There is a responsibility statement in the world of 12-Step recovery that states, “When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of [recovery] always to be there. And for that: I am responsible.” This statement often holds true for those who have successfully gone through treatment and/or rehab. This is why you can find so many people today that have gone through recovery and ended up on the professional side of it; they, too, have become responsible.
The vastly influential Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh once said, “When you love someone, the best thing you can offer is your presence. How can you love if you are…
One of the few people to be directly mentioned in the primary text of the 12-Step program Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was William James. James, who is often considered one of the forefathers of psychology and a great contributor to modern addiction recovery in its early stages, discussed what it means to slowly recover rather than have an instantaneous “spiritual awakening.” This is one of the ways we approach treatment at The Phoenix Recovery Center.
It can be hard to understand what it feels like to be struggling with active addiction unless you have been through it yourself. The emotional mindset of someone struggling with alcohol or substance use disorder (SUD) can often be anxious, fearful, lonely, and depressed. So it is not surprising, and perfectly understandable, that these same people would have trouble overcoming these emotions when it comes time to accept treatment.
The history of treating mental health is a rather sordid and disturbing one. For example, less than 100 years ago, it was considered reasonable to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD) with electric shock therapy or even lobotomy. In other problematic and upsetting instances, people struggling with issues of mental health were often misdiagnosed and categorized as having a “mental illness” and were often unjustly institutionalized.
There is a basic human desire to have a comfortable place where we can go and feel safe, which makes sense. Going back to our ancestors, they needed a space where they were safe from predators and violent enemies. Nowadays, this historical need for safety has carried over into the modern need for a safe space for our mental and emotional health.
The term “mental health” has certainly become more prominent in today’s public discourse. However, for many, this term is either misunderstood, misused, or even used to misinform others. The “recklessness” that now surrounds the term is one of the reasons why mental health should be more distinctly defined for discussion.
In today’s ever-connected and always-visible world, physical appearance and health have become a sort of social commodity. Online, there is a constant focus on physical fitness, fashion trends, and new hygienic rituals. While this is fine for many, for some, it overshadows something that is much more crucial: emotional health.
It is not uncommon to confuse bipolar and borderline personality disorder (BPD) as the disorders can present themselves in similar ways, such as experiencing extreme highs and extreme lows. However, bipolar is a mood disorder in which an individual experiences mania and depression, whereas BPD is a personality disorder that is typically triggered by relationships and feelings of abandonment.
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