About mental illness and addiction
Grief often arrives in ways we don’t expect. Even when a loss is anticipated, the emotional weight that follows can feel sudden, confusing, and deeply overwhelming. Sadness, anger, numbness, and longing may all surface at once, leaving people unsure how to process their feelings. Having experienced different forms of grief myself, I understand how difficult … Read more
Self-medication isn’t new, but when it comes to dealing with stress, it’s something I see all the time. Lately, more people reach for over-the-counter pills, herbal remedies, or even a glass of wine just to take the edge off a tough day. While this might look harmless at first, self-medicating for stress can quickly lead … Read more
When it comes to addiction, friendships can shift from supportive to harmful in subtle but powerful ways. Friends often play an important role in providing encouragement, comfort, and accountability during difficult times. However, in the context of addiction, even well-intentioned friends may unintentionally enable unhealthy behaviors. Enabling can happen when someone minimizes the seriousness of … Read more
Black masculinity has historically been shaped by rigid expectations, stereotypes, and social pressures that define how Black men are expected to behave. Cultural narratives often emphasize strength, toughness, independence, and emotional control, leaving little room for vulnerability or open expressions of pain. Within this context, substance use and addiction can emerge in the lives of … Read more
If you or someone you care about is navigating addiction recovery, it’s common to wonder whether therapy or self-help is the better path. With so much information available—from professional treatment programs to books, online communities, and peer support groups—it can feel overwhelming to decide which approach will be most effective. Therapy offers structured guidance from … Read more
Addiction science is an incredibly interesting field, and it’s a topic that’s on a lot of people’s minds. I find that questions about why some people develop addictions, while others don’t, come up all the time. It’s a tricky subject since there’s no single answer. Does addiction happen because of your genetics, or is it … Read more
Doubt can be tough to shake after gaslighting, and getting past it is no small feat. When your reality has been questioned over and over, figuring out what to trust—even about your own thoughts—can be confusing and isolating. If you’re working to move away from self-doubt after being gaslit, it can help to break the … Read more
If you’ve ever noticed someone keeping up with their job, relationships, and daily responsibilities while still struggling privately with a powerful craving, whether that’s for alcohol, drugs, gambling, or even technology, then you’ve seen what functional addiction looks like. Functional addiction is often misunderstood, and it doesn’t always fit the stereotype most of us see … Read more
If you’ve ever wondered how ancient people tried to break free from addiction, you’re not alone. The history of addiction recovery is both complex and fascinating, reaching back thousands of years before modern rehab centers or therapy apps even existed. Long before the emergence of structured treatment programs, people across various cultures sought ways to … Read more
Recognizing and expressing emotions is something most people take for granted, but for those with alexithymia, it’s a challenge. Alexithymia is a personality trait that makes it difficult to identify and describe one’s feelings. When combined with behavioral addictions like compulsive gaming, problematic shopping, or social media overuse, it can create additional difficulties that are … Read more