Blog

Having an addiction to porn means an unhealthy relationship has grown between an individual and the sexualized media they consume. Here are some other things to know about porn addiction: Porn Is Easily Accessible It doesn’t take a shady trip to a darkened store front purchasing items in black plastic bags to buy porn anymore. Porn is everywhere. Porn can be accessed from any connection to the internet on a laptop, computer, smartphone, tablet, or any other device. Porn is a multi billion dollar industry.  All it takes is an email address and an age verification to access porn. Like stumbling into a first drink or hit of drugs, porn can just happen to people out of curiosity. While Porn Addiction Isn’t A Diagnosis, Many Experience It As Real Recently, there has been controversy as to whether or not porn addiction is real. Clinical psychologists and the American Psychological Association has concluded that sex addiction and porn addiction are not clinical diagnoses. However, to the thousands of people who struggle with sexually related impulses, the addiction feels very real. The obsessive need to watch porn can take over someone’s life, causing problems in relationships, jobs, and more. Porn Addiction Is Non-Gendered Stereotypically, porn addiction is stigmatized to be a male-centric disorder. However, plenty of women suffer from porn addiction as well. Porn has a lengthy list of categories, appealing to many kinds of people. Porn Addicts Can’t Have Real Sex During Their Addiction The fantastical world of pornographic sex is unrealistic in many ways. Consuming an excess amount of porn makes it difficult for porn addicts to relate to real life human partners in real life human sex. Physical and emotional intimacy simply does not feel as pleasurable. Recovery From Porn Addiction Recovery from any kind of sex related addiction requires a complete overhaul on one’s relationship with sex. A loved one will have to deeply analyze what sexual activity has meant to them and what they want it to mean to them in the future. Their habits and behaviors have caused them to develop a certain sexual identity which they now realize they have the power to change. For some, recovery from porn addiction might require time spent abstinent in regards to sex. Recovery from any sex related addiction does not mandate sexual abstinence. It is entirely possible, and is often the goal, for someone with porn addiction to be able to have regular, healthy, intimate, sex again. Porn is often a coping mechanism for deeper underlying issues. Treatment and therapy can help with discovering what lies beneath the obsessive and impulsive need for porn and heal the addiction. Avalon By The Sea offers primary care treatment for process addictions including porn addiction. For a private consultation and more information on our residential treatment programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Bipolar I Disorder

We don’t want to make accusations when we are concerned a loved one might be struggling with alcohol abuse. If we push them the wrong way, it could strain our relationship, cause them to drink more, or start an argument. Confronting a loved one about their drinking, or the need to confront a loved one about their drinking, is usually a sign of a drinking problem. If you are not sure, look to these signs to be confident in knowing your loved one is struggling with an alcohol problem.

New Year’s resolutions can set high expectations which early on lead to shattering disappointments. This is no more true than when it comes to weight loss. January marks six months before “bikini season” and is the weight loss industry’s favorite time of year. Companies, gyms, supplements, and more advertise for the beginning of the year to help everyone make that new years resolution: losing weight. Gym memberships and attendance spike in the beginning of the year, only to dwindle off by February or the spring. Setting high expectations like going to the gym everyday, reaching an unrealistic weight, and more, can be damaging to mental and physical health. What starts off as a resolution can quickly turn into an obsession. Disordered thinking, acting, and eating when it comes to food and body image are symptoms of an eating disorder.

One of the easiest ways to cause ourselves anxiety is to set expectations that are way too high. New year’s resolutions are often a time people do this for themselves. The start of a new year can make you feel like you are on top of the world with a host of new opportunities. January 1 is just another day, like the day before, and the day after. It is important to continue taking care of yourself. The ultimate new year’s resolution when living with anxiety would be to stay committed to self-care and anxiety management. There is no reason to feel pessimistic about the new year as if nothing can change. Just because someone is living with anxiety does not mean they are not capable of creating new routines and habits. How those routines and habits are embarked upon is the difference. Each day is like starting a new year. You always have a chance to change direction, shake it off, and start anew. Here are some basic new year’s resolutions if you are living with anxiety to help prepare you for whatever comes your way this year. This Year, Stop Feeling Guilty For Having Anxiety You didn’t choose to have anxiety, and if you could choose to not have anxiety, you probably would. Mental health conditions are faced by millions of people everyday including people in government, celebrities, and performers. Anxiety is incredibly common. You are not alone in your struggles. To stop weighing yourself down for having anxiety, practice embracing the fact that it is part of what makes up your life. It’s your special challenge which motivates you to take extra care of yourself. Walk Through Your Fears Having anxiety usually means having a lot of general, as well as specific fears. Anxiety doesn’t mean you can’t do things that scare you, but it does mean you have to do them a certain way. This year make a list of fears you’d like to walk through. Know that you don’t have to complete them. However, setting up an intention can help inspire you to do what it takes to prepare yourself to walk through what you feel you can’t. As a result, you’ll find anything is possible, even with anxiety. Avalon By The Sea is a mental health treatment center offering primary care to those with mental health conditions such as anxiety. For a private consultation or more information on our residential treatment programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Problematically, causal negative talk about body image during normal conversation doesn’t stay at the conversation. Instead, it follows us and impacts us on a deep level. According to Refinery29, “these comments don't just affect the person making the complaint — studies suggest that so-called "fat talk" is associated with increased body dissatisfaction,” and, they continue to explain, “these types of disparaging remarks from peers "can reinforce those [media] messages to the point that we internalize them." Negative remarks about body image, even when it isn’t about our own, exacerbates a point that society and mainstream media goes out of their way to make all the time. Bodies are flawed and worth being discussed all the time. Additionally, we ought to feel bad about the fact that none of us have “perfect” bodies and likely never will. Here are some of the ways Refinery29 cites to dissect negative body talk to protect yourself and a loved one:

Various acts that were signed into law during the previous administration took great strides for providing mental health care. As there is a shift in party and perspectives on health insurance, health care, and mental illness, we face a time of change which will either hurt or help our loved ones in need of support. Avalon By The Sea continues to provide excellent and affordable care to clients with substance use disorders and primary mental health disorders. We believe that all people are deserving of the quality care and treatment they need to live happy and successful lives, clean of harmful drugs and with the tools the y need to cope with mental illness. Here are some of the action we support for the ongoing fight for mental health care. Many of these suggestions are taken from The Boston Globe.

Living with mental illness can be a challenge. There is hope. Learning to live with mental illness and a family who supports you is a work in progress with beautiful rewards.

Sleeping pills are meant to induce deep sleep for an extended period of 6-10 hours. While for some sleeping pills are hardly noticeable, for others, the next day can feel as though they’ve been demolished by a wrecking ball. Even if you get a full 12 hours of sleep or more you might feel drowsy as a result of sleeping pills. Sleeping pill “hangovers” are feeling the effects of a sleeping pill well after a full night’s rest. Side effects can include:

Will life get better after treatment? The answer is unequivocally yes. Life gets better the minute you make the decision to get sober, seek treatment, or confront the presence of a mental illness in your life. From that moment forward life continues to get better on an exponential scale. There is, however, one catch: it takes work. Though the first step in solving any problem is admitting you have one, and the second step is realizing that you need help in solving it- this is not the full solution. Each day in recovery, there is work to be done. Popularly, people in recovery say “it works if you work it”. Part of that work includes recognizing that there will be obstacles and it will take some additional work to get over them. Mistakenly, people think that the work done in treatment is all the work that needs to be done. Life continues to happen as life does, whether we are sober, in recovery, or not. Coming across obstacles, or creating them ourselves, is a natural part of life. Our recovery and success is not defined by the lack of obstacles in our lives but the way in which we approach and overcome them.

Borderline Personality Disorder is an overlooked mental health condition which can cause pain in relationships and everyday life for those who have it. 14 million Americans are reported to suffer from borderline personality disorder. Millions more are also likely to suffer. Due to shame, stigma, and a widespread lack of knowledge regarding borderline personality disorder, many will never receive a diagnosis or treatment. People with borderline personality disorder suffer from labels, judgments, and more. The highly volatile and rapidly changing nature of the disorder makes it hard to diagnose and even more challenging to treat. For therapists, psychiatrists, and psychological professionals alike, borderline personality disorder is one of the most difficult mental illnesses to treat. Even telling someone who demonstrates the symptoms of borderline personality disorder that they have borderline personality disorder poses a problems for professionals.

2016 was the rise of clean eating and widespread veganism. Out of the dust of limiting a diet to only healthy super foods came Orthorexia, a new eating disorder that focuses on an obsessive need to eat only healthy foods. Predictions for the health trends, however unhealthy they may be, for 2017 is “Flexitarianism”. New Trends According to The Independent, Whole Foods is citing flexitarianism as the new trend. It’s an easier approach to maintaining a happy, healthy, balanced diet while also making eco-choices. Veganism and vegetarianism might be desireable for someone’s ecological agenda but does not agree with their biological agenda (though many vegans might argue). Instead of trying to diet in extremes, flexitarianism will help people maintain a mostly vegetarian diet while still allowing for, and encouraging, eating meat. Eating flexibly is by no means new or revolutionary. However, in a diet-identified world, it helps to have a name. Going meat free a few times a week or a few meals per day is encouraged for many reasons. Eating more fruits and vegetables in addition to protein heavy substances is good for health. Meat is necessary for many people as a source of iron, protein, and other essential nutrients. However, meat production is terrible for the environment. Many see reducing their intake of meat as a balanced political statement. Quite literally, they can have their meat and eat it too. How To Eat Flexitarian Getting savvy with vegan and vegetarian cooking is easy to do today with so many blogs, Youtube channels, and Instagram accounts dedicated to healthy eating. With a doctor, decide how many times per day or per week your unique body is in need of meat and animal based protein. Plan your meals around when to have meat and when not to have meat. Don’t worry, eating plant based for some meals will not mean only eating salads. Stews, soups, and plenty of other foods can be created from plant based ingredients. Avalon By The Sea supports healthy, balanced eating by providing residents with a personalized nutrition plan and regular sessions with a dietician. Our in house chef prepares locally sourced organic meals each day. For information on our treatment programs, call 1 888-958-7511.