We read so much about boundaries and how important they are, but what exactly are healthy boundaries? A boundary is a setting that you place on yourself and others to keep you safe and healthy. Boundaries exist in […]

Depression support for loved ones and friends can be challenging. What should you say to show you care? There are various types of depressive disorders, from a minor, short-termed depression to an overwhelming, […]

What are the traits of functional families? We’re glad you asked. According to family experts Friel and Friel, authors of Adult Children, The Secrets of Dysfunctional Families, healthy functional families have […]

Is addiction a disease? It depends on who you ask. Classifying addiction as a disease is most prevalent and most accurate. Yet this still remains controversial as so many are hurt by someone else’s addiction. Here […]

The 5 phases of compulsive spending take you through the highs of an actual addiction. And if you’re a compulsive spender, you’re not alone on this rollercoaster ride. The 5 phases of compulsive spending are what […]

Compulsive spending is not what happens when people indulge for occasions like birthdays, Christmas or other holidays. Problem spending is something that occurs year round. Relentless, buying with no real need or […]

If you are a compulsive spender, you know the highs and lows that accompany the 5 phases of spending: anticipation, preparation, shopping, spending, remorse.  You also know which phases are the most fun, and […]

Some people grow up feeling good and strong, while others carry the burden of damaging shame that persists no matter how much love they receive or great their achievements later in life. There is a difference […]

The denial cycle has a special meaning for families coping with substance use. We all have denial in our lives. Denial is a way to help us to cope with overwhelming problems, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. At […]

Happy families have some characteristics in common, and these characteristics of healthy families are not present in families where there is narcissism, substance, alcohol, or behavior issues. You may be worried […]

Who gets addicted and who doesn’t? Teen addiction is fact of life for 15% of high schoolers, and it’s important to take any teen use of alcohol and drugs very seriously. But not all experimentation ends in […]

Self talk is that inner voice that often chatters to us about all types of things. Unfortunately, it is often negative. Negative self talk impairs our ability to cope with life’s ups and downs. Buddhists refer t […]

Healing from codependency takes time to develop roots just like plants. Codependency doesn’t exist only in families where there is substance use disorder. This unhealthy conditioning can occur in any family, love […]

What’s the difference between guilt and shame? Shame lies. Basically, guilt is a healthy feeling and shame is an unhealthy feeling. Let’s take a closer look.
What Is Guilt?
When we’ve done something wrong, we f […]

Family addiction is complicated, and it isn’t isolated to one person who may be using. Addiction is passed on through generations and everybody is affected.  Intergenerational addiction studies examine how a […]

Guess what? We’re almost at one year of pandemic life! Seems hard to believe, but also why we need a recovery toolkit more than ever! With in-person meetings still unavailable in many places and with many of us […]

We live within a culture of chaos. A 24 hour news cycle flashes before us. Multi-tasking means epic to-do lists with fragments of completion time. We’re simultaneously running here, posting there, and making plans […]

Talking to teens about family substance use is difficult, especially when it is a parent’s. Without the full understanding of what is happening to a loved one, however, teens can’t heal or enjoy healthy […]

These are tricky times and you may find yourself in a place where you need to set boundaries or detach from difficult personalities. To keep ourselves safe in Covid-time, we need to be able to protect ourselves […]

We often think we need to protect kids and addiction shouldn’t be discussed. We think they’ll be too young or immature to understand this, but they probably already know what is happening. In fact, they’ve likely […]