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I am not a psychologist. But I love learning. That may be a significant reason I thrived at PSI in Chicago: they gave us a good academic overview of the psychological approaches commonly used in addiction treatment.  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Aaron Beck was a psychiatrist who contributed greatly to the development of CBT. He […]

Resilient people adapt to life’s difficulties and grow stronger after facing adversity. Resilience can be learned and strengthened:     ~Identify things you can control vs. those you cannot.    ~ Make strong, healthy relationships a priority.    ~ Accept that change is a part of living.    ~ Cultivate gratitude, positivity, and hope.  

Boundaries  I have a right to say no without feeling guilty.  I have a right to be treated with respect.  I have a right to make my needs as important as others.  I have a right to be accepting of my mistakes and failures.  I have a right not to meet others’ unreasonable expectations of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxzhzQJqzZ4 SMART Recovery: Self-Management and Recovery Training. I’ve found SMART to be indispensible. SMART suggests building your recovery foundation on 4 pillars: I can’t recommend trying their program enough! I highly recommend purchasing their workbook, and you can find many resources on their website, including zoom meetings. SMART Recovery offers support for family & friends

chronic disease? Andy Reviews the literature Is addiction a chronic disease, or is it a disorder of habit & learning? Can a person “get over” addiction, or is recovery a lifetime of treatment? How does one really, literally, lose control? Is that possible? Do things cause you to act in certain ways, or are there

(If she’s not saying, “Here’s how it is, bitches,” then I just dunno…) BTW, that’s not what I’m saying. Bitches.  If addiction is not truly a “chronic, progressive, recurrent brain disease,” WTF is it? Addiction is a complex set of behaviors that revolve around drug use. * It is usually characterized by:   1) repeated, compulsive

How I Beat Addiction   OMG – super easy! 1. I developed a true desire to quit. 2. I quit. 3. I stayed quit & fucking moved on.   I know, I’m a comedic genius. But in some ways it’s true. Maybe it will be helpful if I elaborate?   Out of Step *If you’re

Gratitude: a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation for the people in our lives, or in response to acts of kindness, gifts, or generosity. From the amazing folks at positivepsychology.com, The Science & Research on Gratitude and Happiness. and The Gratitude Journal: prompts, PDFs, and worksheets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwed919jYhwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkx7SpG_uug

Most people I’ve talked to have some guilt and shame about their substance abuse. Maybe you found yourself evading and denying legitimate questions about your actions. Maybe what you did was illegal, unhealthy, ill-advised or reckless. So yeah, that shit can make you feel really bad about yourself.  But after extensive legitimate research (google &

Early on in the recovery process, we generally understand that we need to work on ourselves: our behaviors, thoughts, health, etc. As we become grounded & more self-aware, it can be shocking to realize how much damage addiction has caused in our relationships. Addiction almost always means lying: denying, obscuring, and evading. It is inherently

The first meditation I recommend doing is a brief 10 minute bodyscan meditation. It is very straightforward: you sit comfortably (anywhere), close your eyes, and follow the instructions. You will focus your attention on different areas of your body, starting with your head and working your way down to your feet. That is it. When

I was very fortunate to end up at PSI in Chicago for help with addiciton. There were some outstanding counselors, and a lot of great people sharing the difficult first steps of recovery. Strong bonds were made, and there are a few friends I made who I stay in touch with on a weekly basis.