Some women and men, when they find out that their partner is spending a lot of time watching porn, is sexually acting out with someone, or sexually chatting online, initially blame themselves. What could they have done differently? Are they not attractive enough anymore? Should they have been more sexually available? Finding out that your partner is addicted to porn or sex is painful and difficult to overcome, and it usually has a major effect not only on your relationship but also on you as...
Alcohol can have a powerful influence on many of us. It quietens the mind and relaxes us after the stress of a long, hard day’s work. It can make time with friends or family more fun, and make social gatherings much easier, but when does someone’s use of alcohol become a problem? Maybe you notice that you use more alcohol than other people do, or you start spending more money on alcohol than you used to. You may notice that you start to feel uncomfortable or uneasy about how much...
Since launching in 2013, the highly endorsed Reading Well scheme has helped over 778,000 people across the country. With titles available to borrow, free of charge, from 98% of England’s libraries, discover the latest books chosen by health experts, those living with mental health conditions, their relatives and carers.
Each year, health professionals, library staff and users are surveyed on their experiences with the Reading Well programme. Combined with book sales and borrowing data,...
As a drugs worker, I spent many years visiting people in prison who were addicted to heroin and crack cocaine, in order to help them get treatment. Unless they were in treatment, the chances were that as soon as they would get out of prison they would reoffend, to get money (usually through theft), and then re-use and sometimes overdose. The magnetic programming and pull of decades of deeply-ingrained habit ends up being impossible to resist. The excitement, the anticipation and the elaborate...
Through experience of working in a substance misuse agency it has become clear that a vast majority of individuals in the midst of addiction have undiagnosed mental health conditions such as generalised anxiety disorders, OCD, depression, social anxiety disorders. This list is far from exhaustive... The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) reports that there is a"definite connection between mental illness and the use of addictive substances". Often the condition comes to light once the...
If you find that you easily become angry, depressed, anxious or feel panic in response to life events, then you might be struggling to balance emotions and DBT could help. DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) involves a number of simple skills to help manage life situations. A counsellor can teach you some of these skills and they might help to stop your anger, depression, anxiety or panic from becoming out of control. S T O P or the 'stop skill'...
Perhaps you have just left treatment, along with a continued plan for recovery that seems rather lightweight in the wake of peer support from which you have just been separated?Maybe you are feeling alone, very anxious about the immense task of personal recovery that lies before you? Undoubtedly your relationship with drugs, alcohol or gambling has seemed like a huge life crutch upon which you have become dependent; to the extent that there has been little if any control. Your addiction has...
As people, we seem to live by the habits we form, and often these help to form structure in our daily lives. Habits do sometimes become dangerous, however, such as the addictive habits of using drugs, alcohol, food or gambling in response perhaps to life difficulties or to make yourself feel better. Habits like these are not easy to change. Think about your own lifestyle for a moment – I imagine there are things that you like doing when you get up in the morning, like having a cup of tea...
This is a type of addiction that is not as widely known but can still be as debilitating as other high profile addictions. Ultimately, the addiction can keep the individual stuck in despair for a very long time. It also operates at a very unconscious level which makes it quite difficult for the person to recognise and identify. It is not as visible as other addictions. For instance, there is no bottle or syringe, only an array of broken dreams, relationships and aspirations. The addiction...
Changing anxious habits or behaviours can be very challenging. While many of us would prefer to seek instant solutions to break old habits, this can often lead to frustration and disappointment. For one reason or another most of us have felt trapped in a pattern of anxious thinking and behaving that disrupts our progress. We may feel caught by our own impulses and defensive reactions to situations, or imprisoned by anxious thoughts and preoccupations. We are often our own worst enemies: making...
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