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Every couple has their problems, but addiction can escalate a relationship to heights they’ve never seen before. When one person in a relationship is struggling with addiction, the entire dynamic can change – and this places the success of the relationship at risk. A 2019 study published in the journal Zero Three emphasizes the effect that this can have on families – such as through parenting and infant experiences – but what about for couples? How do those in intimate relationships manage the ups and downs of substance abuse?

Sometimes we feel more than what we let out into the world, and writing therapy gives us an opportunity to explore it through pen and paper. Even on a more personal level, writing can help alleviate a lot of stress – a 2016 study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior found that even writing expressively through Facebook and using various social networking activities online can help alleviate symptoms of depression. Those in addiction recovery may find that writing therapy can open many gates to thoughts and emotions they’ve suppressed over the years, but what happens when that gate just doesn’t seem to open? Let’s take a look at some of the most common problems experienced with writing therapy:

We don’t always realize that we’re hurting those around us when addiction is active, and as we sober up, we begin to become more aware of this. It’s shocking, it’s painful, it’s devastatingly real – especially when we hear from those around us that we’ve hurt them, but even more once we let it sink in. There’s no turning back the time, and this may very well be one of the hardest lessons we’ll have to learn in recovery. We can’t go back to a previous time before our relationships with loved ones were broken. We can’t undo the damage that’s been done – and sometimes this truth can make a person feel absolutely horrible. It was previously stated on the American Psychological Association’s webpage that when people feel guilt, they: “…tend to focus on behavior. Guilt is more proactive.”

When we walk into therapy, we typically don’t know what to expect. All that we know is that we have a lot of issues that we want to work on – because in the past, we’ve used alcohol or other substances to cover up the pain we’ve been experiencing. This pain may have derived from recent events, or could date back all the way to childhood; nonetheless, it weighs heavily on the mind, body and spirit. Therapy is an excellent place to explore our thoughts, emotions and sensations – because it’s a safe place where people can talk out how they’re feeling with a third party who respects them and wants to help them work through these issues. If you’ve recently begun your journey to recovery, know that therapy can be one of the most transformational aspects of your life if you let it- - and the right therapist will be able to serve as a roadmap to take you where you need to be (given that you put in the work, of course).

Holistic treatment modalities have shown time and time again to be effective alongside more traditional addiction recovery practices like therapy and medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Yoga, meditation, chiropractic services and acupuncture are all forms of holistic treatment because they’re non-invasive – and that very reason alone is a huge source of comfort for those who worry about pain or discomfort. Acupuncture is a recognized practice in the Eastern world, but has made it’s way out West over the past decade as researchers have discovered it’s practical implications along with it’s more healing, therapeutic outcomes for those in addiction recovery and beyond. Margarita Alcantara, a woman who has struggled with addiction, explained her experience with acupuncture via Mind Body Green. She stated, “Not only does [acupuncture] reduce the cravings, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and need for pharmaceuticals, but it helps create a more optomistic and synergistic attitude towards the process of recovery, and has been reported to improve program retention.” Dr. Andrew Weil, an internationally recognized expert on medicinal plants and alternative medicine, explains that acupuncture can benefit those with anxiety, depression, nausea, vomiting, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines and even degenerative diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. There are many benefits of having acupuncture done, especially for those in recovery from addiction:

Warning: This post may contain trigger warnings. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Your life matters. Celebrities tend to pave the way in our society – they guide the latest trends, speak up on the latest issues and emphasize certain behavioral patterns that become integrated into our culture. Celebrities are incredibly influential – and while we don’t always know the intimate details of their lives, the work they produce can have such an incredibly important influence on us. Mental health has been more widely discussed amongst celebrities, as more and more are coming out about their own personal struggles with mental health issues and how they manage the symptoms they experience. Demi Lovato, for example, has been very open about not only her struggle with bipolar disorder (BPD), but also with her journey through addiction recovery, relapse, sobriety and more. Unfortunately, we’ve lost many amazing celebrities this past year due to mental health concerns and/or drug-related overdoses. We’d like to commemorate some of the precious souls that we lost in 2018:

Anger is a natural human emotion, and it’s not always bad; there have been many momentous occasions in which anger has propelled a person to stand up for their rights, to take action against a wrongdoing in the best way possible, or to create something that sparked change in the world. Anger does have a dark, dangerous side, however – and for many people recovering from alcoholism, anger can feel like a festering, infectious tornado that just keeps building and building until something is about to break. This is for many people a beginning phase of sobriety – because while sobriety can bring about increased energy, sharpened mental focus and more, there’s still a major change that the mind, body and spirit are going through – and that’s where “dry drunk” comes into play. In 2018, Ben Freeland shared his story of struggling with his first year of sobriety. He explained to Medium some of the positives of his first year in sobriety, along with the negatives: “…A sharp contraction in your social life, newfound awkwardness in longstanding relationships with friends and family, and, of course, the rage. The unfettering, unrelenting, oftentimes blinding anger. The kind of rage that makes you want to put your fist through absolutely everything.” “Dry Drunk Syndrome”, more clinically called “Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome”, is characterized by many as:

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that was primarily created to help treat borderline personality disorder (BPD). With DBT, the focus is still placed on problematic thought patterns with an aim to develop newer, more beneficial thought patterns – but in addition to this, a person is led to practice acceptance and validation in the changes that take place throughout this process. Many disorders – such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and more – can come with “black and white” thinking, which makes it challenging for a person to accept all of the “gray” areas that come with life. A 2016 study published in the journal Behaviour, Research and Therapy found that DBT does help improve the emotion regulation challenges that many people (such as those with BPD) face. With technology becoming such a prominent feature in health fields, apps are starting to emerge which can further support a person’s recovery both in and out of treatment. A 2018 review highlights this app called Pocket Skills, which essentially helps individuals engage in DBT and practice the skills learned through this in their own environment. Pocket Skills seems to cover a variety of areas that may be beneficial for someone looking to apply what they’ve learned in therapy, such as:

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 11-20 out of every 100 Veterans who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Enduring Freedom (OEF) have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a given year, and about 12% of Gulf War Veterans experience PTSD. It’s been estimated that 30% of Veterans from the Vietnam War experience PTSD – and with the many symptoms that accompany PTSD, such as nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, panic attacks and more, those who have served in the military undergo a significant amount of stress long after their time in service. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are extremely prevalent amongst our military veterans, as so much don’t receive the proper care and support to recover from the horrific events they’re exposed to at war.

Many people come to depend on opioids because they’ve been prescribed them for pain relief from a sports injury, an accident or something else. Opioids activate receptors in the brain, sending abnormal messages by flooding the brain’s reward system with dopamine (a “feel good” chemical”). When this happens, the drug blocks pain messages being sent and instead produces feelings of relaxation or euphoria for a person. For many, this euphoric feeling is what leads into the development of dependency – and, eventually, addiction. A young woman shared her story with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on developing opioid addiction after having a car accident when she was 25 years old. The CDC stated that one day, she doubled her opioid dose – and eventually found herself becoming addicted to heroin, a place she never thought she’d be. With such a strong hold on the body, withdrawal symptoms can be challenging to work through as a person recovers. In many instances, pain will suddenly emerge as a person detoxes from opioids because the receptors in the brain have been blocked from those “pain” signals for so long. In 2017, Peter Grinspoon, MD, told Harvard Medical School that of his own experience with pain after coming off of opioids. He stated, “My leg was hurting beyond belief. I literally felt as if it were burning off. But, I had spent the last 13 years of my life conditioning myself, almost in a Clockwork Orange kind of way, to be aversive to taking any and all opiates.” These situations are exactly why it’s so critical to be surrounded by a support system – a team of healthcare professionals who can be there for you when the pain feels unbearable. In these instances, sometimes medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is necessary – and there are opioid medications that, with close monitoring and strict doses, can help a person manage the pain their experiencing without becoming addicted again. In addition to this, holistic practices – such as mindful awareness, can help those in recovery reach a state of psychological peace.

It’s estimated that around 30.8 million adults in the United States have a personality disorder, and avoidant personality disorder (APD) is one that centers around a fear of criticism and rejection. For many people with this disorder, social situations can become terrifying due to the potential of embarrassment in front of others; it’s not uncommon for people with APD to feel as though they don’t fit in. If this is something you’ve struggled with, you can probably relate to the incessant “mind reading” that goes along with this disorder. When this happens, we feel so incredibly confident of what others are thinking about us (most often in a negative light)– and in turn, it causes us to act (and react) in ways that only push us further into depths of the disorder itself. A 2016 article written by authors from Italy associated mindreading with “metacognition” – a term that involves our own personal awareness and understanding of our own thoughts. It’s suggested that for those with APD, metacognition may be impaired because a person is unable to fully grasp how their thought processes are influencing the social anxiety they’re experiencing. In 2018, researchers published a study in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry that argues that APD is quite similar to social phobia depending on the degree of social anxiety; from their study, however, they found that not only do those with APD tend to have lower metacognitive functioning, but they also tend to experience greater distress in forming relationships with other people. If you tend to project your feelings onto other people, this can make it incredibly difficult for you to engage with others. Unfortunately, many people seek out substances as a way to resolve the stress associated with being out in public – but while this may work temporarily, it doesn’t truly help a person recover.

Have you ever heard of the phrase, “You are what you eat?” There’s a lot of truth to this because the nutrients (or lack thereof) that we get from various foods causes our body to react in different ways. Foods that are good for us – which means they’re high in vital nutrients and minerals – are going to help us function at our best. Naturally, foods that are stripped of quality nutrients are going to make us feel bad both mentally and physically. If you think of your body as a machine – let’s say a car, for example – it’s much like the analogy of putting in the lowest quality of gas versus premium for a car that really needs it. When active addiction is taking up all of our energy, there’s little room for food control – and that’s why recovery is the best time to get back on track. A 2017 review published in the Journal of Traditional Medicine & Clinical Naturopathy explains that food deprivation, unhealthy food choices and excessive weight gain are common outcomes of addiction. Substances like alcohol, however, make it more difficult for what nutrients we are getting to break down, which leads us to nutrient deficiencies. Gastrointestinal issues suppressed appetite and more clearly paint a less-than-healthy picture at the beginning of recovery, but we can turn that around by placing emphasis on our food choices now. Here’s what you should be eating (and avoiding) if you want to get your health in “tip-top” shape: