A Zen Parable Working in treatment, I often happily receive calls from family or friends with questions regarding recovery. I’m always grateful for the opportunity to shed light on the subjects of addiction, eating disorders, and the road to a new life. During a recent phone call from a long-time friend, I couldn’t help but…
What is Codependency? Codependency is a behavioral condition that results in destructive, one-sided relationships. Some people also refer to it as “relationship addiction” and it often moves through the generations of a family. However, unlike substance addictions, codependency does not have a genetic component. It is a learned behavior, resulting from the dynamics of a…
Taking a Closer Look A couple of weeks ago in our blog on emotional regulation, we mentioned dialectical behavior therapy and its excellent results in the treatment of borderline personality, substance abuse, and eating disorders. Judging from the number of questions we received about it, it seems quite a few of you would like to…
Suffering in Silence Traditional concepts of masculinity include stoicism and an aversion to showing weakness. Unfortunately, these notions are one of the prime barriers to the treatment of co-occurring disorders in men. For example, a man may feel he should be able to beat his anxiety disorder on his own, turn to alcohol to self-medicate,…
Overwhelming Emotions and Maladaptive Strategies In these blogs, you’ve heard us speak often about things like triggers and coping skills. For those of you who don’t know, “triggers” are those events, places, objects that spark a serious emotional reaction. To folks in substance abuse recovery, that could be the sight of a syringe or driving…
The Unwelcome Return of a Familiar Face With most news cycles centering on the upcoming election and impending coronavirus crisis, the articles were easy to miss. However, towards the end of 2019, major news outlets ranging from the Wall Street Journal to Vice began commenting on the unwelcome return of a familiar face: methamphetamine. For…
An Issue That Touches All of Us May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and, in our opinion, it couldn’t come at a better time. Of course, mental health is important all year round. But at this time in our history, with so many of us facing anxiety over the future, the topic is especially…
Proper Nutrition in Uncertain Times With everything that’s going on in the world right now, maintaining healthy eating habits can be difficult. When those habits start to slip, fatigue, anxiety, and depression can follow. This problem is compounded when the folks involved are suffering from substance abuse or eating disorders. With the body under stress,…
Diseases of Isolation In our recent blogs, we discussed the strain that the current pandemic is putting on the population we serve. We talked about how substance use and eating disorders are diseases of isolation and added some quotes from fellow warriors on the frontlines. Katelin Penner, a college student recovering from bulimia said that,…
“A Disease of Isolation” Last week, we talked about the dangers that self-isolation presents to folks who are struggling with eating disorders. We’d like to extend that discussion this week and offer some solutions along with our experience, strength, and hope during this difficult time of coronavirus and quarantine. As Dr. Marvin Seppala, chief medical…