Candace Plattor is The Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Addiction and Recovery". You can find complete information on Candace Plattor and her products by visiting Candace Plattor.
What are addictions? The Merriam Webster dictionary explanation is:
1: the quality or state of being addicted 2: compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; ... Views: 2214
The Unmanageable Life
What brought You to A.A. or a 12 Step Fellowship?
By Dick B. Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved.
A Little Chunk of History For Openers
Some of us get all wrapped up in difficult words when we enter A.A. or another 12 Step Fellowship. We wonder what ... Views: 2213
It's easy to have doubts about almost everything nowadays. When we look at the morale of the world in which we live, the economy, the finances, and the functionality of governments we see a picture—a very clear picture, of a bombed out city. How can you stay positive in such a world? There ... Views: 2212
How much do your youngsters know about the risks of Meth dependency?
Don't you suspect that your teenagers or their close friends might be addicted to Meth?
Meth is one of the most addictive banned substances currently available. Sad to say Meth addiction has been becoming increasingly ... Views: 2202
Your Help, Please, With This Extraordinary Edited Manuscript Copy
Of
DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
Will you, or someone you know, please help us find a steward and home for the large, edited manuscript copy of DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
This exact copy was acquired by my deceased friend ... Views: 2201
Dear Dr. Romance
I am 13 years sober through the 12 steps of AA, but I haven't been to more than one meeting in the last 2 years, after making 3 a day for the 1st yr. and averaging 5 a week for the next 4 years! AA only goes so far. They do not tell you that. If you are ... Views: 2199
People who live with an alcoholic have a tendency to spend a considerable amount (if not all) of their time trying to manage the alcoholic. They are trying to anticipate whether he will drink, when, how much and what the outcome will be. Or if he has already started drinking then they are ... Views: 2199
It is common practice for companies to offer support for employees being distracted by substance addictions, such as alcohol abuse and smoking too much, but little exists for a problem that is often difficult to notice – and treat effectively - a gambling addiction.
It is not uncommon for ... Views: 2194
Many people often wonder what alcohol abuse is and what the signs of alcohol abuse are? While most people will find that they do drink a single drink every night, they will assume that this doesn't constitute abuse in any form. The truth of the matter is that there are different levels when it ... Views: 2185
Treatment works. However, getting the individual to treatment is easier said than done. The exact nature of their problem may not be readily identifiable and those who could help are too close to the problem to be helpful. Family members, corporate colleagues and most clergy are not in the ... Views: 2180
I guess we all have tales of strange things that have happened to us in our lives and what follows is just one of the odd things from my life.
In the summer of 1992, I received a phone call (out of the blue) from an Immigration Officer based in London. At first I thought he had contacted the ... Views: 2179
An angel has two wings. On each of these wings is written one of these two words: YES and NO. As we are about to learn, these two simple words represent special principles that are the wings of spiritual freedom.
For instance, we must learn to say YES to self-study, prayer, meditation and ... Views: 2177
Will You Use this Key Step to Change your Life?
Commitment is one key to losing weight, getting in shape, learning a new skill, finding your soul mate, getting a better job, learning a new language, running a marathon, going back to school, drinking less, spending time with your kids or ... Views: 2172
10 Tips to Stay Sober
1. GET HELP!
How many times have you said " I'm done, I'm never using again, I mean it this time, No more, It's not worth it" etc.. etc.. and when you said it u REALLY meant it? Your not the only one! We all do it; including me! Even with the best intentions I ... Views: 2167
Smartphones are growing increasingly popular over the years., and they don’t look like they’re going away any time soon. Although this has been a blessing in many ways, it’s also caused some social issues that need to be addressed. One of those issues is the connection between smartphone usage ... Views: 2167
Most of us know or have known someone we care about who has come under the influence of a perpetrator using him/her for self-serving purposes.
Very smart, educated, healthy people can, for some unknown, reason come under the spell of opportunistic, toxic, and insecure people. It is very ... Views: 2164
Is someone in your family addicted to alcohol? If that’s the case, then it’s important to know the damage it can cause if no immediate action is taken.
Alcohol addiction is often called a ‘family disease’ as the harmful effects of it do not only affect the alcoholic, but also the people ... Views: 2164
Recently, People Magazine came out with an article about Ashley Hamilton talking openly about his struggles with an eating disorder. I applaud Ashley for coming out about having an eating disorder. The shame, guilt and misunderstanding of eating disorders makes it hard for anyone to come forward ... Views: 2164
Goals and Self-Esteem
In my own funny way, I have always had goals. For a long period of time, my self-esteem was low. Safe to say, I was not a fan of me from the inside out.
The process of "life recovery", as I have experienced, is a process that is from the inside out. To quote an old ... Views: 2163
There is nothing sexy about sex addiction. Compulsive sexual behavior is not a pastime or hobby. Sexually addicted people use all kinds of excuses and defense mechanisms to deny the truth to themselves. The naked truth about addiction is that once it is addiction, the addict is spiritually and ... Views: 2160
Sometimes family members have a hard time with the idea that addiction is a disease. When this is the case, it often has to do with the issue of responsibility. Sometimes family members believe that "disease" is equated with a "get out of jail free card" or not being held responsible. This is ... Views: 2156
Ben is now 25 years old and began smoking marijuana occasionally when he was 21 years old. Ben increased his marijuana usage when he was approximately 22 years old and graduated college. It was also around this time that he began to experience some depression and occasionally use cocaine. His ... Views: 2154
America’s New Drug Problem: Snorting ‘Bath Salts’
I saw this headline on Foxnews.com this morning (01/24/2011) and thought the same as many of you probably did: “What will they think of next?” As the article states: “….these are not your average bath salts that you pour into the bathtub to ... Views: 2151
In my first session with a client we explored what made her realise that her chocolate consumption had become a problem, and the trigger for her to seek help from a Life Coach rather than her Doctor or a nutritionist. She had said that she eats when she feels depressed, she feels unattractive ... Views: 2149
Autonomy is a fundamental ethical right that allows mental health and substance abuse clients to make informed decisions about the course of their treatment. Legally speaking, autonomy is a liberty interest that is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. Ethically speaking, autonomy underscores a ... Views: 2148
Going back six years or so, I was smoking two or more packets of cigarettes a day, and on stress days probably more,and had done so for well over thirty years, so I decided to switch to hand rolled ones.
My decision used the logic that by not getting all those nasty chemicals and additives ... Views: 2147
What type of person grabs your attention and motivates you? Usually it’s a person who is very passionate about what he or she is doing. She’s on fire and her excitement floods the room she is in. When she talks something inside you gets stirred - the desire also to be passionate about something. ... Views: 2147
“I was lonely. I was just going to have one drink. I know that I can never just have one, and I didn’t. I barely remember what happened. I’m lucky that I wasn’t hurt too badly and that I didn’t kill someone else. My new $35,000 Saab is gone and I had to spend the night in jail. I’m so ashamed. ... Views: 2142
Mutual support can be a double-edged sword. Joining a support group can lead to renewal, likening it to pressing the REFRESH button on life. However, a support group can also keep you stuck pressing the REPLAY button and hearing the same thing over and over. The picture of your life can get out ... Views: 2141
With the very best of intentions three men leave treatment honestly believing that relapse is not possible after all that they have seen and learned.
The first man returned to his upper middle class home, to his wife and lucrative career. On top of the world the man dismisses any need of ... Views: 2141
In the 1950s and 60s most adults in North America smoked cigarettes or other tobacco products. We thought nothing of it.
However, increasing research evidence of tobacco health risks began to overpower the tobacco industry’s portrayal of smoking as safe and cool. As the evidence mounted, ... Views: 2136
It is known as Diesel, Red Rock, Smack, Horse, Black Tar, White Junk, Salt and Brown Sugar, but by any other name, it is still heroin. According to the National Institute for Drug Abuse, nearly 3.8 million people in the U.S. struggle with heroin addiction.
Life and Health of an Addict
Life ... Views: 2136
Most addicts would stop if they could.
It’s been said that of all the addictions, sex is the most difficult to manage. This syndrome is a complex mixture of biological, psychological, cultural, and family-of-origin issues, the combination of which creates impulses and urges that are virtually ... Views: 2133
This article will help you to understand a very important piece of what stops you from achieving your goals with food and weight loss and provides you with some specific examples of what to do to change that once and for all.
As I enjoy the peace, the safety, the trust and confidence I feel ... Views: 2133
Rather than a specific therapy, there is a philosophy that appears to hold the key to binding all this treatment and recovery stuff together, Interestingly enough, an anthropologist named David Reynolds introduced me to this “philosophy” several years ago. Dr. Reynolds, who last I heard lives in ... Views: 2132
What are the steps to take to go from addiction towards wellness? This is the question which this article addresses as I outline the steps which my personal recovery took and which has been truly a miracle in my life and in the effects on those which I affect daily, mostly including my wife and ... Views: 2132
Since the surrealists developed automatic writing as a method of expression, art has explored the subconscious and the ways in which we can express our subconscious. Just as they struggled to express their thoughts and ideas in media other than words, it can be difficult for someone going ... Views: 2130
A person is said to have physical opioid dependence if they have high 'tolerance' of opioids, meaning they need more of the opioid to get the desired effect. Opioid withdrawal symptoms occur when the substance is stopped. Most patients who seek treatment for opioid addiction also have some ... Views: 2121
You may be wondering whether you really can stop your gambling after your last
big gambling loss.
And while if you're thinking "I know I can stop", what you know right now might not be enough to help you stop.
Let me explain.
Before you try to stop gambling again on your own, here are 7 ... Views: 2119
In the last decade, a lot has changed in the world of love addiction. Not that love addiction itself has changed. It is pretty much the same insidious disorder it always has been. What has changed is how the world looks at it. Twenty years ago, our understanding of love addiction was still ... Views: 2118
The law of Sobriety takes the principles of the Law of Attraction and puts them to work for the specific purpose - to help individual’s recover from their addictions, whatever that addiction might be including alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, food, co-dependency, love, and or shopping. ... Views: 2113
Discipline was one of those words I truly disliked for a long time. Growing up I associated discipline with negative words like detention or being grounded.
As I became an adult, the word started changing meaning into being rigid, inflexible and most importantly boring. The last thing I ... Views: 2110
The True Self is capable of objectively observing the Sex Addict Self because it's not obsessively preoccupied with getting it's neurotic needs met. Psychoanalysts call this the “observing ego” and it is considered a sign of maturity. Proponents of Eastern spirituality call the True Self “The ... Views: 2109
There are a few “implied” assumptions I have regarding the basic building blocks to recovering from any addiction – of which I consider most eating disorders to be. Let me be candid and put out there one of the most important assumptions I have – recovering from an eating disorder begins with a ... Views: 2108
Heroin or Diacetylmorphine is a direct descendent of the opium poppy; first cultivated in 3400 BC, and is used today as a painkiller and a recreational drug. Heroin was first produced in 1874 in the United Kingdom, and is a semi-synthetic opiate synthesized from morphine.
It was first marketed ... Views: 2108
What is great about being American? What do we have that people all over the world, including here in the good old USA cherish? In one word, the answer is freedom!
As a counselor for both in class and online alcohol awareness classes I often discuss this concept with my students. Of course, ... Views: 2106
Addiction to sexual behavior is a complex disorder that incorporates many aspects of your personality, bio-chemistry, socio-cultural environment, family-of-origin issues, thinking/feeling processes, self-esteem, and quality of relations with others. I see sex addiction as a prism; depending on ... Views: 2103
Anger is a normal healthy emotion, albeit a negative one. We all have anger issues at one time or another. When you experience anger, it is your body trying to tell you something is wrong, that “something is rotten in Denmark.” But what?
Not understanding your body’s message can lead to ... Views: 2102
Recently we have had several clients present for psychotherapy treatment who are court stipulated to a drug program because of drug charges. Of course this is no surprise. But what is surprising is the level of charges and the clients we are seeing. For example, one of our clients could be ... Views: 2097