An intervention is a step-by-step, rehearsed process whereby significant others confront the addict about his/her addiction and need for immediate treatment. Significant others meet with the therapist for an assessment and to guide the process. The interventionist provides psycho-education about addiction and codepende....
Coping with all of life's stresses is a difficult for anyone, but more challenging for the recovering person. Not only is the recovering person learning how to deal with being sober/abstinent (something s/he is unaccustomed to doing,) s/he must also gain the necessary experience and skills to transform the quality of h....
Codependency is an addiction, an addiction to another person. Just as an addict is driven by his need for relief through mind/mood-altering substances, the codependent person derives relief in the relationship s/he has with the addict. Codependency is putting someone else’s wants, ne....
A stigma is a visible or known attribute that relegates a person to a substandard or less desirable category of people. Addiction may be either visible or invisible, depending on how much visual deterioration has set in. The person is labeled as defective and is subsequently branded an out....
Consensual agreement (or group confirmation) is a key factor in the development of dependency and denial. Who was present during discovery? Who does the addict use with, or engage in the addictive activity with, on an ongoing basis? As the disease progresses, addicts tend to relate to peop....
It’s probably every addict’s dream to one day be able to use a substance or engage in an activity recreationally or in a controlled manner. The only problem is that it is impossible to do so. Forgetting that addiction is permanent can (and often does) occur at any time during sobriety. It is also common for ....
It is a relatively simple to diagnose addiction or to know when one’s addiction related activities are problematic. When there are objective, irrefutable indications, including the amount of time and energy spent acquiring a substance, thinking about the substance, getting high, being high, etc. – in other ....
Evidence suggests a strong correlation with genetics – a history of addiction in one’s family of origin or prior generations ¬– and/or biochemical factors (a chemical reaction in the brain that brings about extraordinary relief and strong cravings). However, the number of exceptions makes us wonder wh....
Relationships. I was born with a keen sense about relationships, was always assessing how close and intimate people are with each other. I had a knack for relationships. The importance of relationships cuts to the core of who I am. The combination of clinical training, 25 years of professional experience treating dysfunctional, non-intimate couples and families, as well as rigorous self analysis has given me a lot to work with. I put what seemed to come naturally to me under a microscope in an effort to break the process of building healthy relationships down to concrete essentials: Understanding of Basic Principles, Communication Skills, Self-realization and Intimacy.