Leslie Glass's Blog, page 283

“Russian Doll”: Existential Recovery

From Psychology Today:

Actress Natasha Lyonne describes the recovery process as an existential journey of lived experience in place of therapy.

Russian Doll, the acclaimed Netflix comedy-drama built around Natasha Lyonne, tackles loss, trauma, self-destruction, and addiction. But most importantly, it portrays recovery as an existential journey involving self-discovery, human connection, and purpose.

The inimitable Natasha Lyonne was previously seen as Nicky, a heroin-addicted prisoner in Orange Is the New Black. In collaboration with Leslye Headland (writer) and Amy Poehler (producer), she has now created a role that more fully mirrors her own journey. Lyonne was addicted to heroin in her 20s and had open-heart surgery for a resulting heart infection. Well beyond that part of her life now, at 39, she brilliantly depicts a recovery process in Russian Doll.

Playing Doll‘s protagonist, the wisecracking, brilliant, alienated, Russian-Jewish Nadia isn’t foreign territory for Lyonne. For example, while Nadia was taken as a young girl from her mother, Lyonne lived independently of her Orthodox Jewish parents from the age of 16. Both Nadia and Lyonne developed strengths and vulnerabilities in the absence of a parental tie.

Doll isn’t specifically about addiction—even though Nadia consumes many drugs, drinks heavily and is addicted to cigarettes. Nor is it about recovery; Nadia doesn’t announce that she’s addicted, enter rehab (which Lyonne herself did), or abstain from everything. Instead, after repeatedly dying, each time due to self-inflicted traumas, she seeks a path to affirm life.

Rachel Syme describes this cyclical, existential process in The NewRepublic:

With every death scene, Lyonne peels back another layer to show us a new trick. After months of dying, Nadia finally wants to live. She wants more joy, more pain, more music, more dancing. To say her desire was hard-earned is an understatement.

Having once been addicted is an experience that can add value to life, as Nadia illustrates through the twists in her tale as she ripens her personal pain into a valuable, worthwhile existence. Lyonne may have done something similar, as suggested by Joy Press in a Vanity Fair piece, titled, “Natasha Lyonne Can’t Stop Living.”

Lyonne has a way of making everyday life feel like a tremendous, defiant adventure. A larger-than-life personality, she wields wit like it’s an Olympic sport, and exudes a sense of hard-earned wisdom. I wouldn’t describe her as someone “at peace” so much as a person O.K. with where she stands.

Notice how the phrase “hard-earned” pops up with both fictional Nadia and real-life Natasha.

There is therapy in Doll, as practiced by Nadia’s surrogate mother, Ruth (played by Elizabeth Ashley—whose hoarseness also suggests a hard-lived life). Ruth administers Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy as a way of unlearning trauma. But Ruth never administers this therapy to foster daughter Nadia. And she downplays its consequence to a client; when she releases the man into the street, she instructs him to convert what he has learned into actual life changes.

The series uncovers Nadia’s trauma, seen through a little girl’s eyes, in the form of her mother’s mental health problems that caused Nadia to be taken from her. Nadia’s problem wasn’t an event, but the absence of a fundamental relationship in a child’s life, which Ruth jumped in to fill. Once again, in place of therapy, we find lived experience to be the greatest life asset and therapeutic tool.

Nadia also spends some time tracking down the drug she takes at a party—supposedly an “Israeli joint” (marijuana laced with cocaine)—to explain her condition. She discovers the additive wasn’t cocaine but rather the hallucinogen ketamine. She is forced to abandon her search for drug causality, however, when her friend points out that they had taken ketamine together before. Besides, no one else at the party who consumed the drug went down her existential rabbit hole.

Nadia constantly returns after dying to the bathroom of an apartment filled with “friends” with whom she is celebrating her 36th birthday. But she doesn’t seem to care about any of them, other than a polysexual female couple to whom she is closest. Nadia lives alone—except for her missing cat, who has seemingly abandoned her. Yet she interacts with many people in meaningful ways, including a resident of Tomkins Square Park who cuts her hair and whom she provides with shoes, and a helpful, concerned all-night deli-grocery store owner.

It is in this deli that Nadia finds her alter ego, a co-sufferer in her life-and-death-and-life syndrome, Alan (Charlie Burnett). Alan is also undergoing a life crisis stemming from loss, a loss that resulted from his own rigidity and personal limitations. Their shared experience is, understandably, a strong bond between the two existential Argonauts.

Thus Nadia and Alan help one another. They cure themselves when they reverse their tendency to ignore other people’s pain and misery (including each other’s when they first unknowingly met). Their two-person support group involves each performing acts of unsolicited kindness for strangers.

And when they emerge at the end, their cure is not centered on happiness.

“You promise if I don’t jump, I’ll be happy?” Alan asks.

“No, man,” Nadia says. “Absolutely not. But I can promise you won’t be alone.”

Lyonne is indebted and interlinked to many people, starting with series co-creators Headland and Poehler. But in her own words, she shares her deepest intimacy with Chloë Sevigny, who plays her deranged mother:

Chloë is my closest person in life, and there was really only one person that it felt like it was safe to entrust that role to. Probably the most incredible moment for me was walking home with my little director’s binder in the East Village and watching the sun begin to rise. And I’m like, this is a very different kind of sunrise than what I’ve experienced historically at this hour. This was the good guy’s version of that, and it was deep stuff. Chloë and I had walked those streets so many times, and now it was this world that we had built.

It seems that the world, including the East Village, where the series is set, is more rewarding when walked with control, connection and purpose. Thus, Lyonne and “Russian Doll” portray the essence of recovery.

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How To Be Happy: 9 Ways To Find More Bliss In Life

From Today:

“After much consideration, I believe that the purpose of life is to find happiness,” the Dalai Lama wrote in “The Book of Joy,” his volume with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

“From the very core of our being, we simply desire joy and contentment. But so often, these feelings are fleeting and hard to find.”

An entire industry wants to teach you how to make those feelings last. There are classes and even the Journal of Happiness Studies to put an academic spin on the findings.

But all this intense pressure to be happy has spawned a backlash, with books such as “America the Anxious: How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks” now competing for your attention.

Remember, you do really have some power to reach bliss: Genes determine 50 percent of your happiness, while circumstances account for 10 percent. That leaves 40 percent up to you, studies have shown.

Here are nine tips to get you started:

1. FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIPS

If you had to name one key to happiness, it would be relationships, said Gretchen Rubin, author of “The Happiness Project.” That means romantic relationships, friendships, close ties with siblings and colleagues —any meaningful and deep bonds with people you like.

“If you’re thinking about how to be happier, thinking about how to deepen or broaden your relationships is probably a really good place to start,” Rubin said.

“We need to have enduring, intimate relationships. We need to be able to confide. We need to feel like we belong.”

2. DON’T FALL FOR THE TRAP OF THINKING “I WILL BE HAPPY WHEN…”

You may think you’ll finally find bliss when you get married or get a promotion or win the lottery. But events you think will make you happy often don’t.

“People think it’s going to be perfect as soon as this ‘thing’ happens, but no. It has a very short-term effect,” said Catherine Sanderson, a psychology professor at Amherst College. “One of the challenges is that we just adapt to it.”

3. DON’T LOOK TO MONEY FOR HAPPINESS

Once you make $75,000 a year, money doesn’t have much of an effect on your contentment, one study found.

Here’s what the Dalai Lama said in “The Book of Joy”:

“The ultimate source of happiness is within us. Not money, not power, not status. Some of my friends are billionaires, but they are very unhappy people. Power and money fail to bring inner peace. Outward attainment will not bring real inner joyfulness. We must look inside.”

4. BE AUTHENTIC

To add more joy to your life, know yourself. Take the Saturday morning test, recommended Neil Pasricha, director of The Institute for Global Happiness.

What do you like to do on a Saturday morning when you don’t have to do anything? Cook? Play guitar? Work out? The answer reveals what your natural passions are. Boost your happiness by incorporating more of these activities into your life and work.

5. DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEBODY ELSE AND TALK WITH OTHERS

People who engage in random acts of kindness boost their well-being. That includes small gestures and bigger ones, like donating money to charity, said Yale University professor Laurie Santos, who teaches “Psychology and the Good Life,” the most popular class in the history of Yale College.

One of Santos’ favorite studies found people who spent money on others reported greater happiness, with such generosity bestowing a “warm glow” on the givers.

Another favorite study discovered that a simple act of connecting with a stranger — talking to somebody on a train or a plane, for example — can boost your mood. We underestimate other people’s interest in connecting, but such simple exchanges can be happy for everyone involved.

6. KEEP WORKING

Work is often the place where people are the unhappiest, so this is not about staying in a job you hate. But fulfilling, meaningful, challenging work is an important part of happiness because it provides structure and a sense of purpose, Pasricha said.

“We don’t actually want to do nothing; we just want to do something we love,” he noted.

Residents of Okinawa, Japan — one of the world’s “Blue Zones” where people live extraordinarily long lives — don’t have a word for retirement. Rather, they use “ikigai” — which translates as “the reason you get out of bed in the morning.” Work — including volunteering — often satisfies that for us, Pasricha said.

7. MOVE TO A HAPPY PLACE

Hawaii has once again topped the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index of the healthiest and happiest states in the nation. Residents there enjoy warm relationships, like what they do each day, love their surroundings and are inspired to treat their bodies right.

When it comes to the happiest cities, frequent winners include Naples, Florida; Boulder, Colorado; and Provo, Utah.

8. SEEK MEANING IN YOUR LIFE

What makes life truly worth living is meaning, said Emily Esfahani Smith, author of “The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters.”

Meaning often comes from doing hard things — like raising children or starting a business — that can give you a deep sense of satisfaction over time. Look for ways to connect with people and find your purpose. Cherish moments that lift you above the hustle and bustle of daily life, like going to church, a museum or a garden.

9. TAKE WALKS OUTSIDE

Going into nature changes how your brain works: It reduces stress levels and boosts well-being, said David Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah. It’s the philosophy behind forest therapy.

When you’re enjoying nature, the parts of the brain associated with being mindful become more active. There’s also the exercise component, which has positive effects on mood.

“If you can manage to get yourself to a park, place to walk, jog, just enjoy, be in nature and leave the phone behind for 30 minutes,” Strayer said.

The post How To Be Happy: 9 Ways To Find More Bliss In Life appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

Wendy Williams’ Husband Talks Sober-House Revelation: Recovery ‘Is A Family Process’

From USA Today:

Fresh off the revelation that talk-show host Wendy Williams is currently living in a sober house, her husband, Kevin Hunter, gave an encouraging update. 

“Wendy is doing well,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “We’re doing well as a family. We are moving forward with working on her sobriety and doing the work to help others, not just ourselves. It is a family process. Anybody that has to deal with this knows this a family process… and we are dealing with it and moving forward.”

During Tuesday’s episode of “The Wendy Williams Show,” the TV personality told her viewers that she is currently living in a sober treatment house while seeking treatment for addiction. 

The 54-year-old, who has previously discussed her struggles with cocaine with her audience, said that her day ends with her being “driven by my 24-hour sober coach back to a home that I live in the tri-state with a bunch of smelly boys who have become my family.”

She said that after she leaves the studio and works out, she attends meetings with other people in recovery. I see my brothers and sisters caught up in their addiction and looking for help,” she said. “They don’t know I’m Wendy, they don’t care I’m Wendy.”

Williams, who suffers from the autoimmune disorder Graves’ disease, recently returned to her show after she took two months away from TV in an attempt to stabilize her hyperactive thyroid. 

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Team Sports Positive Change In Children’s Brains

From Science Daily Adult depression has long been associated with shrinkage of the hippocampus, a brain region that plays an important role in memory and response to stress. Now, new research has linked participation in team sports to larger hippocampal volumes in children and less depression in boys ages 9 to 11.

Children playing soccer indoors.
Credit: © Sergey Ryzhov / Fotolia


“Our findings are important because they help illuminate the relationships between involvement in sports, volume of a particular brain region and depressive symptoms in kids as young as nine,” said Lisa Gorham, lead author of the study and a senior majoring in cognitive neuroscience in Arts & Sciences.

“We found that involvement in sports, but not non-sport activities such as music or art, is related to greater hippocampal volume in both boys and girls, and is related to reduced depression in boys,” Gorham said.

These relationships were particularly strong for children participating in sports that involved structure, such as a school team, a non-school league or regular lessons, as compared to more informal engagement in sports, according to the study, which is forthcoming in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.

The findings raise the intriguing possibility that there is some added benefit of the team or structured component of sports, such as the social interaction or the regularity that these activities provide, said Deanna Barch, senior author on the study, chair of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences and the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The study is based on a nationwide sample of 4,191 children ages 9-11 years from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study. Parents provided information on their child’s participation in sports and other activities and on depressive symptoms. Brain scans of the children provided data on their bilateral hippocampal volume.

Additional co-authors include Terry Jernigan, a neuropsychologist at University of California, San Diego; and Jim Hudziak, chief of child psychiatry at the University of Vermont.

While other studies have shown the positive impact of exercise on depression and the link with hippocampal volume in adults, this study is among the first to show that participation in team sports may have similar anti-depressant effects in preteen children.

Learn more about Gorham

Lisa Gorham, captain of the Washington University in St. Louis cross-country, track and indoor track teams, had personal experience to drive her research interest.

The results indicated that there was an association between sports involvement and hippocampal volume in girls, but unlike boys, no additional association with depression. This might mean that different factors contribute to depression in girls, or that a stronger association to sports involvement might emerge at a later developmental period for girls.

It’s important to note, wrote Barch and Gorham, that these results are correlational, not causational. It could be that participating in sports leads to increased hippocampal volume and decreased depression, or it could be that children who are more depressed are less likely to engage in sports and also have smaller hippocampal volume. Either scenario could have important implications for understanding childhood depression.

“The fact that these relationships were strongest for team or structured sports suggests that there might be something about the combination of exercise and the social support or structure that comes from being on a team that can be useful at preventing or treating depression in young people,” Gorham said. “The findings raise intriguing possibilities for new work on preventing and treating depression in children.”

Confirming the impact of team sports on brain development and mood would provide strong support for encouraging children to participate in structured sports that provide both exercise and social interaction.

“These interesting results provide important clues as to how exercise benefits mood in children and reveals the important role that gender plays in these effects,” said Cameron Carter, MD, editor of Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimagingand professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of California, Davis.

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Materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Why Don’t Antidepressants Work For Everyone

From Science Daily Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed medication for major depressive disorder (MDD), yet scientists still do not understand why the treatment does not work in nearly thirty percent of patients with MDD. Now, researchers have discovered differences in growth patterns of neurons of SSRI-resistant patients. The work has implications for depression as well as other psychiatric conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia that likely also involve abnormalities of the serotonin system in the brain.

These are human serotonergic neuron projections (red) and cell bodies (green).
Credit: Salk Institute

“With each new study, we move closer to a fuller understanding of the complex neural circuitry underlying neuropsychiatric diseases, including major depression,” says Salk Professor Rusty Gage, the study’s senior author, president of the Institute, and the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disease. “This paper, along with another we recently published, not only provides insights into this common treatment, but also suggests that other drugs, such as serotonergic antagonists, could be additional options for some patients.”

The cause of depression is still unknown, but scientists believe the disease is partly linked to the serotonergic circuit in the brain. This is largely because SSRIs, which increase levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin at neuron connections, help alleviate the symptoms of many people diagnosed with depression. Yet, the mechanism of why some people respond to SSRIs, while others do not, remains a mystery. Unraveling the puzzle of SSRI resistance has been challenging because it requires studying the 300,000 neurons that use the neurotransmitter serotonin for communication within a brain of 100 billion total neurons. One way scientists have recently overcome this obstacle is to generate these serotonergic neurons in the lab.

The team’s previous paper in Molecular Psychiatry showed that SSRI non-responders had increased receptors for serotonin, which made the neurons hyperactive in response to serotonin. The current paper wanted to examine SSRI non-responders from a different angle.

“We wanted to know if serotonin biochemistry, gene expression and circuitry were altered in SSRI non-responders compared to responders using serotonergic neurons derived from MDD patients,” says Krishna Vadodaria, a Salk staff scientist and first author of the new paper. “Using neurons derived from actual MDD patients provides a novel representation of how SSRI responders compare to non-responders.”

From a large-scale clinical study of 800 MDD patients, the researchers selected the most extreme cases of SSRI response — patients who drastically improved when taking SSRIs, and patients who saw no effect. The team took skin samples from these patients and reprogrammed the cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in order to create serotonergic neurons that they could study.

The scientists examined serotonin targets in patient serotonergic neurons, including the enzyme that makes serotonin, the protein that transports it, and the enzyme that breaks it down, but found no differences in biochemistry interactions between groups. Instead, the researchers observed a difference in how the neurons responded based on their shape.

Neurons from SSRI non-responders had longer neuron projections than responders. Gene analysis revealed that the SSRI non-responders also had low levels of key genes (protocadherins PCDHA6 and PCDHA8) involved in forming neuronal circuits. When these genes were made non-functional in serotonergic neurons (mimicking the low gene levels previously observed), the neurons developed the same unusually long projections in the SSRI non-responders. These abnormal features could lead to too much neuronal communication in some areas of the brain and not enough in other parts, altering communication within the serotonergic circuitry and explaining why SSRIs do not always work to treat MDD.

“These results contribute to a new way of examining, understanding, and addressing depression,” says Gage.

The next step is to examine the protocadherin genes to better understand the genetics of SSRI non-responders.

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Materials provided by Salk Institute. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Teens Who Seek Solitude May Know What’s Best For Them

From Medical Express:

Teens who choose to spend time alone may know what’s best for them, according to new research that suggests solitude isn’t a red flag for isolation or depression.

The key factor is choice, say researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Wilmington College: When solitude is imposed on adolescents and young adults, whether as punishment or as a result of social anxiety, it can be problematic. But chosen solitude contributes to personal growth and self-acceptance, they found.

“Solitude has gotten a lot of bad press, especially for adolescents who get labeled as social misfits or lonely,” said Margarita Azmitia, professor of psychology at UC Santa Cruz and coauthor of a new paper in the Journal of Adolescence. “Sometimes, solitude is good. Developmentally, learning to be alone is a skill, and it can be refreshing and restorative.”

Most previous studies confounded solitude with loneliness or shyness, said Azmitia. “There’s a stigma for kids who spend time alone. They’re considered lacking in social skills, or they get labeled ‘loners,’ ” she said. “It’s beneficial to know when you need to be alone and when you need to be with others. This study quantifies the benefits of solitude and distinguishes it from the costs of loneliness or isolation.”

Virginia Thomas (Ph.D., ’17, psychology), assistant professor of psychology at Wilmington College, spearheaded the research as a graduate student in Azmitia’s lab, where she developed a specialization in the role of solitude in identity development and emotional wellbeing.

When adolescents and young adults choose to spend time alone, solitude can provide an opportunity for self-reflection, creative expression, or spiritual renewal. But it can be challenging when it is imposed on them—when they opt out of social engagement because they lack friends, feel awkward, experience social anxiety, or are being punished, said Thomas.

To distinguish between these motivations, Thomas and Azmitia developed a 14-item survey that asked respondents to rate their motivations for solitude on a four-point scale, posing questions like, “I feel energized when I spend time by myself,” and “I enjoy the quiet,” versus “I feel uncomfortable when I’m with others,” and “I regret things I say or do when I’m with others.”

“We got clear results that are pretty reliable indicators of adaptive versus maladaptive solitude,” said Thomas. Those who seek solitude because they feel rejected or want to retreat into isolation are at greater risk of social anxiety, loneliness, and depression, and they tend to have lower levels of identity development, autonomy, and positive relationships with others. In contrast, those who seek solitude for positive reasons, such as self-reflection or a desire for peace and quiet, face none of these risks.

Today’s fast-paced, device-driven culture emphasizes being connected to friends and associates 24/7, and young peoplehave little practice learning to manage their time alone productively. Imposed solitude is more problematic for adolescents, who often worry about being rejected by their peers or friends or fear that being alone means they are unpopular. However, the capacity for solitude blossoms in young adults, the researchers found.

“These results increase our awareness that being alone can be restorative and a positive thing,” said Thomas. “The question is how to be alone without feeling like we’re missing out. For many people, solitude is like exercising a muscle they’ve never used. You have to develop it, flex it, and learn to use time alone to your benefit.”

Solitude serves the same positive functions in introverts and extroverts. “Introverts just need more of it,” noted Thomas.

“Our culture is pretty biased toward extroversion,” she said. “When we see any sign of shyness or introversion in children, we worry they won’t be popular. But we overlook plenty of well-adjusted teens and young adults who are perfectly happy when alone, and who benefit from their solitude.”

Both researchers encouraged parents to appreciate the benefits of solitude for their children. “Parents can help their children understand that being alone isn’t bad. It doesn’t mean nobody likes you,” said Azmitia. “Solitude can improve the wellbeing of kids who are overstimulated. They can learn to regulate their behavior, on their own, without being told to.”

“We need to build our cultural understanding that we don’t have to be social all the time,” said Azmitia. “Sometimes alone time is good time.”

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Demi Lovato On What Should’ve Been 7 Years Sober

From Aynslee Darmon @ ET: The Grammy-nominated singer, 26, would have celebrated seven years of sobriety last Friday but instead, she looked back on her relapse.

In emotional Instagram posts, Lovato details her own “mistakes” while speaking out to those who are suffering from addiction.

“Today I would’ve had 7 years sober,” she wrote to her Instagram story. “I don’t regret going out because I needed to make those mistakes but I must never forget that’s exactly what they were: mistakes.”

She continued, “Grateful that AA/NA never shuts the door on you no matter how many times you have to start your time over. I didn’t lose 6 years; I’ll always have that experience but now I just get to add to that time with a new journey and time count.

In her last post, she spoke directly with those currently suffering, telling them they are not alone. “If you’ve relapsed and are afraid to get help again, just know it’s possible to take that step towards recovery,” Lovato wrote. “If you’re alive today, you can make it back. You’re worth it.”

Last July, Lovato suffered an apparent overdose at her home in Los Angeles. After being hospitalized for more than a week, Lovato entered treatment at an in-patient facility.

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What Are Signs Of Meth Addiction?

From Gianna Rose @ Livestrong: Meth, or methamphetamine, is a potent and highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that is made in clandestine laboratories. It can be snorted, orally ingested, smoked or injected. Meth abuse has disastrous psychological, social and medical consequences, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Meth use causes physical and behavioral signs that may identify an abuser.

Signs Of Intoxication

Signs of methamphetamine intoxication result from its effects as a powerful stimulant. Increased activity, insomnia, lack of appetite, excited or agitated behavior and incessant talking are common, according to The Partnership for a Drug Free America. The user may sweat heavily, scratch or pick at the skin and shake or twitch. Meth causes the pupils to dilate. The user may participate in dangerous activities due to a false sense of confidence and a loss of inhibitions. Long periods of wakefulness lasting from 24 to as long as 120 hours can result from meth use.

Behavioral Signs

A meth abuser usually withdraws from family, friends and normal activities. They may sleep excessively, and exhibit severe depression and extreme moodiness during the “crash” after the drug wears off. Sleep can last from 24 to 48 hours. Commonly, a carelessness about appearance and hygiene will develop. Secretive and deceitful behavior may be noted, and the meth user may have different friends.

Signs Of Ongoing Meth Abuse

Meth abusers lose weight rapidly and eventually become gaunt and malnourished. Severe dental problems occur rapidly. The extensive tooth decay common with meth abuse is called “meth mouth,” and often the teeth must be extracted. Dry mouth from the drug, long periods of poor oral hygiene, cravings for carbonated, sugary drinks and clenching the jaw lead to rotted, black and crumbling teeth, according to the American Dental Association. Scabs and sores on the face and arms are common, due to scratching and picking at the skin caused by the feeling that bugs are crawling below the surface. Chronic meth abuse can result in putrid body odor, memory loss, depression, hallucinations, and violent and aggressive behavior.

Presence Of Chemicals Or Paraphernalia

The presence of drug paraphernalia can indicate meth abuse. Straws, rolled-up money, mirrors or pieces of glass, and razor blades are signs of snorting the drug. Burned spoons, surgical tubing, and needles and syringes indicate intravenous use. Some meth abusers will also make the drug. Meth is made from common items, some of which are very toxic. Signs of manufacturing meth include cold and allergy medicines that containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, ammonia, starter fluid, de-icer, drain cleaner, rubbing alcohol and lithium batteries, explains Purdue University. Strong odors of ammonia, ether or acetone may be noted.

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9 Reasons Why Quitting Is The Start Of Something Great

From Michelle Breitstein @ Thrive Global: As an addict who’s chosen to get sober, you’re about to face many great changes in your life. Check out what you get to look forward to.

When you’re in early addiction recovery you’ll find yourself struggling to imagine what life is going to be like without your addiction in it. Being newly sober is bound to be an awkward time for you. However, it’s important to remember that this is incredibly rewarding too. The Cabin wants you to know that you can’t even imagine the benefits you’re about to reap, but here they are so you know what you can look forward to.

1. You’ll See Your Health Improve

When you’re wrapped up in the throes of your addiction, everything else goes to the wayside – food, sleep, self-care, everything. This is why so many addicts suffer from things like high blood pressure, cancer, and many other serious health ailments. Your addiction is damaging your body. Once you choose to live a sober lifestyle, you’ll stop putting a heavy strain on your body, which will also improve your overall health.

2. Your Finances Will Grow Stronger

Most addicts will find themselves spending an insane amount of money on their addiction. Even if you don’t indulge in nights out, you’ll still find that the cumulative total you’ve spent on your addiction is huge. Once you regain your sobriety, you’ll have all this money leftover to spend on other, more meaningful things like decorating your home, learning a new skill that you’ve always wanted to learn, or saving up for a dream vacation. If your credit score suffered due to your addiction, you can even begin to get that back in order. The Stop Drinking Expert says there’s so much you can do with all the money you now have available to you.

3. Your Personal Relationships Will Be Repaired

Once you’re sober, you’ll notice how empty and void some of your relationships have been because you can no evaluate them based on their input into your life. As you do so you’ll find yourself focusing on having more fulfilling relationships with people who have similar interests to yours. Even your relationship with your spouse will grow more intimate. All this will help you grow more positive, have more energy, and be more willing to help others. When people see this, those who are no longer in your life may decide they want you back in their life.

4. You’ll Look And Feel Better Than Before

Whether you’re addicted to drugs or alcohol, they’ll make you look older. Once you end your addiction, you’ll find that your skin remains moist, your hair looks full, and if you start working out, you’ll even regain some muscle tone. Additionally, you’ll start to sleep better, which means you’ll wake up feeling refreshed and without those dark circles under your eyes. People around you may even tell you that you look younger. All this will help you feel better, more confident, and proud of who you are.

5. You’ll Lose Weight

Addictions have a way of accelerating unhealthy weight gain. When you’re sober and choose healthy foods, you’ll be in control of your weight once again and it’ll feel great to gain good weight and shed unwanted weight. Taking up outdoor activities (e.g. hiking) will also help you with your weight. All this is important because it minimizes your risk of developing weight-related health issues in the future.

6. You’ll Make Better Decisions

The after-effects of your addiction are probably unflattering. This will stop when you become sober because you’ll have a clear mind to use in making decisions. Now you can fully live in the moment and choose the best future for yourself and your loved ones. You’ll also feel calmer as you carry out your long-term goals. Of course, it’ll also feel great not having to worry about what you can’t remember from the night before when you heavily indulged in your addiction.

7. You’ll Have More Time To Grow And Become A Better Person

While indulging in your addiction you probably ignored some other important areas of your life. However, when you’re sober, you’ll have time to recreate yourself. The day you become sober you get to start this journey and you can look forward to having a better version of yourself in the future.

When you’re sober you have more time to enjoy hobbies that genuinely fulfill you and give you a sense of purpose. You can also take care of your deeper needs instead of only being concerned about your immediate needs – most of which are destructive anyway.

As this change happens, you’ll notice your perspective will settle down. Many people around you will take notice and be inspired by you too.

8. Your Mind Will Be Clear

Once you start living sober, you’ll attain a new level of mental awareness. This is because your addiction no longer clouds your judgment since you’re no longer consumed by chasing after it. Now that you’re sober, you’ll realize how unimportant your addiction is and this will bring about a sense of mental peace – especially now that you can wake up remembering what you did the day before. A clear mind will also help you reach your goals in life that you laid aside as you chased after your addiction.

9. You’ll Be More Productive

Without your addiction clouding your way you’ll be more focused on obtaining real success. This means you can obtain positive results in every area of your life – even your job. This is because you’re now capable of giving 100% without over-extending yourself. In doing so you’ll see your results improve and you’ll feel like your work is more meaningful – not just a means to an end.

Final Thoughts

Initially, you’ll find that sober living is a real challenge for you. Every minute, if not every second, you must choose to remain sober. However, you’ll come to see that sober living is the best choice you’ve made in your entire lifetime. This occurs when you start to see your best self shining through. It is then that you’ll start cherishing the little things and the little moments in life. When you do, you’ll realize that sobriety is well worth all the time and effort you put forth towards making it yours.

The post 9 Reasons Why Quitting Is The Start Of Something Great appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

How Do I Heal From Narcissistic Abuse?

From Elinor Greenberg, Ph.D. @ Psychology Today: I am often asked some version of the following question by people who are newly out of an abusive relationship with a Narcissist. They say:

My ex treated me miserably. By the time they kicked me to the curb, I was a total mess. I had lost my self-esteem and most of my self-confidence. It took me weeks to stop crying. I am in therapy and finally able to function again. Clearly, I know that I am better off without this relationship, but I still fantasize about my ex every day and wish that we could be together. Why can’t I just forget this person and move on?

One of the ways to understand what is going on here is to realize that our minds and our hearts sometimes travel on separate tracks. The key to healing is having them communicate with each other.

Your heart says: I love this person.

Your mind says: It is over. They abused you. You need to get far away and never go back.

This back and forth dialogue can go on for a long time without being resolved. These are two entirely different views of the same situation. One view is focused on how good it felt when things were going well and the other is focused on the reality of how everything actually turned out. You do not have to passively wait until something happens to breaks this stalemate. There are things that you can do to speed up your healing and end this emotionally destructive push/pull.

Note: I am using the terms “Narcissist” and “Narcissistic” in this article as shorthand for the much longer phrase: a person who has made a Narcissistic adaptation to a childhood situation and who now manifests a pattern of responses that is generally called a Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Challenge your False Beliefs

Here is a 4 part exercise that can speed up the process of healing:

First, write down all your beliefs about your relationship with your Narcissistic ex that interfere with you moving on and looking for someone new to love.

Here is my client Laura’s list:

It was my fault he behaved so badly to me.
I could have done something that would have made the situation work.
He is treating his next love better than me because the new person is better than me.
I will never find anyone again that will make me feel as good and as special.

The above list is “heart based.” The emotional side of Laura longs for what she once had with her ex when things were at its lovely peak. This side of Laura does not want to face the pain of acknowledging her current reality– that she will never have everlasting love and a perfect future with this man.

The idea that absolutely nothing can be salvaged from this relationship except wisdom is too painful for Laura to face head on. Instead, she is trying to persuade her more logical self that there still might be a way to make this relationship work if she got to do it-over again.

“Hang on,” her heart says, “You might still be able to get your ex back and this time you can make it work.” Unfortunately, this is also the heart of someone who is taking more than their share of the blame for the failure of the relationship.

Second, who in your childhood encouraged you to take all the blame?

Most of my clients who tend to take more than their share of the blame for their breakups had a parent who blamed them inappropriately. It can help to realize that part of what is keeping you from seeing the current breakup situation realistically is that it is a repeat of a recurring childhood situation.

Ask yourself: Who in my childhood always blamed me when something went wrong?

Example—My client Laura was raised by a Narcissistic mother who continually blamed her for virtually everything. If the milk in the refrigerator went sour, she was told: You must have left it out. When her mother got angry and yelled at Laura on the street, she heard: It’s your fault that I lost my temper! If you hadn’t been so disrespectful, I wouldn’t have had to yell at you in public.

Third, what do you get out of protecting your abusive ex and blaming yourself instead?

We not only blame ourselves out of habit and because of our history, but also because it serves some hidden psychological purpose. In order to move on, It helps to recognize what you are getting out of protecting your ex and putting all the blame on yourself.

This was a hard question for Laura to answer. She finally said:

If it was my fault, I can make it better. I loved the way he made me feel in the beginning. He kept telling me how special I was and that I was so beautiful! That is hard for me to let go of. No other man ever made me feel so confident. If I accept that he is a Narcissist and nothing I do can solve his problems, I have to give up on ever getting him back the way it was before. I realize that whenever I think about him, I only picture him the way he was in the beginning, not when he was abusing me.

Fourth, write down a true statement next to each belief in Part 1. Make sure it is what your mind tells you is true (even though your heart does not want to believe it).

Here is Laura’s new list:

It is not my fault that he was abusive. He has a history of being abusive to women.
There was nothing I could have done that would have changed the outcome.’
He only treats women well in the beginning of the relationship when he wants to seal the deal.
He will eventually abuse the new woman too.
There are lots of men who will find me attractive and special in a normal way that does not change into its opposite.

Whenever you find yourself missing your ex or blaming yourself, reread Part 4 over again.

Punchline: It can be very hard to heal from Narcissistic abuse because we tend to only focus on the good parts. We tell ourselves that we could have done something differently and we imagine that our ex will be giving someone new the perfect, everlasting love that we crave. It takes repeated cold doses of reality to counteract our fantasy that we lost something fantastic and irreplaceable.

The post How Do I Heal From Narcissistic Abuse? appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.