Addiction Treatment Blog by Addiction Experts » Love and Relationships
Repairing Relationships: Acceptance, Honesty, and Moving Forward
One of the gifts of sobriety is the ability to begin repairing relationships. Oftentimes, these relationships were rocky to begin with, and they were inevitably made worse during active addiction. Although moving forward in these interactions isn’t easy, it is possible to do so with the application of a few principles that I’ve been taught in treatment and programs. Acceptance, self-acceptance, and honesty have helped me start to rebuild relationships with my family and friends … Read entire article »
Filed under: Love and Relationships, Recovery
Relationships Influence Risk of Depression
One may not be the loneliest number after all. Individuals in an unhealthy relationship may be better off single, according to recent study from the University of Michigan. The study, which examined data collected from almost 5000 American adults, looked at the connection between the quality of relationships and the future development of depression. The research indicates that those with stressed or problematic spouses were more likely to develop a major depressive disorder. Conversely, bachelors … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conditions and Disorders, Love and Relationships
How to Give Back on Mother’s Day
Mothers are the nurturers of nations and the cornerstones of kingdoms. For generations they have been overburdened and underappreciated. Only one day of the entire year is designated to honor them and all they have done for us. But how many times have we addicts neglected even this special day in pursuit of drugs, parties, etc.? When it comes to the suffering addict’s loved ones, no one suffers or worries more than the mother. It’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: Holidays, Love and Relationships, Recovery
Mismatched Drinking May Lead to Divorce
Marriage brings to mind wedding bells, newlywed bliss, and stress down the road. We know that financial problems, arguments over familial ideals, and coming from different places in life can lead to tension, and further down the road, divorce. However, it has recently been found that different drinking habits in a couple can be one of the reasons for divorce – especially in the case of a woman drinking substantially more than a man, rather … Read entire article »
Filed under: Addiction, Alcohol and Drugs, Latest News, Life, Love and Relationships, Substance Abuse
Why Nice Guys Finish Last
Why is it that so many women are attracted to the assholes? The unfortunate truth is that we may actually be “programmed” to avoid dating nice guys if we had unfavorable childhood attachment patterns. If your primary caregiver was dismissive and invalidating towards you, your brain is trained to be attracted to partners who will also be dismissive and invalidating towards you. You will unintentionally pass up nice guys in favor of the bad guys, because … Read entire article »
Filed under: Love and Relationships, Research
Sexual Sobriety
Recovery from any addiction starts with sobriety. Sobriety is easy to define in alcohol and drug addictions (e.g., an alcoholic knows they must abstain from alcohol in order to maintain sobriety). Unfortunately, not every addiction has a clear definition of sobriety – such is the case for sexual addiction. The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH) defines sex addiction as “a persistent and escalating pattern or patterns of sexual behaviors acted out despite increasingly … Read entire article »
Filed under: Addiction, Conditions and Disorders, Love and Relationships, Recovery, Treatment
Socio-Economic Disadvantage in Childhood Will Likely Lead to Suffering
In a recent study, investigators from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln discovered that children raised by parents who left them deprived were more likely to suffer from chronic pain and mental illness later in life. The study, led by Dr. Bridget Goosby, examined conditions that were related to socio-economic status in families and the outcomes these conditions would produce later in life. For example, what would happen to kids who experienced hunger or who had parents … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conditions and Disorders, Life, Love and Relationships, Mental Illness, Research
The Neuroscience of Love: Why it is so Addictive and Obsessive
Love is one of the greatest emotions one can experience; however, it is arguably the most vulnerable of emotions. Current awareness of neuroscience explains the love phenomenon in the brain. Before we break down what is going on in the brain, we need not let science take away the magic of being in love. Love is Addictive Thinking about one’s beloved—especially in new relationships—triggers activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain, which releases a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Addiction, Featured, Love and Relationships, Research
The Tool of Forgiveness
Forgiveness, as an addict, is one of the most ridiculous concepts someone could try to explain to me. Forgive you? When you wronged me? Or you forgive me? When I messed up everything? But as I move on with my life, and try to do things right, I start to see that forgiveness is one of the most powerful tools that sobriety can give me. Not only am I capable of forgiving others, and not … Read entire article »
Filed under: Addiction, Life, Love and Relationships, Recovery
Degree of Closeness in Relationships Less Important Than One Might Think
While conventional wisdom dictates that the quality of a romantic relationship is directly tied to the level of closeness the couple experiences, a new study shows that it might be more complicated then that. Researchers have found that it’s not how close a person feels to his or her partner that determines the quality of the relationship. Instead, it’s the level of satisfaction each partner feels about the degree of closeness in the relationship that matters most. “Our study found that people who yearn for a more intimate partnership and people who crave more distance are equally at risk for having a problematic relationship,” the study’s lead author, David M. Frost, PhD, a psychologist and professor of Population and Family Health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, told Science Daily … Read entire article »
Filed under: Love and Relationships
 |  |  |  |
Comments