Did you know that according to 2013 CDC findings, nearly 50% of the general population will deal with a mental health issue over the course of their lifetime?
It’s true. And when people don’t receive the right support and treatment for those issues, many begin abusing substances to mask the pain they feel. As the 2013 CDC report notes, mental illness is associated with drug and alcohol abuse.
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How do anger and addiction go together? We get this question all the time at The Clearing. They are related, and when you add stress and anxiety you get a toxic cocktail that causes many to numb out with substances and other diversions. Read more to understand how these all fit together and what you can do about it to stop the cycle.
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How is your relationship with the Divine? For many this relationship has been neglected, severed, or never established. Have you ever wondered about the purpose of life? Is life a haphazard thing that happens at random? Is there nothingness upon death? For many who suffer from mood disorders or substance use issues, coming to terms with these questions can be a key. What then, should be the role of spirituality in treatment?
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A residential addiction treatment program founded on compassion is hard to find. We see the low success rates of traditional addiction treatment as partly the result of treating people harshly during recovery. What's the motivation behind rubbing somebody’s nose in the wreckage of their past? Is it to make them feel bad? Many addiction treatment facilities have done this in the past. That doesn't make the practice right. We think this approach needs to be questioned.
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For those recovering from addiction, "relapse" has been a shameful event for years and years.
Friends and family would scorn the fallen addict, self help organizations would make the person throw away their “clean time” and get a beginner's chip while having to attend 90 AA meetings in 90 days.
We want to say here and now that there is better alternative.
Read More →We've all heard the saying that time heals all wounds.
Time certainly heals many wounds, especially physical wounds. The human body is remarkably resilient.
Emotional wounds, however, are stubbornly resilient themselves and can reside for years, even decades. These wounds often are the core issues that lead to addiction or other undesirable behavior.
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Many people who suffer from substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, anxiety or a combination of these often find themselves at a crossroads. When we’ve gone through a challenging experience, it’s difficult to think clearly. It’s natural to feel overwhelmed and out of sorts.
Children and young adults are too young to cope due to their limited life experience and not having the proper brain maturity to handle the situation.
As we age, these unaddressed issues may increase in intensity as the underlying core issues get pushed into the subconscious mind where they cycle repeatedly.
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Is there a mind body connection that helps in the rehab and recovery process? We absolutely believe so. Our minds are extraordinarily powerful and we are just learning how to tap into its potential. Depending upon how we focus our thoughts, we can actually create or destroy mood, outlook, and outcomes. When trained and used positively, the mind is the key ingredient and “secret sauce” for helping those in rehab and recovery overcome substance abuse, alcohol, and other addictions.
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You are taught that to successfully recover you must present yourself to others as contrite, guilty and remorseful; you are taught that you require the forgiveness of others to be whole.
We think there is a better way.
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