Counselor Toolbox - Addiction, Counseling, And Mental Health Continuing Education | Recovery | Relationships | Clinical | Psy

Relapse means returning to a previous state. It is vital to understand that relapse does not just mean a return to addictive behaviors, nor does it mean just using. Relapses can happen in terms of people's mood, thinking patterns and behaviors. In actuality, a person's thinking patterns and behavior often become problematic long before they start showing symptoms of addiction or depression again. Some people call this return to old ways of thinking, behaving and feeling as "relapse warning signs" or "lapses." In my mind, it is actually the beginning of a relapse. That doesn't mean that the behaviors have to be continued to the point of using again. A relapse can stopped and corrected at any point. The earlier these old behaviors and ways of thinking are stopped, the less more likely the person is to stay healthy and happy. In this episode we will discuss ways to remain mindful in order to address any potential issues before they start impacting recovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad

In addictive behaviors, triggers make you want to use and cravings are the repetitive thoughts reminding you over and over again that you want to use. We have triggers for just about everything. Some are obvious, like the sight of alcohol may trigger people to start craving a drink. Some are not so obvious, the impending anniversary of a loss may trigger a person to want to use alcohol or drugs to escape from the grief. In this presentation we will cover what triggers are, discuss ways to identify personal triggers and explore ways of dealing with triggers and cravings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In American society food is often associated with good times and happiness. Highly processed foods also have a significant impact on the neurochemicals in the brain. For millions of people eating becomes a coping mechanism of sorts. In this episode we will differentiate between over eating and food addiction, identify triggers and interventions for food addiction. This is a very cursory overview at a problem that is contributing to the high rates of obesity in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only recently have we begun to identify the huge impact that sex and pornography addiction have on people and their relationships. Like food addiction sex is something for which total abstinence may not be an appropriate goal. In this episode we will discuss how and why sex and /or pornography can develop into an addiction, explore interventions and identify other resources for people who are wanting to break their addiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CoDependency is a term we throw around a lot, but the definition can be somewhat elusive. In this presentation we will examine the characteristics of someone with codependency; compare and contrast codependency with other addictions and propose avenues for interventions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices