Author: Beth Burgess
12-step fellowships advise addicts to seek out similarities in others’ stories. In this guest article, award-winning memoirist Michele Kirsch shares how seeing her benzo addiction as different kept her in denial; and how identifying and connecting with other addicts helped her recover. My Anxiety Medication Led…
A guest post by certified parent coach, Cathy Taughinbaugh Like many moms, I struggled to cope when two of my children became dependent on drugs. Marijuana and crystal meth were the substances that led my kids astray. My children’s addictions also affected my middle son, who thought…
Addiction is a label that is now linked to many patterns of excess. We talk of sugar addiction, shopping addiction, sex addiction, internet addiction, and more. So how do you know if you’re really addicted to something? There are addiction symptoms that are not present…
Want five great tips to cope with bad days? Great, I’ve made a video just for you. Use this if you’re feellng down or blue. To summarise: 1. Find out if there is actually a reason why you feel low – if so, take steps…
Do you ever notice the sorts of thoughts you have just before going to sleep? They can say a lot about your mindset. The good news is that you can work with your pre-snooze stream of thought. The twilight hours can bring up some strange…
I have times when I get really angry. Most people wouldn’t believe that, as I’m usually a chilled-out person who doesn’t easily get stressed. Actually, what I am is the sort of person who doesn’t get angry for no good reason – and I used…
Once you’ve decided to stop drinking, one of the struggles you may face in sobriety is what to tell friends and family about your new lifestyle. You would expect people close to you to be supportive of you giving up alcohol. But in some cases,…
A study conducted at the University of Cambridge has shown that working on memories could help prevent relapses in addicts. Scientists believe that they can break down the memory triggers that cause cravings for drugs and alcohol in addicts, thereby making them less likely to…
Quitting drinking has a multitude of benefits, whether you’ve merely misused the booze or you’re a full-blown alcoholic. But putting down the bottle rarely pays off immediately. You’ll know this if you’ve ever had a hangover. However, in the longer-term, quitting alcohol may well be…
Cross-addiction is common in recovery. It’s very frustrating to have quit a substance or behaviour you were hopelessly addicted to, only to find another addiction takes its place. Understanding the role of dopamine in addiction, and learning to balance it, can help you stop cross-addiction…
