better...Read More

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Depression: It’s all about Perception Depression can have debilitating effects, but thankfully there are several resources that individuals can use to overcome its harsh symptoms. One popular method used in treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of therapy consisting of strategies to help a person restructure their negative thought...Read More

Anxiety and depression are normal during early recovery.  The main reason for this is a person is learning new ways to cope and live without drugs or alcohol.  During the addiction, getting the drug, finding money to buy the drug, and being with others who use drugs or alcohol are the reason for living.  All...Read More

“Fidget spinners” are all the rage right now, being sold in the millions in every color and pattern imaginable. The small toy is becoming a phenomena but was actually designed as a tool for helping patients with ADD, attention deficit disorder, and ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, find focus and calm. Fidgeting, distraction, and stress...Read More

There is a distinct difference between an obsessive collector and someone who hoards. Someone who collects takes care of their possessions, chooses them carefully, and keeps them tightly, cleanly organized. Obsessive collectors typically have a catalog of their belongings, take good care of them, and experience feelings of pride and joy from the activity of...Read More

There is no law or rule that says, “You have bipolar disorder, you cannot date.” Everyone is deserving of healthy and loving romantic relationships in life. When To Tell Them Some people prefer to wait after a relationship has been established to tell the person they are dating about their bipolar disorder. With the hopes...Read More