life in recovery Archives - Page 2 of 2

When Addiction Runs in the Family

Written by enlightened solutions on December 13, 2018. Posted in Addiction, Family Recovery. Leave a Comment

Many of us come from families where addiction runs rampant, and if we’re not already experiencing addiction in our lives, there are some things we can do to help prevent it from overtaking us. Being genetically predisposed to addiction does not guarantee that we’ll succumb to the illness, and regardless of our family’s experience, recovery is always possible, for all of us. If addiction runs in your family, take some time to implement these steps in order to prevent addiction in your own life and that of your children and other family members.

Become familiar with the warning signs of addiction, including depression and mood swings, changes in appearance and behavior, loss of interest, apathy and isolation. Early detection is key, just like with any illness. The earlier we spot the signs of addiction, the sooner we can get help. When we are unaware of the warning signs, we are less likely to know when addiction is encroaching upon us. Familiarizing ourselves with the signs of addiction can help us to spot them in ourselves and in our loved ones, and can help us to stop it from developing before it has gotten out of control.

Educate yourself about mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of growing our conscious awareness, being present in each moment, increasing our emotional intelligence, and learning to manage our thoughts and emotions. When we use mindfulness for addiction prevention, we learn how to handle the difficult feelings that our addictions tell us we are powerless over. We learn to face our emotions head on rather than developing habits of avoidance, denial and escapism.

Talk to your children about the prevalence of addiction in your family. Hiding the truth from them doesn’t prevent addiction, and our avoidance can actually work against us. Teach them about mindfulness and help them learn how to work with their emotions. Encourage them to practice meditation, journaling and other healing practices that are so powerful in helping us to maintain our serenity and inner peace.

Take advantage of therapy, for yourself and your children. If you or your kids are experiencing distress of any kind, signs of addiction, depression or debilitating anxiety, don’t hesitate to start therapy so that you can get the support you need. Therapy can help you to navigate the emotional complexities and difficulties of addiction and mental health issues so that you can learn healthy coping strategies. Therapy can help you to build your self-reliance and inner strength so that you can feel confident about functioning and thriving, even when faced with the struggles of addiction.

The community at Enlightened Solutions has been working with substance abuse and recovery for decades. Please reach out to us so that you can receive the help you deserve. Call us today: (833) 801-LIVE.

Loss of Control

Written by enlightened solutions on December 12, 2018. Posted in Drugs & Alcohol, Mental Health. Leave a Comment

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

One of the scariest and most alarming side effects that can accompany addiction is a feeling of loss of control. We’re well aware that our addictions cause us to feel out of control pertaining to our addictive drug or behavior of choice, but what we are often less aware of is how out of control we can feel in all other areas of our lives. Addiction chips away at everything – our sense of self-control and discipline, our ability to conduct ourselves in healthy ways, our productivity and fulfillment. We can feel like we’re losing our connection to ourselves.

When struggling with addiction, we can start to experience a decline in our mental and emotional health. We might start to feel as though we can’t control our thoughts, feelings and actions. We might experience our behavior becoming increasingly more erratic and irrational. We might do dangerous things, such as drive drunk or disappear with strangers. The people around us might struggle to understand the things we say and do. They grow increasingly worried about us. We might speak incoherently and act in confusing ways that are painful for our loved ones to witness. We might become more impulsive and compulsive. We might be more reactive, overwhelmed and easily triggered.

We can have a hard time processing our thoughts and can become more confused, panicked and overwhelmed. We might struggle to understand even simple things. We can feel as though we’re nearing a mental breakdown, like we’re going crazy. These lesser-known side effects of addiction can be extremely scary and debilitating. We can struggle to hold onto our sanity. Our serenity and peace of mind can feel as though they’ve left us for good. We wonder if we’ll ever get our normal lives back.

Feeling this sort of loss of control can make us isolate ourselves even more than we already do because we’re worried people will think we’re crazy or dangerous. We might be hesitant to reach out for help because we’re afraid of people and inundated with thoughts of paranoia. We might feel unsafe no matter what we do. We feel a danger within ourselves that we can’t escape.

When we are in this painful place, sometimes the last thing we can do is reassure ourselves. We’re not thinking clearly or rationally. As much as you can, try to stay calm and remind yourself that you’ll get through this. Seek out the help of a trusted friend. Any time you feel in danger, don’t hesitate to go to the hospital, and if you feel suicidal, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

We understand the various effects of addiction, including the ones we don’t commonly talk about. The Enlightened Solutions community has years of personal and professional experience with recovery. Call us today: (833) 801-LIVE.

Learning the Signs of Addiction

Written by enlightened solutions on December 11, 2018. Posted in Addiction Recovery, Drugs & Alcohol. Leave a Comment

Working to prevent addiction can feel like an uphill battle, an impossible undertaking. We can feel like we’re up against an indestructible and formidable force that we have no hope of conquering. An important step we can take in preventing addiction in ourselves, in our loved ones and in the people we work with is to learn the signs of addiction. The warning signs of addiction can often mirror and parallel the signs of mental illness. Since addiction and mental illness often go hand in hand, learning more about the warning signs for both can help us respond to a crisis more quickly and get the help and support that are so urgently needed.

A common sign that an addiction is developing is experiencing increased depression and anxiety. We feel sad and hopeless more of the time. We might be increasingly more worried and stressed. We might be more reactive and experience drastic mood swings and unpredictable changes in our emotions. We might start feeling things we can’t explain and don’t understand. We lose interest in doing the things we once loved to do. We neglect our passions and interests. We isolate ourselves and avoid interaction. We might feel more fatigued and can find ourselves feeling exhausted even without expending much energy. Getting out of bed in the morning can feel impossibly difficult when we’re filled with fear and sadness. We might struggle to get to sleep and suffer from insomnia. We might lose our appetite and stop eating, or start binge eating as an anxious compulsion.

An obvious sign of addiction is an inability to monitor and control our use of a substance or our engagement in a certain behavior. We might see other people being able to drink in moderation, for example, whereas we always seem to overdo it. We might feel as though we can’t stop ourselves, no matter how unhealthy or dangerous we know it to be. We can feel as though we’re losing our sense of self and our ability to live our lives normally.

Learning the signs of addiction can help us to recognize when we are headed down a dangerous path, and can help alert us to the fact that we need help. When we know the signs, we’re more likely to seek out resources and reach out for support.

At Enlightened Solutions, we are a community of people with firsthand, personal experience with addiction and recovery. We have helped countless people heal, and we can help you too. Call us today: (833) 801-LIVE.

Healing Our Toxic Energy

Written by enlightened solutions on December 10, 2018. Posted in 12 Step Program, Healthy Living. Leave a Comment

When we are working towards recovery, abstaining from our addictive drugs and behaviors is only half the battle. We also must heal our energy that has been adversely affected by our struggle with addiction. Our energy is made up of our thoughts, emotions, fears, habits and behaviors. Our energy can dictate our moods, patterns and cycles. Having unhealed energy can mean we’re manifesting more struggle rather than the healing we’re hoping for. Healing our toxic energy is a crucial step in our recovery process.

We often are unaware of our energy and whether or not it is healthy. Our energy is often something we don’t have a conscious understanding of. Energy operates on unconscious and subconscious levels, and the first step in healing it is becoming conscious of it. We can start by paying more attention to our feelings and our moods. How do you feel when you first wake up? If you’re filled with anxiety upon waking, for example, your energy is one of fear. How do your emotions and moods fluctuate throughout the day, how do they operate, and how do they cause you to act? Are you filled with anger and resentment? Are you worried, stressed, pessimistic or negative?

Take note of how you’re treating the people around you. How would you describe your relationships? Are you easily frustrated and impatient with other people? Do you find yourself treating people with unkindness and disrespect, and then feeling ashamed afterwards? Are you often involved in some kind of conflict, tension or interpersonal disharmony? Do you trust people or do you keep them at a distance? How do you resolve conflict? Are you able to listen and communicate in healthy ways?

Take inventory of your self-talk. Do you speak to and about yourself in disparaging or uplifting ways? Are the words you choose full of negativity and self-hatred? Are you constantly beating yourself up, criticizing yourself, judging yourself and knocking yourself down? All of these are signs you have unhealed, toxic energy within you dictating the ways in which you feel about yourself.

Once we’ve grown our conscious awareness about the energy we’re carrying within ourselves, we have a better understanding with which to heal it. Energy practices we can use to heal ourselves include meditation, prayer, reiki, tapping and energy clearing. We can work with a spiritual guide or therapist to address our unhealed energy. The more we actively work to create positive energy within ourselves, the stronger our foundation is for healing and recovery.

The community at Enlightened Solutions is here to provide you with the support, encouragement, love and care that come from our own personal experience with recovery. Call (833) 801-LIVE today to start your journey towards healing.

Tag: life in recovery

When Addiction Runs in the Family

Loss of Control

Learning the Signs of Addiction

Healing Our Toxic Energy

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