Category: Addiction News

Stephen A. Smith Spouts Stigmatizing Rant About Josh Gordon's Addiction

The controversial host ranted about the Patriots wide receiver battle with addiction and mental health issues on ESPN.

Perennial hot-take artist and ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith delivered a baffling on-air diatribe last week, drawing harsh criticism from the Twitterverse for his stigmatizing rant on addiction and mental health issues.

Describing drug addiction as “self-inflicted” and refusing to view it as a disease, Smith laid into Patriots Wide Receiver Josh Gordon on Thursday following the announcement that Gordon planned to step away from the game to take care of his mental health.

“I’m disgusted,” the First Take host said on the air afterward. “I’m sick and tired of this guy getting chances.”

Smith continued on and on, in a seemingly interminable stream of vitriol, calling out the 27-year-old for taking Xanax in middle school and offering baffling gems like: “I understand it’s sad that he’s an addict, but it appears he’s an addict. That’s what this comes down to.”

In a separate, shorter clip from Thursday’s ESPN, Smith said he didn’t want to seem “unsympathetic” before questioning whether addiction is a disease and seemingly blaming Gordon for becoming addicted.

“I don’t want to come across as harsh or unsympathetic to Josh Gordon,” Smith said. “But let’s be very, very clear here. You’ve got a whole bunch of people out there talking about ‘It’s a disease, it’s a disease’ because it’s an addiction.

“Well, I’m not going to debunk or eliminate the notion that it’s a disease, but how did it become one? Because you can’t get addicted to something you never try. This isn’t cancer. This isn’t Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or something like that. This is self-inflicted.”

The video clip circulated online, where it was not at all popular, as social media users and other sports analysts thoroughly dragged Smith for his hottest of takes.

“This is a HORRIBLE take from Stephen A Smith on mental illness and addiction,” tweeted CBS Sports writer Will Brinson. “I’m absolutely appalled this aired on television.”

Armen Keteyian concurred. “So now he’s a mental health expert,” tweeted the executive producer for The Athletic. “I happen to know something about this situation and this is Completely irresponsible.”

Following a series of suspensions, Gordon was indefinitely suspended from the NFL on Thursday for repeated drug violations. Announcement of the suspension came hours after he announced his departure on Twitter.

“I take my mental health very seriously at this point to ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level,” he tweeted. “I have recently felt like I could have a better grasp on things mentally. With that said, I will be stepping away from the football field for a bit to focus on my mental health.”

View the original article at thefix.com

28 December 2018
5 Self-Destructive Habits to Leave Behind in 2018

Here’s to deeper connection through owning our imperfections, attracting more abundance by believing there’s enough for everyone, and freeing ourselves from these other self-destructive habits.

New Year, New You? How about New Year, Real You? I do not think Life is about becoming some other person, as society would have you believe. I think Life is about shedding the things that are not you, about remembering who you truly are, about becoming who you already are and bringing into this reality who you were meant to be.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the false refuge of maladaptive beliefs and behaviors — everybody is doing it. As the year prepares to turn over, there is a symbolic and energetic push for a fresh start.

If your goals for the new year involve getting your whites whiter, finding a partner, and ditching sugar for good!, stop reading now.

But perhaps this is the year you strive for internal rearrangement. Maybe you will find that when you put that first, the rest sort of falls into place. Even your butt.

1. Scarcity Mindset
When you’re in scarcity mindset you feel like there isn’t enough of anything, yet you’re also unwilling to get out of your comfort zone to look for more opportunities. Scarcity turns everyone else into our enemies, as we perceive they are taking from a finite pool of resources and therefore anything that they have means there is less available to us. The saddest of scarcity mindsets revolve around love. Love begets more love, but sometimes we feel that any love being directed at something else is love being taken away from us. If you’ve ever wondered how someone can be jealous of a little puppy, the answer is scarcity mindset. This is prevalent in my field, stand-up comedy, as there are only so many clubs and so many weekends a year in which to get booked. But what if people in comedy focused on lifting each other up? Wouldn’t comedy as a whole get better? And if that happened, wouldn’t there be more comedy fans and more demand? And then more clubs and more spots?

2. Dissociating
This is when we run away without leaving the room. First, we separate the details of an event from our awareness; it can be as simple as ignoring red flags on a first date. We can dissociate the meaning of something to make excuses for it — that way we don’t have to take responsibility or act based on what is actually happening. He jumped out of the cab and left me to pay for it because….I paid for things earlier in the night and he didn’t want to be emasculated by watching me pay again…Uhhhh. Maybe he’s just a dick?

When you’re dissociating, you’re spaced out, you’re numb. I remember thinking I had a superpower in my early 20’s when I learned I could dissociate in the dentist’s chair and not need Novocain. This magic gift was just a side effect of child abuse. You’re thinking: this shouldn’t be happening right now, and then you leave. You are there, but you aren’t. We use our phones to leave the present all the time. But we came to this earth at this time for a reason — to be here. You can stop dissociating by grounding yourself in the present reality with your five senses. Grab a cold drink or take a hot shower. Get back in your body. It’s okay to feel your emotions; I often dissociate when I get social anxiety and then I tell myself that it’s not okay to have social anxiety and then I “fix” the unwanted emotion by fleeing it. Self-compassion helps me stay in the moment and feeling. I remember that everything belongs, even this unwanted emotion.

3. Playing Prisoner and Warden
The most common way we do this is in intimate relationships, as in the old refrain of “He/She/They won’t let me. We make others play one of these roles so we can rebel against it. It’s an externalization of a fragment of ourselves that is judging the behavior that we are seemingly trying to get over on our designated warden. For example, once I relapsed (LOL ONCE) at a birthday party at a bar full of my peers. I spotted someone there who was in recovery. They were not my sponsor or even my friend, and deep down, I knew my recovery and relapse had absolutely nothing to do with them. But I hid from them all night long; I even triangulated, telling other people I couldn’t have them see me drink! I actually hid the can behind my back when I talked to them, though it was all for naught when I drunkenly tripped and fell flat on my face a few minutes later. Here’s the thing: they didn’t know or care. I used this person to deflect responsibility for myself, to shame myself, and to rebel against myself.

4. Explaining Yourself
I always felt I needed to explain my existence, and could give you a detailed history that led me to such a place, but the irony! Explaining yourself is goddamn exhausting for everyone. I actively work to not do this by asking myself what people truly need to know during interactions. It’s always less than my original impulse. When I was in college I was such an extreme over-explainer that I felt like every time I ran into someone, I had to tell them everything that had happened since we last spoke. I never had time to see what was going on with them, and that is how I went through life, just assuming others were better than me and together and I needed everyone to understand how hard it was for me and you would, maybe you would, if you’d only let me explain. Every time I don’t explain myself or make excuses for my actions and existence I call a tiny bit of my power back. I become a bit more self-contained, a bit more confident. I feel like a grown-up in the very best way.

5. Waiting to Enjoy It
The idea that you can only enjoy your life once you’ve become a person worthy of enjoying it is a lie and it needs to be smashed. You have value simply because you exist. You are here, and that is the only requirement for being worth enjoying life. If you swear you’ll allow yourself to enjoy being alive once you attain a certain external achievement — no matter what it is — you’ll be disappointed when you attain it. There is nothing that can fill the void of feeling unworthy, except, perhaps, deciding to enjoy your life and yourself as they are. The great paradox is that it’s only when you get there that you can truly effect lasting change. We are all in such a rush to get nowhere. The end of the road is just another road. There is no arriving, and there is always a state of arrival. A palm tree against a darkening sky, a joke landing perfectly, your dog snuggling into you in the night. There isn’t much more to life than that, and if you’re really inhabiting your life, you don’t need there to be. Enjoy it. What are you waiting for? There’s a caveat though: it’s impossible to enjoy your life and control your life at the same time. Good luck. Oh, also, sometimes I say you when I mean I.

As you can see, these maladaptive behavioral traits overlap as they all transform dysfunction into a grand discord of an unfulfilled life.

When I first met recovery I couldn’t admit anything I did wrong. I was so afraid to look at myself, terrified of what I might find. I found that when I was able to admit mistakes and faults that people actually responded better to me than when I was pretending that I was perfect. I was never fooling anyone. That was the beginning of learning to own my shit, but in order to own my shit, I had to look at my shit too. I may not have created the problem, but it is my responsibility to solve it. I know what I want. Sometimes I don’t think I can have it, or I am looking for permission. Actually I am always looking for permission, so if you’re like me, consider this your permission slip. You have permission to go after the things you truly want. Yes, even you. Yes, even that.

We’ve all got more work to do on ourselves than we hope, but it’s not as insurmountable as we fear. I promise you that. Here’s to more freedom through discipline, deeper connection through owning our imperfections, attracting more abundance by believing there’s enough for everyone, and all the other paradoxes that make life worth living. May this list serve to remind you and validate what your inner being knows already. Happy New Year!

Now, go be you. You’re doing a great job.

Further reading:

7 Reasons to Shift from a Scarcity Mindset to an Abundance Mindset – Lucy Vinestock

The Scarcity Mindset – Shahram Heshmat Ph.D.

Dissociation Isn’t a Life Skill – Sandra L. Brown M.A.

Triangulation: The Trap Of The Problematic Person – Támara Hill, MS, LPC

Stop Looking Outside Yourself for Answers – Kathryn Eggins

View the original article at thefix.com

28 December 2018
Could Higher Taxes Affect Binge Drinking?

A new op-ed makes the case that higher taxation could reduce excess drinking.

Decreasing the amount of binge drinking in the country could be as simple as increasing taxes, according to a recent piece by The Washington Post editorial board.

The board notes that 60 years ago, about 40% of American adults smoked cigarettes, whereas fewer than 20% do today. According to the board, this decrease has to do with the increase in cigarette taxes — and binge drinking should be treated in a similar manner.

The board cites a Johns Hopkins study from this year, which examined two tax increases in the state of Maryland. One was a 50% increase in alcohol sales tax in 2011 (bringing it to 9%), and the other was doubling the excise tax on a pack of cigarettes, bringing it to $2. In both cases, the board writes, consumption of the products went down quickly.

“Opponents of such increases are often quick to denounce nanny-state politics, but government has a responsibility to promote public health,” the Post board wrote. “Cigarette and alcohol consumption exact a terrible toll, and not just on users; witness the impact of binge drinking on families and children, not to mention the carnage on the nation’s highways attributable to drunken driving.”

More specifically, the study determined that in Maryland in 2015, retailers sold about 30% fewer packs of cigarettes than in 2007, which was the year before the excise tax was put into effect. Researchers determined that much of that decrease came quickly after the price increase. The change also affected minors, as researchers state teens who said they had smoked at least one time in the past 30 days decreased in that same span of eight years.

When it came to the increase in alcohol tax, the results were similar. According to the editorial board, researchers in another study examining police crash reports in Maryland found that the number of teenagers in alcohol-related crashes decreased by 12% annually in 11 years from the tax increase. Among drivers as a whole, the decrease was 6% annually.

The Johns Hopkins study also determined that alcohol intake decreased, as researchers said adult binge drinking in the state dropped by 17%, five years after the alcohol tax was enacted.

According to the board, those who oppose such increases may not be thinking about the whole picture.

“Among the arguments from opponents of such taxes is that they fall disproportionately on low- and middle-income people,” the board writes. “That’s true. It is also true that by reducing consumption (which weighs on wallets), they relieve the burden of long-term health care costs on those same people. That’s part of the compelling argument for public-health taxes, and why lawmakers are justified in imposing them.”

View the original article at thefix.com

28 December 2018
Our Top 10 digital detox posts of 2018

Our Top 10 digital detox posts of 2018

2018 has certainly kept us busy with the scientific community across the world focusing more closely on digital addiction and worldwide media bringing it into the light as well. There has growing interest around the globe in internet addiction, and social media addiction and we have been dissecting each new study to help you understand how technology addiction might affect you and steps to take to counter it.

This year we launched another digital detox book, this time focusing our advice on family relationships and how to help children in this technology-focused world! But which of our articles caught your attention this year? Here’s a roundup of our 10 most popular posts from 2018:

10. 4 Things You Didn’t Know About Digital Wellness

This article summarised some of the most important things you may not know about digital wellness. This included the work that scientists and tech companies are doing to investigate or help, how you can use digital itself to help you detox, and the importance digital wellness has for the balance of your mental health.

9. 5 Simple Mindfulness Exercises To Try Instead of Scrolling on Your Smartphone

In this post, we break down easy exercises for complete beginners to help combat our ‘always-on’ lifestyle and give yourself a momentary break from technology. Together these five exercises will help you refocus on the world around us instead of the one on our screens.

8. Why Digital Detox is More Than a Trend

Recently a lot of the media have begun to cover digital detox and it can seem like the latest fad, so in this post, we explain why it is here for the long haul and why it works.

7. Think Our Technology Addiction isn’t Bad for our Mental Health? The Evidence is Overwhelming

There’s increasing evidence that too much time on screens (especially excessive time on social media) is affecting our mental health. In this blog, we explain why technology particularly impacts young people including links to depression and the science behind it.

6. Some Surprising Dangers of Technology Addiction

We’ve all heard of the common threats prompted by technology addiction such as poor mental health and a lack of sleep, but did you know that burglaries and traffic accidents are also caused by tech addiction? In this post, we explore the reasons behind these outcomes and give another reason to switch your phone off.

5. How to Phone Detox in 5 Steps

Our smartphones are now our ever-present companions and most of the time they are never more than an arm’s length away from us. We love them as tools and helpers in our busy lives but there is no questions that we are all getting overly dependent on them. In this blog post, we shared some easy steps to reclaim control.

4. Digital Detox for Kids: How to Help Them Unplug

Internet addiction is a recognised disorder in several countries of the world, and the effect that technology is having on our children can be shocking at times so here are some simple tricks to entice your kids away from the screen for some family bonding as well as reasons why you should!

3. 8 Good Reasons to Give up your Smartphone

We shared eight simple reasons to down your devices and pick up the parts of your life that have become neglected when you’ve been glued to your phone! These included not only benefits to your mental health, but also financial benefits too!

2. How To Stay Safe Online: 10 Tips for Teens

The popularity of this blog reflected the fact that so many teenagers today are aware of the threats that will affect them online, from stranger danger to technology addiction. Number two in our top ten posts of 2018 is a simple list of things to be conscious of when online to help you protect the teen in your life, or yourself.

1. How much time are you spending on your smartphone?

Our TOP post in 2018 was no surprise. You wanted to know how much you personally were affected by technology addiction. This blog explored what ‘normal’ might look like for screen usage and how you can measure and monitor your own.

We’ve loved posting on all things digital detox in 2018 and it looks like you’ve enjoyed reading our blogs too. Look out for all our new digital detox and digital wellness blogs coming in 2019!

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

28 December 2018
The State Of Harm Reduction Around The Globe

A new report breaks down the status of harm reduction programs around the world.

Even as opioid use continues wreaking havoc on some parts of the globe, the availability of harm reduction measures worldwide are relatively stagnant, as documented in a massive new report released this month.

The number of countries with needle exchange or opioid substitution treatment has stayed relatively stable over the past four years, and a lack of funding in middle- and low-income countries has stunted the growth of service options available in some of the places most severely impacted, according to the “Global State of Harm Reduction” 2018 report issued this month by Harm Reduction International.

But there’s a significant exception to that trend: North America. Here, as opioid overdose figures rise, the harm reduction response is blossoming. Naloxone access, fentanyl testing strips, and needle exchange programs have become more common in the US and Canada – all possible signs of forward-thinking responses to a well-documented crisis.

“The US now has the fastest annual percentage rise of drug-related fatal overdose ever recorded,” the report notes, “with an increase of 21.4% between 2015- 2016 alone.”

Currently, the United States has 335 needle exchanges – a 37% increase since the last harm reduction report. Meanwhile, Canada has taken harm reduction efforts a step further, opening a total of 26 supervised injection sites. That sort of progressive action is still barred by federal law in the US, though some communities have considered addressing it both legislatively and in local action plans.

There are, of course, still significant gaps. The availability of harm reduction in prisons is “woefully inadequate, falling far short of meeting both international human rights and public health standards,” according to the report.

And, despite the response in North America, service offerings worldwide have stayed more stagnant.

“While our coverage of harm reduction policies and services has evolved and broadened in scope, the same cannot always be said for harm reduction in practice around the world,” the report notes. “Despite [the] heavy burden of diseases, effective harm reduction interventions that can help prevent their spread are severely lacking in many countries.”

Currently, 86 countries offer some sort of needle exchange program – down from 90 in 2016. Bulgaria, Laos and the Philippines have shuttered their exchange programs in the face of punitive drug policies, while Argentina and Brazil have stopped offering such services as the number of injection drug users falls in those nations.

While the number of countries that offer exchanges has fallen slightly, the number with opioid substitution drugs available has gone up a bit. Since 2016, Cote d’Ivoire, Zanzibar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Palestine, Argentina and Costa Rica have all introduced or re-introduced medication-assisted treatments.

Overall, methadone is still the most commonly prescribed of those treatments, with buprenorphine falling into second place. Despite research espousing the use of heroin-assisted treatment as a harm reduction option, it’s only available in seven countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. Though that’s still considered a radical option in many countries, it’s just one of the solutions experts have increasingly examined as more potent drugs continue appearing in underground supply chains.

“The rise of illicit fentanyls themselves is just about the clearest case one can make for harm reduction: despite a literally poisonous supply, millions of people are still taking street opioids in an underground market that lacks quality control,” journalist Maia Szalavitz wrote in an introduction to the report. “It’s hard to argue that anything short of providing a safer supply – both through traditional medications like methadone and buprenorphine and via prescription heroin, hydromorphone (Dilaudid) and perhaps others – will be able to end the crisis, if done to scale.”

And, aside from the continued toll of opioid use, amphetamine use is on the rise as well – but harm reduction options for speed users “remain underdeveloped,” according to the report. Safe consumption sites – in the regions where they’re available – continue to focus largely on injection use, leaving out those who smoke or snort their drugs. And, free drug testing services are limited mostly to festivals and clubs.

“While this all paints a bleak picture of harm reduction worldwide, there are examples of innovation and perseverance in this report that give hope and demonstrate that progress is possible,” the report’s authors wrote. “It is important, too, to not overlook the fact that harm reduction has come a long way over the past two decades. The evidence is clearly in favour of harm reduction. It is time that more countries acknowledge this and implement the services that are proven to advance public health and uphold human rights.”

View the original article at thefix.com

27 December 2018
Illegal Marijuana Exporters Thrive In Colorado

Authorities and regulators admit that this rise in black market activity is partly a growing pain, resulting from unforeseen consequences of legalization.

The relaxed attitude about marijuana use has emboldened some growers and dealers who do business without a license.

Legalization was supposed to kill the black market for marijuana, creating avenues for official businesses that would raise some tax income for the state of Colorado. However, some dealers have chosen to stay in the black market, taking advantage of the new, relaxed attitude towards the drug to expand their illegal grow and deal operations.

“We thought that the black market would disappear,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper. “Evidently it contracted and then began to expand again, and that’s counter-intuitive, right? It is not what you would expect.”

Colorado voted to legalize the drug in 2013, reasoning that jailing citizens over a relatively harmless drug was doing more harm than good. The state allows people 21 years of age or older to buy or grow reasonable amounts of marijuana. But despite these good intentions, some have taken advantage of the new, destigmatized political climate to upgrade their operations to the point where they are “just like a corporation,” according to Bob Troyer, Colorado’s former US attorney.

These organizations also smuggle the goods outside to illegal states. Authorities have found contraband Coloradoan marijuana in more than 34 states. The pot can be traced back to huge illegal grow operations found in state parks, farmland or even inside neighborhood homes. A significant portion of the marijuana black marketeers hail from outside the United States, from places as far as Mexico, Cuba and even China.

“The thing that nobody predicted (was that) normalization, commercialization, would be a magnet for international black market activity,” explained Troyer.

Authorities and regulators admit that this rise in black market activity is partly a growing pain, resulting from unforeseen consequences of legalization.

“I think one of the mistakes that was made in Colorado and some other states is allowing for home cultivation,” said Chris Woods, who founded a marijuana grow and retail business called Terrapin Care Station. “What we’re seeing right now is a lot of clean-up from the mistakes that have been made.”

At least one regulation has been overturned and cleaned up since legalization: the 99 plant rule. Originally, the state allowed medical marijuana patients, and their caregivers, to store and grow up to 99 plants.

“I think the 99 plant thing really opened the floodgates. No other states (allowed) any numbers like that,” said DEA agent Kevin Merrill. “Outside organizations took advantage of that … If you got 10 people signed up, you effectively could have 999 plants in a residence.”

Authorities believe that as long as there is demand from illegal states, the black market will continue to grow.

View the original article at thefix.com

27 December 2018
#MyFavoriteMeds Hashtag Fights Psychiatric Medication Stigma

People who rely on medication to keep their mental health in check sometimes experience judgment from others, but this social media movement is trying to change that.

People who take pills for their mental health sometimes are chastised for pumping themselves full of unnatural chemicals in a last-ditch effort to hold themselves together.

In truth, the pills can save those who take them. It’s yet another facet of mental health stigma that needs fighting, and the Instagram hashtag #MyFavoriteMeds is doing its part by giving users the opportunity to reflect on the positive impact these medications have had on their lives.

The hashtag was started by Jen Gotch, who hosts a podcast about mental health called Jen Gotch is OK… Sometimes, after she posted a photo of a pill sitting in her open palm. Fellow podcaster Georgia Hardstark, who co-hosts My Favorite Murder, followed suit and posted a photo of her own hand full of the mental health pills she takes.

“Good morning from my crew. (Effexor & Wellbutrin) Inspired by @jengotch,” Hardstark captioned her post. “Show me yours, hashtag #myfavoritemeds (credit to @graceisgold). #hardstarking”

Fans of the MFM podcast picked up on the hashtag and the movement took off. With the hashtag taking over in an online public space, Gotch and Hardstark hope to make others who also rely on such drugs feel safe to speak about it. Otherwise, those who really need these medications may hesitate to seek out a prescription because they feel ashamed and alone.

“Taking medication for mental health has always been a normal thing amongst my family and friends, so I sometimes forget that it’s a taboo subject for so many people,” Hardstark told Bustle. “As soon as I saw Jen Gotch’s post showing her medication it hit me what a simple but powerful message it was to just say ‘I need a little help and I’m not ashamed of it.’”

The “little help” the medications provide isn’t the whole solution, but it can be a critical component of some mental health treatment plans.

“Medication is not a cure all. It’s important to have a holistic approach to your personal and mental wellness,” said Gotch. “But for those of us that suffer and are committed to doing everything we can to feel good, it is a vital part of the equation. Treating your mental illness is a major responsibility that should be approached with self awareness, emotional intelligence, knowledge, and qualified professional help.”

The #MyFavoriteMeds hashtaggers want to push the message that medications aren’t a last ditch, desperate attempt to treat mental health issues by a weak person but an equally viable treatment used in tandem with therapies and lifestyle changes.

“I think it’s important to let people know that having your shit together isn’t an easy thing, and attempting to make your life better through pharmaceuticals is something that demonstrates self-care, not weakness,” Hardstark shared. “I’ve read so many of the posts from the hashtag and it just fills me with hope, which is hard to come by these days.”

Lately, many high-profile people with platforms have spoken out about their own struggles to fight the stigma that surrounds mental health. Ellen DeGeneres recently spoke about her fight with depression on the podcast Armchair Expert. Comedian Pete Davidson also has been candid about his own issues, and rapper Lil Xan publicly shared that he was going to rehab.

View the original article at thefix.com

27 December 2018
Zac Brown Band's New Video Tackles Depression, Using Alcohol To Cope

The video chronicles the various stages of a man’s life as he struggles to cope with trauma and depression.

The holidays can be a hard time for many people struggling with depression, and now the Zac Brown Band has released a new video, “Someone I Used to Know,” to help people deal with the “Christmas blues.”

Alexander Ludwig, who played Cato in The Hunger Games, stars in the video which first shows his character in his college football glory days. The character then goes on to join the army where he suffers the traumas of the battlefield. After coming home, he works as a coal miner, drinking to cope with his troubles. While the main character often appears isolated from others during the various stages of his life, toward’s the video’s end, he comes to the realization that there are people all around him who can offer him support.

While Brown told People he doesn’t suffer from holiday depression, he’s well aware that “the holidays are a time when people feel a lot of pressure, and I think it’s good to remind everybody that it’s okay to be human.”

Brown has seen depression take down people close to him.

“I’ve lost dear friends to suicide,” he explained. “Whatever was gnawing at them, whatever was eating at them that we didn’t know and couldn’t see, it obviously felt bigger to them than asking for help and having someone else go through it with them. It made me realize, too, that I don’t want to be that person that can’t face themselves and get to the other side so that I can be well for myself and for everybody else around me.”

Brown also touched on the dissolution of his 12-year marriage.

“I’m definitely in a spot in my life where I’m trying to face things that are hard so that I can be as well and healthy as possible,” he said.”It’s not the struggles that define you; it’s the fact that you can overcome those struggles that define you. It’s what makes you who you are.”

At the end of the video, Brown tells the audience, “’Someone I Used to Know’ is a touchpoint to remind people that they don’t have to be alone in what they feel. . . . Pain and depression doesn’t discriminate. This song is me facing that part of myself of where I want to go and not where I’ve been. I would encourage people that when they feel like they have a need or they have a voice that’s telling them to face something, it’s a sign of strength to ask for help and to face the things that are really hard.”

View the original article at thefix.com

27 December 2018
Demi Lovato Sets The Record Straight About Her Recovery

“I am sober and grateful to be alive and taking care of ME…All my fans need to know is I’m working hard on myself, I’m happy and clean and I’m SO grateful for their support,” Demi Lovato tweeted.

For Demi Lovato, 2018 was a tough year. After six years of sobriety, Lovato admitted to the public in the song “Sober” that she had relapsed; then after the song’s release, the pop star suffered an overdose on July 24.

Now she’s posted a series of tweets updating the world about her progress and her need for privacy as she continues her recovery.

On December 21, the singer launched her tweetstorm by professing her love for her fans and her hatred for the tabloid press. “People will literally make up stuff to sell a story,” she tweeted. “Sickening. If I feel like the world needs to know something, I will tell them MYSELF. Otherwise people stop writing about my recovery, because it’s no one’s business but mine.”

She also implored, “I still need space and time to heal,” and that “someday I’ll tell the world what exactly happened, why it happened and what my life is like today.. but until I’m ready to share that with people please stop prying and making up shit that you know nothing about.”

Lovato added, “I am sober and grateful to be alive and taking care of ME…All my fans need to know is I’m working hard on myself, I’m happy and clean and I’m SO grateful for their support.”

As the holidays approach, Lovato concluded, “I’m so blessed I get to take this time to be with family, relax, work on my mind, body and soul and come back when I’m ready.”

Last month, it was reported that after she spent 90 days at an in-patient rehab facility, Lovato reached out to her ex-boyfriend, Wilmer Valderrama, for emotional support. She has also been spending time with a sober coach, as well as attending 12-step meetings.

Lovato has always been open about her struggles with her mental health (the singer suffers from bipolar disorder) and sobriety. After her overdose, fans created a hashtag, #HowDemiHasHelpedMe, where many shared stories of how Lovato’s music and personal troubles encouraged them to get help themselves.

As Lovato posted on social media in July, “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction. What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.”

View the original article at thefix.com

27 December 2018
4 Quick Tips for Staying Sober and Avoiding FOMO on New Year's Eve

FOMO—Fear Of Missing Out—took enough away from me in my addiction. I spent countless nights wishing I hadn’t gone out or drunk as much as I did. In sobriety, I’ve never regretted not going to the party.

If there is one thing that describes my addiction, it was the yearning for connection. Ironic, isn’t it? The thing I spent the most time striving for is the thing that I ultimately couldn’t get, even from the substances that I thought were helping me find it.

As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be popular. In 5^th grade I remember the girls who were considered “cool” inviting people to their “boy-girl” party. I patiently waited for an invitation that never came. Then in middle school, my peers started getting boyfriends and girlfriends and slow dancing at school dances, but I was never included. I did everything I could to make it seem like I should be included in these exclusive pastimes, but I never felt like I succeeded… until I started drinking.

Taking shots, chugging beer, puke and rally; these dangerous drinking habits are what ultimately gave me the street cred I needed to become part of the in crowd. Boys finally found me cool and desirable and girls wanted to be friends with me. This theme followed my entire drinking career. I evolved from a scared child with a couple friends to an outgoing woman with more friend groups than you could count. Keeping up with my new reputation was exhausting, but it’s how I lived throughout my entire time at college.

When I first heard about FOMO — Fear Of Missing Out — something in me clicked and I realized this was the feeling I always got when I couldn’t stand not being at the party. FOMO was what motivated me to drink every night from Wednesday through Sunday during college. I needed to be at every outing and party because if I wasn’t, I risked my popular, cool-girl reputation. I risked not seeing the drama or hearing the gossip. Just like the acronym-dubbed phenomenon, I was fearful I’d miss something, and I couldn’t let that happen.

Now that I’m sober, I’ve realized that so many of us former drinkers had an intimate relationship with FOMO. It’s often what drove our drinking. It can also be what drives our return to using, or our obsession with still going to the places and parties we frequented while we were in active addiction. The holidays can be an especially daunting time for FOMO. In particular, New Year’s Eve is known for lavish and booze-filled celebrations. If you’re sober and worried about FOMO creeping in this NYE, here are some tips to help you play it safe.

1. Plan something new and different. I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to make plans in sobriety. Instead of the same old drunken ball-drop open-bar nightclub or wine-infested awkward house party, you get to decide what your New Year’s plans are and they don’t have to include any of those things. You get to plan something fun, new, and exciting. You could travel to a new place, visit a zoo, volunteer at a homeless shelter, watch fireworks, or host your own alcohol-free party. The point is, the decision is yours and your plans don’t have to be anything like they were during your drinking years. Plan something new and different to look forward to. You could even invite your friends and family to your non-alcohol-centered event and avoid FOMO altogether.

2. Read up on the concept of romanticizing. Yes, I’m telling you to Google “romanticize.” This is something we occasionally do about our drinking when we’re sober. We often remember the best and more fun parts of our drinking, but not the times it made us feel horrible or our worst hangovers. I’ve also heard these rose-colored memories referred to as “euphoric recall.” It’s good to have an awareness about this extremely common tactic of our mind. Remember the truth! Just because other people are out there binge drinking or going to events with alcohol doesn’t mean you have to. Just because you used to have fun at these types of events doesn’t mean you will in sobriety. Just because society tries to tell us we need alcohol to have fun does not make it true! Trust yourself. Don’t romanticize any substances you’ve tried hard to leave behind.

3. Give yourself a pep talk. You are one smart person. You know that FOMO is a concept that begins and ends in your mind. It’s a feeling just like any other that will come and then go. If you’re struggling with drinking, I can tell you there is nothing fun to go back to. Drinking again won’t make your NYE any more memorable or special. In reality, you’re unlikely to remember most (or all) of it. You live differently now and it’s time to accept that NYE will be different and that can be a blessing. If you’re staying sober and debating going to a NYE event where the alcohol might overwhelm you, I’m here to tell you that you will not die if you don’t go to this event. Missing one event won’t change your life or the world. You can always get the lowdown from your friends who do go. I promise there’s nothing at that party that’s so wonderful it will make up for how you’ll feel if you end up drinking.

4. Imagine the future. In the scheme of the entire world, NYE is just one holiday on one day of the year. Of course, it marks the end of 365 days of your life and that’s special, but there are so many other beautiful ways to celebrate a transition of this magnitude. You could make lists and read books and write in your journal and perform a moon ritual! You could go to a yoga retreat or a sober meet-up. It’s not your fault that society has tricked us into believing New Year’s Eve is a drinking holiday where we need to have a champagne toast at midnight. But it is your responsibility to carve out a new path for yourself on NYEs to come. Imagine your future: would you be happy to give up all your hard-earned sobriety for one night? For one party? For one New Year?

A new year should symbolize growth, bettering yourself, or beginning again. Don’t let FOMO take that away from you.

FOMO took enough away from me in my addiction. I spent countless nights wishing I hadn’t gone out or drunk as much as I did. In sobriety, I’ve never regretted not going to the party. Every time I think I’m going to miss out on something, I never do. I end up doing something better or more satisfying with my time. I end up missing situations, people, and places that aren’t good for me anyway. I miss out on drama, gossip, and drinking.

This NYE ditch the FOMO and make sure you aren’t missing out on sobriety.

View the original article at thefix.com

27 December 2018