Addiction and Recovery

Bridging the Gap Between Addicts and Those Who Love Them

Sherry Gaba LCSW

Coping With Isolation

Everyone is struggling to develop new skills to manage in these trying times.

The Covert Tactics of Manipulators

Everyone has used manipulation at some point in time, and this is usually to get something of value.

4 Signs You Are the Child of a Toxic Parent

Some of the common signs of a toxic parent or parents are included here.

How to Spot an Emotionally Unavailable Person

One of the necessary ingredients in a healthy emotional relationship with another person is the ability to be present for that person.

How to Tell if You Are Empathic or an Unhealthy Caretaker

Understanding how you relate to others in your life is a critical aspect of maintaining personal boundaries and avoiding issues such as caretaker burnout.

Are you in a Relationship with a Narcissist?

For many women and men, finding that perfect person seems like a dream come true. They meet a person who likes the same music, films, and hobbies....

Are You Dating Substance User or Alcoholic?

For many people who have limited experience with alcoholism and addiction, the signs can be subtle and difficult to spot.

Turning Over a New Leaf of Self-Care in 2020

Do you focus almost exclusively on your partner's care and well-being? This year, learn to put yourself first.

Financial Responsibility for Addicts and Their Partners

One of the challenges for addicts and their partners is to try to manage the downward spiral of financial responsibility that comes with addiction.

Coping with the Addict in Your Life Over the Holidays

The holidays can be an exceptionally difficult time for people of all ages and in all different family situations.

Detaching with Love

It is often said that alcoholism and addiction is a family disease, and it is impossible for an addict or an alcoholic not to create ripples of destruction.

The Love Bomb Phenomenon

Feeling loved and valued is an amazing part of being in a relationship.

The Mother Wound

The "mother wound" is not a typical term you hear in therapy, but it may be a factor that is influencing your relationship with partners.

Toxic Shame

The use of the term "toxic shame" was first introduced in the 1960s by Sylvan Tomkins, an American psychologist and theorist.

Is It Grief or Obsession?

It is normal, and even natural, to experience a sense of loss after the end of a relationship.

Drawing a Line In the Sand

The presence of an addict in a family or in a relationship has ripple effects, impacting anyone in the scope of the addict's close personal and even professional interactions.

Why Codependents Attract Narcissists

One of the most common issues with narcissism is the central focus on self. Narcissists can fake caring and empathy towards others.

Trauma Symptoms of Adult Children of Alcoholics

When you grow up in a home with one or more alcoholic parents, the impact of the dysfunction reverberates throughout your life.

Boundaries and the Dance of the Codependent

Today, I would like to focus on a very popular topic in codependency literature. This is the difficulty or the challenge that a codependent has in setting healthy boundaries

Stop Seeking Validation from Others

It is reasonable for anyone to want their ideas, choices, achievements, or opinions validated by those around them.

Learning to Let Go of a Spouse with an Addiction

As reported by Mental Health America, codependents are people that have the intention to help the addict, but who become compulsive in the caregiving role.

All-or-Nothing Thinking in Addiction

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is used in addiction recovery and is highly successful.

A Primer on Codependency

Do you have trouble setting boundaries or putting yourself first in relationships? Learn how to gain back your independence.

Trauma Bonding, Codependency, and Narcissistic Abuse

Trauma bonding can occur when a person is in a relationship with a narcissist, resulting in a destructive cycle of behaviors. Breaking free is possible—but not easy.

Is the Addict in Your Life Also a Narcissist?

It is not uncommon to enter into a relationship with someone who seems like Mr. or Mrs. Right during the dating phase only to find out they have an addiction problem.

Positivity and Moving Forward with Addiction Recovery

Simply stopping a behavior does not end an addiction. In fact, stopping an addictive behavior often creates a void or a vacuum that was managed by the addiction.

Why Codependents Use Denial as a Defense Mechanism

One of the factors this book, which is written from the interviews with women living with alcoholics, is the way that living with an addict changes a person's self-definition.

Why Codependents Stay In Damaging Relationships

Most people have at least one person in their life who seems to be in the same horrible, dead-end relationship over and over again, but the partner seems to change.

The Challenge of Cross Addiction

The term cross addiction is relatively new but is something that has always been seen in clinical practices.

Helping Families Navigate a Loved One's Addiction

As a psychotherapist and life coach specializing in addiction recovery, I am frequently asked by family members what they should or should not do. Often, family members worry.

  • Previous
  • Page 1 (current)
  • Next