Compassion is a fundamental trait for addiction recovery and for life. Compassion literally means “to suffer together” and it has two basic parts: empathy for other people’s suffering and the deep desire to relieve that suffering. Compassion plays an important role in...
It’s hard having a loved one with a substance use disorder; fear and anger mingle with worry and compassion as your loved one’s substance use seems to get steadily worse. This can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Elsewhere, we’ve looked at how to help a...
Anxiety is a major risk factor for addiction. A large study of more than 43,000 adults found that among people with an anxiety disorder, about 15 percent also had a substance use disorder; that’s about twice the rate of addiction in the general population. And that...
In recent decades there has been a growing awareness that cognitive intelligence–as measured by IQ tests–is not a reliable predictor of success in life. Although it certainly helps to have some of the talents measured by IQ tests, such as mathematical...
One of the persistent myths about addiction and recovery is that it’s all about willpower. People think recovery is all about grit. However, if you’re relying on willpower alone, you probably won’t stay sober long. Many factors contribute to addiction, including...
