Anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental health issues. About 30 percent of Americans will have issues with anxiety at some point in their lives. What’s more, anxiety significantly increases your risk of developing a substance use disorder.…
Rumination is a repetitive pattern of thinking about something negative, either something from your past or something you’re worried might happen later. Rumination is a way of being mentally stuck. All your energy goes into these repetitive thoughts. Not only…
Conscientiousness is one of the big five personality traits in the personality model most commonly used by psychologists. The five traits are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, which you can remember with the acronym OCEAN. While there is no…
Whether you’re concerned about a loved one’s substance use and you want them to get help or you have substance use issues from which you’re trying to recover, better listening skills can be a huge asset. Social connection is one…
We all compare ourselves to others sometimes, but for the sake of your recovery, it would be great if you could do it less. Several studies have linked participants’ tendency to make social comparisons to bad outcomes such as envy,…
When recovering from addiction or even when considering getting sober, a positive attitude is a huge asset. For one thing, it’s hard to put much effort into recovery if you don’t think it’s possible. Optimism also enhances the quality of…
In hopes of containing the spread of covid-19, or the coronavirus, state and federal governments are asking people to stay home and avoid public gatherings. Some state and local governments have even closed restaurants, bars, movie theaters, and other public-serving…
According to the World Health Organization, depression affects more than 264 million people globally and is the leading cause of disability. Depression is a particular concern for people with substance use disorders. One study found that among people with major…
Compassion is a crucial element of addiction recovery for many reasons. Having compassion for others is perhaps the surest way of forming connections with other people. This sense of connection is one of the most important factors for a strong…
In October of 2019, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago identified differences in brain circuitry that may relate to suicidal behavior within individuals with mood disorders. Therefore, this study offers an encouraging lead towards developing tools that may…
