Recently there has been a steep rise in the amount of gambling advertisements on all types of media. While many claim not to be “gambling” sites (not exactly sure how they’re able to justify this; even if no actual money is being transmitted the randomness of the games is gambling for our brains) and all […]
What Makes Gambling So Addictive? Read More »
I wish I could say I had not been touched by grief and loss but, of course, I am a human being and have been. Some of the most poignant losses in my life were those who died by suicide. With someone who dies of natural causes or disease, there can be regret when looking
Dealing with Grief and Death by Suicide Resources Read More »
Having intense emotions when navigating life is understandable and human. However, not everyone knows what to do with these big emotions and how to navigate them in a healthy way. In fact, not learning how to work with big feelings can lead to problems with substance use and problem behaviour, as people turn to these
Using Bilateral Stimulation to Deal with Big Emotions Read More »
Emotions can be a scary and overwhelming thing, especially if you have not been offered support and guidance on how to navigate them. A common trap people fall into is thinking that ignoring their feelings will be the solution and make them go away. The reality is that most mental health and addiction issues are
DBT Can Help Feelings Be Less Scary Read More »
The holidays are stressful. People have an immense amount of expectation on themselves and their families; they are rushing to provide an idyllic image of the holidays for self and others; there is an increased financial cost to these goals; and, overall, there is just a lot of pressure. In my experience, human beings don’t
Self-Care During the Holidays Read More »
The 12-Step programs, which originally began with Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, have a bad wrap as far as I’m concerned. When people think of 12-Step meetings, many stereotypes come to mind: People sitting around in church basements (which there might be some truth to that since most fellowships can only find space at local churches
The Basics of Any 12-Step Program Read More »
Mental health and addiction recovery are so important for overall quality of life for many people, yet can seem like a quagmire when it comes to the options available to help you get there. As a practical and realistic person, I think it is helpful to sometimes pull things down to the basics and start
The Importance of Making the Bed Read More »
Perfectionism is an example of a symptom usually rooted in trauma and dysfunctional experience that society has rewarded and viewed as helpful. I can tell you as a perfectionist in constant recovery, it has it’s significant downsides just as any symptom would. Where does perfectionism come from? As mentioned above, while perfectionism may have some genetic
Have you ever heard of the geographical cure? It is the idea that moving one’s physical location will have a significant impact on whatever symptoms the person is experiencing, to the point that it will cure them. This term stems out of Addiction recovery lingo (which, as you may or may not know, has its
The Problem with the Geographical Cure Read More »
For those who have struggled with an Addiction issue of any kind (whether it be alcohol, drugs, nicotine, sugar, work, sex, pornography, codependency, relationships, spending, food, gambling or beyond), you may already have spent some time thinking about the differences and similarities between recovery and sobriety. Or you may not have. A lot of people
Sobriety vs. Recovery Read More »
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