One of the most prevalent reasons people organize post-work happy hours or pour themselves a glass of wine with dinner is to help them unwind. In small quantities, alcohol can provide a short-term sense of stress relief because it is a depressant that alters the balance of neurotransmitters in...
It’s common to encounter hurdles on the road to recovery. One of these is shame, as our society puts a tremendous stigma on addicts. Though you may wish you could change the past, dwelling on your mistakes will only prevent you from moving forward. Addiction does not define you....
When it comes to addiction treatment, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Your pattern of alcohol abuse can vary in the amount of disruption it brings to your life and the lives of those around you. You may need to seek treatment for a co-occurring disorder such as PTSD or...
Alcohol is by far the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States. It’s legal for adults over the age of 21, and its widespread social acceptance means that many are able to hide that they have a problem. However, there’s no denying that the dangers of this...
Addiction is so pervasive and all-consuming that it dominates our thoughts, emotions and behaviors until our lives are totally overtaken. One of the most destructive effects it can have is eradicating our sense of compassion and empathy. We become so consumed, obsessed even, with the subject of our addictions...
When we’re struggling with our addictions, many of us find ourselves in the most vulnerable place we’ll ever experience in our lives. We tend to fear this vulnerability as a sign of weakness, and when we’re feeling weak, we’re inclined to reject the love and support other people are...
Addiction takes over not only our lives but the lives of everyone who cares about us. It causes our loved ones to be consumed with worry and fear about our safety and wellbeing. They might stage an intervention, give an ultimatum, or distance themselves altogether. We tend to think...
Struggling with addiction and mental health issues can leave us feeling totally alone, isolated and hopeless. We feel alone in our pain. We don’t think anyone understands the depth of our emotions. We struggle to understand how we feel, let alone verbalize and communicate it with other people. When...
Our addictions are often fueled by our inner feelings of self-worth – how we feel about and perceive ourselves, what we feel we deserve, how much we think we’re worth. Very often we feel unworthy and undeserving, of love, happiness and success, of having the lives we want. We...
Many of us in recovery will unfortunately experience a relapse at some point. We might come to believe it is unavoidable, but there are some steps we can take to prevent ourselves from relapsing. Sometimes we think that our work is done once we’ve completed a treatment program. We...
When struggling with addictions and mental health issues, one of our common habits that actually contributes to our difficulties is being too hard on ourselves. We criticize ourselves overly harshly. We speak and think about ourselves in disparaging ways. We beat ourselves up, mentally, emotionally and physically. We can...
The recovery process of healing from our addictions, toxic relationships and mental health issues involves looking at the ways in which we have set boundaries in our past relationships. The more we can learn from our past, the more we can apply the lessons we’ve learned in order to...
One of the challenges many of us face when dealing with our addictions and mental health issues is our inability to create healthy boundaries. Many of us have spent years of our lives in codependent relationships where both of us are dependent upon the other person to fulfill our...
If you or a loved one is struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Self-destructiveness is something many of us experience when it comes to living with addictions and mental health issues. It takes many of us a long time, sometimes years, to...
While many of us might find some of our behaviors to be worrisome or problematic, they may not be truly addictive in nature. For example, we may feel we have a drinking problem but with some work can get it under control. When our behaviors are addictive, on the...
When we think of codependence, we usually associate it with romantic relationships. We don’t necessarily think of codependence and addiction as being related, but in many ways they are. Codependent relationships are characterized by their members being excessively emotionally dependent upon each other and not having healthy emotional boundaries with...
Vista Taos is a nationally-accredited, family-owned substance abuse treatment center that offers individuals, who are suffering from addiction, a clear path to recovery by providing a comprehensive Medical, Psychological and Spiritual approach.
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