Addressing Emotional Problems It is vital for clients to understand the signs and symptoms of mental illness and address worry, stress, anger, anxiety, depression, and many other emotional concerns. In…
This PowerPoint Presentation will help you identify the external and internal triggers that cue drug and alcohol use, and give you specific ways to manage your emotions and handle urges to use and drink.
Negative thoughts influence your feelings and actions and can drive your addiction. Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs for short) are those deeply-held, and often repeated, pessimistic thoughts that lead to intense…
Family Roles In Addiction This article examines family roles in addiction. Codependency Worksheets & Checklists Someone else’s substance use disorder does not exist in isolation. Their addiction affects friends, family,…
The best treatment is the one you get the most from. It’s not the treatment center that has the best staff, or the one with the shortest program. It’s not…
A Time to Celebrate Holiday celebrations can be much-loved occasions, filled with family, friends, and fun. They often come with laughter, family time, parties, music, gifts, the joy of childhood,…
Understanding Aggressive Behavior Being annoyed or frustrated is an experience common to us all. Anger, too, is a common emotion and it could be said that everyone gets irritated and…
When Nothing Seems to Change Many of us could point to difficult and painful events of the past. Those trials bring a barrage of intense emotions including sadness, grief, anger,…
Throughout life you may have found yourself becoming annoyed and distressed over a small or insignificant matter. These overreactions to minor slights cause ripple effects, often adding to the problem…
Side by Side Problems Mental health problems are difficult to face and some people turn to alcohol, drugs, or other behaviors to distract themselves or ease their pain. Continued use…
We use the term happiness to describe a wide range of positive emotions that include contentment and joy. To be happy is not just being emotionally cheerful or constantly smiling.…
Underneath the Addiction Managing your emotions is key to achieving long-term sobriety. Giving up on the addiction is only the starting point. People use drugs and alcohol to enjoy themselves,…
This lesson explores ten points to help and encourage you to change your thinking. The benefits are worth the work!
Relationships in Recovery Worksheet This Relationships in Recovery worksheet will help you examine numerous ways that substance abuse and addiction damage relationships. As you move through your recovery journey and…
Emotional Sobriety Worksheets PDF This emotional sobriety worksheet pdf lesson includes ten vital relapse prevention techniques. Many people use alcohol and drugs for a variety of emotional reasons. They may…
The word resentment is best understood as having bitter indignation at being treated unfairly or unkindly. Resentment can come when you are misunderstood, neglected, rejected, slighted, and mistreated. This treatment is followed by bitterness, discontentment, and dissatisfaction. When resentment goes unresolved, it can have a variety of negative effects. You may feel easily irritated, touchy, or have a sense of edginess when you think about the person who hurt you. Additionally, it can drive your addiction as you attempt to escape the uncomfortable emotions accompanying a resentful attitude. This skill builder walks you through a ten-step process to resolve resentment and let go of the past.
It is natural and normal for people to experience loss in their lives and to have feelings of sadness and sorrow. The losses experienced in addiction often bring additional and intensified feelings of grief. When the loss is perceived to have been preventable, it often adds to our sense of despair. The more attachment you had to a person, or to a thing, the more likely you are to grieve the loss. Grieving is a process. It is an emotional journey of learning to cope with loss, and it can last a long time. The normal grieving process allows us to let go and continue moving on in a healthy way. This lesson will help you understand the normal process of grieving and distinguish it from complicated grief. Additionally, you will learn the emotions and behaviors that frequently accompany loss and discover strategies for managing grief.
Negative thoughts influence your feelings and actions and can drive your addiction. Automatic negative thoughts are those deeply-held, and often repeated, pessimistic thoughts that lead to intense emotions and wayward actions. It is necessary to reflect on which thoughts are distorted and which are accurate. Negative thoughts that accompany drug and alcohol use are often irrational and exaggerated and they fuel the addiction, making it difficult to change. Once you can recognize these thoughts for what they are, you can start analyzing them and change your thinking. In this lesson, examine the thoughts and beliefs that influence your feelings and actions. Learn to recognize, refute, and replace negative thoughts with positive substitutions; repeating the process as often as necessary. This will help you strengthen your commitment to staying emotionally healthy.
The term happiness is often used to describe a range of positive emotions such as contentment, joy, and gratitude. We often use it to mean satisfied and content. To be happy is not just being emotionally cheerful or constantly smiling. It has depth and purpose to it. In this lesson, you will learn how happy people have more friends, are more generous, and cope better with stress and trauma. You will find 10 powerful truths about serenity and satisfaction presented and have the opportunity to evaluate and reflect on your happiness. You will also examine your personal areas of strength and weakness, and learn specific strategies to increase your sense of happiness and contentment.
There are many factors to consider in addiction. People may use drugs and alcohol to enjoy themselves or feel a sense of relief and euphoria. The emotional reasons for substance abuse are many. When life feels out of control, we can feel useless and unhappy. Many substance abusers use alcohol and drugs to help soothe or deal with these painful and negative emotions. Throughout recovery, it is important to consider both the external and internal triggers. This lesson will help you identify the external and internal triggers that cue drug and alcohol use, and give you specific ways to manage your emotions and handle urges to use and drink.
