Category: Australia

Feelings as Part of Recovery

Feelings as Part of Recovery

Alternative Treatment, Articles, Australia, Education, International, Malaysia, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Feelings are one of those things that we all have and discuss, but also something we know little about in life. Feelings are demonstrated and felt differently from culture to culture and person to person. While some may find a hug comforting, others may feel it is intrusive. A good movie may make one person cry happy tears while another reacts with a giant smile. We often let our emotions control our decisions and this does not always work out favorably.

When in active addiction feelings are often dulled or nonexistent. Life becomes about the next fix, hit, or drink and how to obtain that next one.  If we do not learn to handle these feelings appropriately the result can be depression, stress, and anxiety. This can be accomplished in a number of ways and you must find what works for your individual situation. Some of the basics will be discussed in the remainder of this article.

In order to control emotions we must first identify them. This may sound simple, but often emotions are not felt in a singular manner. This means you may be scared and angry at the same time or happy and sad over the same situation. Being able to identify the emotions you are feeling, no matter how many can allow you to control those same emotions and handle the feelings appropriately. Once the emotions are identified then we may begin to control them accordingly.

Feelings as Part of Recovery -When in an emotional situation give yourself a time out to truly understand what you are feeling at that moment. If you are afraid then identify the source of fear. Are old thoughts and reactions taking over? Is the situation actually scary or just uncomfortable? Is the situation dangerous to your health and well being? Once you take a moment to think it through the situation may not be as scary or dangerous as originally assessed. The same is true of positive emotions such as excitement or happiness. Are you truly happy or simply reacting to others? You must take control of your own feelings.

As you learn to identify your emotions then you can also learn to control them. Just because the body reacts in fear does not mean a situation is dangerous. Sometimes fear is a learned response to a given stimuli. Some people are afraid of clowns, but the clown itself is not necessarily scary, the fear is learned from a previous bad experience. When in recovery we must learn not to fear or react to something simply because it was once a negative in life. Instead we must find the positive. For example, many addicts have spent time in jail due to their addiction or related behaviors. For many jail becomes a negative, but for those who have learned to control their emotions can see jail as a positive or a turning point that led to recovery.

Feelings as Part of Recovery – The choice is truly your own. How will you choose to react today? What emotions will be allowed to come forward? Choose wisely.

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Negative thinking in Recovery

Breaking the Bad Habit of Negative thinking in Recovery

Articles, Australia, Education, International, Malaysia, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Negative thinking in Recovery.

Addiction comes with a host of bad habits. Whether it is breaking the law to get another fix, lying to others to hide your problems, or simply forgetting to take care of yourself in a healthy manner, addiction is bad news. One of the worst habits we must break when entering recovery is the habit of negative thinking in recovery. As an addict you are often full of negative thoughts. Whether you believe you cannot get better or are not good enough to be successful in the world, you tend to fulfill what you think of yourself. This can be a difficult habit to break, but it is far from impossible.

Though negative thinking often becomes ingrained in our thought processes once we are aware of this type of thinking it can be altered. In order to break this bad habit, like other bad habits, we must make a conscious effort to change the way we perceive things. We must also alter the way we perceive certain tasks so negative thinking does not take over. With the self awareness that comes with actively taking control of our thoughts and actions, real change can be accomplished. There are several basic steps that can be taken in order to break the bad habit of negative thinking in recovery.

Decide To Change.

One step is to decide you really want to change. If you are not committed to altering your thought patterns then real change cannot occur. This step can take time and effort but will become easier over time. As each thought comes to mind take it captive and decide whether it is positive or negative. If the thought is negative, change your thinking. For example, I have to spend the whole day in the office can become I get to go to work and earn money for the things I enjoy. Every thought can be turned around with effort.

You should also try to gain insight into what is causing the habit. Are you simply comfortable being unhappy and negative? Often negativity has become so much a part of our daily lives that we do not realize what is happening. By being aware of why we react the way we do, we can alter it. This will not happen immediately, but will become a new habit with practice.

Set Goals.

Set reasonable goals for yourself. Setting goals gives us the opportunity to work toward something and then celebrate reaching that goal. Start small with something that can be accomplished in a day or a few hours. When that goal is met, reward yourself in a fun way. This allows you to both accomplish a needed task and get rewarded with something that will make you feel good. These goals also allow for measurable progress. Recovery takes time and by setting measurable goals we can monitor our own progress. Seeing progress can increase positive thoughts.

Seek Help.

Lastly, seek help if changing the habit of negative thinking is too difficult to do alone. Therapists are often helpful at helping to monitor progress and hold you accountable for distorted views of self and the world. Don’t wait any longer, start working on being more positive right away. You have taken the first step by entering recovery or in the least considering it. You are worth the effort and  you can succeed with a bit of hard work.

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sexual addiction

Sexual Addiction – It Is Real, and It Can Be Devastating

Articles, Australia, Education, International, LGBTQ, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Sexual Addiction – When you talk about addiction, the first things that come to mind are coke, heroin, gambling, alcohol, etc. In the back of their minds, people know that sex can be addictive, but often they like to laugh about it. As harmless as it may sound to some on the surface, sex addiction is a real, and it can be devastating for those who suffer from it. Just like an addiction to certain drugs and psychoactive chemicals, sexual addiction has its signs and withdrawal symptoms. It can ruin the life of a person physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

When a person is addicted to sex, they can’t withdraw from it. They have sexual thoughts and fantasies that are not under their control. Under the influence of these thoughts, they participate in sexual activities while fully aware of the consequences of doing so. A telling sign that a person is addicted to sex is when they try to withdraw from it but cannot. A sex addict might involuntary participate in sexual intercourse or some other form of sexual activity. Keeping themselves from involving in sexual activities can result in anxiety, uneasy sensations in the body, confusion and eventually compulsive behavior.

Here are some forms of sex addictions.

  • Uncontrolled use of pornography
  • Cybersex
  • Voyeurism
  • Exhibitionism
  • Uncontrolled masturbation
  • Adultery
  • Prostitution
  • Several affairs involving sex

Sexual addiction can make a person reach a point where the obsession with sex overshadows their relations, personal life, career, friends, self-esteem, and sense of well-being.

Sexual Addiction Reasons.

There can be many reasons why a person becomes a sex addict. A person who gets neglected during childhood can often end up as an addict. Among other types of addiction, they can become sex addicts too. On other occasions, it could be the environment in the house that doesn’t provide the right nurturing to the person to give more weight to the consequences of uncontrolled sex over desires to have it. Sometimes, a person is exposed to sex at a very early age, and this could lead to their hypersexuality.

An important thing to keep in mind here is that a person who is married to someone and has more than regular sex with their life partner is not classified as a sex addict. In fact, a sex addict is not interested in their life partner and rather seeks relief outside the relationship. They are addicted to being sexually involved and aroused by new people every time, hence the birth of exhibitionism, voyeurism, prostitution, and relationships besides a legal one.

While there is no set solution or medicine to cure this type of addiction, there are rehab programs that can certainly help. The most important part of the rehab for a sex addict is to identify the elements that trigger sexual thoughts and desires in the patient’s mind. The specialists at a rehab might also spend the first few days screening the patient to know that there isn’t a drug, medication or some other physical condition that’s causing sex addiction. One of the drugs that have proven to be very impressive in treating sex addiction is Naltrexone.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Sex Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

Attitude of Gratitude

An Attitude of Gratitude

Articles, Australia, Education, International, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Gratitude is defined as an acknowledgment of a benefit that an individual has received. Gratitude is an important part of recovery both in the early stages and throughout. Gratitude is not what someone has or does not have in life, it is a mental attitude. Having an attitude of gratitude is much more than a cliché, it can become a way of life.

Attitude of Gratitude.

An attitude of gratitude is gained through positive thinking. Positive thinking can increase mental and physical health. Having good mental and physical health can greatly aid the process of recovery. Just as with everything else in life, you must learn to practice an attitude of gratitude. This begins with small things. If you woke up alive be grateful your addiction has not taken your life, it has not spared everyone. Even in the most difficult of times you are alive and have the opportunity to change the way life is going. Try the following exercise.

Be Grateful.

Spend an entire day being grateful. Each hour take time to write down something you are grateful at that time. Whether you are grateful for something small like a beautiful flower that is just blooming or an hour spent playing with your children, write it down or share it with someone you trust. Do this for an entire day, each hour you are awake. Make sure that each thing you are grateful for is different. If negative thoughts enter your mind, turn them into a grateful moment by changing your perception.

Even something as negative as getting fired can be turned into a positive. Losing one’s job allows for time to find a new job and purpose in life. Perhaps it is an opportunity to follow your true passion or find something better. Keep the list you make and when you are feeling down or negative review it and add a new item.

Share.

Other ways to build an attitude of gratitude are to share what you are grateful for in life. Find a trusted friend to call, text, or otherwise share with the things you are grateful for each hour or day. Seek out opportunities to share your gratefulness. Sometimes simply sharing something joyful with someone else will help you and that person. So share your gratefulness. Finally, meditate on the good things in your life. If you focus on the good, there will be no time for the negative in life. This is a great way to get through the hard times in recovery.

Learn.

Learning to be grateful will take time. Addiction often closes off the ability to feel happy or grateful for anything. Our minds simply want the next fix and cannot focus on much else. This means you may need to practice mindful gratefulness every hour for a while, but it will become a positive habit in time. Will you take time to be grateful today? What are you grateful for at this moment? Waste no more time being stuck in the negative cycle of addiction and self hatred. Enjoy your life and what you can make of it with the right attitude.
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Triggers in Recovery

Triggers in Recovery

Articles, Australia, International, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Triggers in Recovery – Recovery from an active addiction is a life long process. Once you have decided to enter treatment or otherwise have your addiction treated then you must prepare yourself for going back out into the real world. Once you move out of treatment and back into the everyday chaos that is life you must be prepared to face the people, places, and things that once helped fuel your addiction. This means dealing with the triggers that may have once caused you to use your drug or substance of choice. This does not mean you are destined for failure, but it does mean you must be prepared for what is to come when out on your own.

Triggers in Recovery.

Triggers are any person, place, thing, or idea that creates a feeling of needing to use. Triggers in recovery are different for each person. For some this may be a particular street where a dealer was met, while for others it could be a certain song or type of music that always played while using. The first step in overcoming these triggers is to identify them for yourself. This is as simple as creating a personalized list of what triggers you. Be honest with yourself and write out a physical list of the people, places, and things that make you feel the need to use. These people, places, and things then need to be avoided when possible. This could mean that some people will be fully cut out of your life so recovery can continue. This could also mean that certain places need to be avoided for a length of time.

Cutting people out of your life can be a difficult decision, but if recovery is important then it may be necessary. The same is true of avoiding former places that allowed you to continue using. Certain things such as drug paraphernalia will also need to be removed. There is no point in tempting yourself with items that can easily be removed from your home. Now that you have decided to identify your triggers and avoid them when possible. You must consider what will happen if avoidance is not an option.

Be Prepared.

The unexpected tends to occur in life and a plan can be helpful in dealing with these occurrences. While some things like avoiding certain places can be dealt with by finding an alternate route to places you need to be. Other things like bumping into old friends who still use will often occur. This is when a plan comes in handy. Have a plan for what you will say to someone you cannot spend time with if you plan to stay in recovery. Be honest with that person that you are no longer using. If the person does not take the hint or tries to push you into using, then make an excuse to leave right away. Practice these conversations ahead of time so you are well prepared.

Recovery Plan.

In addition to having a plan and knowing what to avoid or how to get out of a situation, take care of yourself. Practicing good self-care will allow you to be strong enough to face these triggers when the time comes. Self-care and self-awareness will help you stay in recovery long term if you practice them often.

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