Getting sober after having been addicted to drugs and/or alcohol is a major accomplishment. Achieving this milestone signifies that you have put in an incredible amount of hard work and effort thus far. And, as you continue on the road of recovery, you will continue to succeed as long as you keep true to yourself and your sobriety. However, that does not mean that you might not face setbacks. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease of the brain, meaning that it is normal to relapse or experience other hang-ups. For many, cravings are something that threatens their recovery, leading to relapse or other consequences. As with anything related to addiction, the more treatment, and understanding that you obtain regarding yourself and your recovery, the better you will be able to handle anything that this disease throws at you. Cravings, however, can be very tricky. Not only can they come on completely unexpected, but they can also develop in response to a triggering event. And, when cravings kick-in, it can be extremely difficult to get over them without going through a number of different emotions before they dissipate. When you have the right coping skills in tow to handle the onset of cravings, you can be confident in your preparedness to overcome the desire to use again. 7 Ways to Cope with Cravings Knowing how to cope with cravings can be your ticket to continuing on in your recovery. It might not happen overnight, however identifying how and why your cravings develop, what you can do to overcome them, and then apply that methodology to your life can help you get...
Everyone has negative thoughts from time to time. Someone might think that since they spilled their coffee, the rest of their day will be bad. Another person might think that he or she is a bad parent because his or her child had temper tantrums all day. While negative thoughts are common in many people’s everyday lives, they typically ebb and flow and do not impact their overall wellbeing in ways that change how they behave and function. However, not everyone operates this way. While everyone’s addiction develops for different reasons, many of those who are addicts or alcoholics find that their addictive tendencies developed in response to something negative that occurred within their lives. This can include abuse, neglect, and trauma, all of which can completely alter the way in which one thinks, making it challenging to uphold healthy, positive thinking patterns. It is often negative thinking that leads to further substance abuse and keeps individuals from obtaining the help they need. The same goes for those with a mental health condition, however negative thinking patterns often occur as a direct reflection of the condition that he or she is experiencing. For example, someone who is grappling with a major depressive disorder can struggle significantly with finding the will and the effort to work through negative thinking patterns and adopt positive ones. In many cases, depression can be so overpowering that those who have it stay in a repetitive cycle of negative thinking patterns, which only fuels their mental health condition even more. When negative thinking is present, it can stand in the way of an individual living a...
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