Articles

Not so much ‘I share your pain’ as ‘I want to show you I understand what you mean.’

Their targets often know or strongly suspect they’re being manipulated, but give in anyway because they can’t figure out how to avoid it.

Others enter counseling with no intention of changing at all. Their goal is simply to placate some authority.

The better we understand the origins of a depressed mood, the more likely we are to come up with an effective remedy.

Where AA influences alcoholics toward sobriety through its peer culture, the gang down at the local pub is likely to encourage them to drink through its version of a peer culture.

You find yourself burdened with unfamiliar doubts and worries about the mechanics of living without alcohol and drugs. You wonder how you will ever adapt.

We certainly shouldn’t feel good about the damage we’ve done, but wallowing in useless remorse is a bad place to get stuck.

Not everyone attaches the same meaning to a particular term. This problem pops up a lot in counseling, treatment, and similar settings.

Like so much else, the grieving process tends to get lost in the miasma of substance use and addiction.

It’s designed to prevent drinking on impulse, but if I’m an alcoholic with a history of impulsive drinking, do I really want to mess with this?