In honor of Stress Awareness Month this April, we’re shining a light on stress and addiction. We all experience stress and it can even be useful when it helps us react to imminent danger or motivates us to take the proper course of action or perform better. For most people, occasional stress is normal and doesn’t pose a health threat. Chronic stress, on the other hand, can cause lasting physical and mental problems, including a vicious cycle of addiction. Without the right tools to manage stress, some people self-medicate with mood-altering substances. A seemingly innocent drink to de-stress after work […]

It’s Alcohol Awareness Month, founded and sponsored by The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (now Facing Addiction with NCADD) in an effort to reduce stigma and raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse and addiction. The pressure to drink alcohol is everywhere, notes Facing Addiction. One in every 12 adults, or 17.6 million people, suffer from alcohol use disorder or alcohol dependence – and it doesn’t happen overnight. Like other types of addiction, it’s a progressive disease that happens in stages. In fact, some experts say it can begin well before you pick up a […]

For many people in recovery, self-compassion is a real challenge. Most of us want to be kinder to ourselves, but our self-critical, perfectionist tendencies often stand in the way. What’s more, many people confuse self-compassion with a get-out-of-jail-free card. Self-compassion doesn’t let you off the hook for your mistakes, but it does give you the ability to accept your mistakes, learn from them and try again. What Is Self-Compassion? The word compassion means “suffer with.” Perhaps the easiest way to understand self-compassion, then, is to think about the tenderness and understanding you would offer a loved one who is suffering. […]