Working from home encourages problem drinking. Setting limits can help. Key points Working from home makes some people want to drink more, and they may do so when working at home. In-person work has its challenges for problem drinkers, but it can also provide needed structure and social support. One can make a plan to get problem drinking under control, starting with an assessment. Schedule your initial consultation Quick navigation One in eight of all full-time workers in the United States now perform their jobs entirely remotely. This is five times the pre-pandemic rate. For profe ..read more

Want to cut down on your drinking rather than stop completely? If you’re concerned about your drinking and want to cut down rather than stop completely, harm reduction may be a good option for you. Harm reduction is based on the premise that any steps taken to reduce or eliminate the harmful effects of risky behaviors such as heavy drinking are steps in the right direction. Unlike traditional approaches based on AA and the 12-step model, harm reduction does not adhere to the “all or nothing” view that  abstinence from alcohol is the one and only way to overcome a drinking problem. Instea ..read more

There is evidence that taking a short break from alcohol can yield significant benefits and initiate meaningful change, especially in people concerned about the negative impact that drinking may be having on their lives.  If you or a loved one is a heavy drinker, taking a short break from drinking can open new possibilities, including learning to drink in moderation.  Can one month without drinking really open the door to change? Sobriety sampling can open the door to permanent change. Source: A. Washton “Dry January”— voluntarily quitting alcohol for one month to start off a new ye ..read more

A widely recognized addiction psychologist and published book author, Arnold M. Washton, Ph.D., has been a pioneer in developing individualized approaches to treating addiction. As described in his most recent textbook “Treating Alcohol and Drug Problems in Psychotherapy Practice: Doing What Works”, Dr. Washton’s approach incorporates many of the best clinical practices and research-supported treatments available in the addiction field today, including those he developed over many decades of clinical practice and during the years he directed addiction research and treatment centers funded by t ..read more

Is your partner struggling with a drinking problem? Are you worried and confused about how to approach this thorny issue in a way that motivates your loved one to seek help?  Ideally, home should be our safest place, where we can be most open, most vulnerable, and most supported. Unfortunately, substance abuse undermines trust and strains relationships. Excessive drinking causes people to withdraw from close relationships while desperately trying to “hold things together” to keep the full extent of their problem hidden from view.  Your partner’s distancing and reluctance to communic ..read more

Let’s take a look at the addictive belief system. It is easy to think that a personality trait on its own leads to alcoholism and abuse, but this is not so. The problem is much deeper. The inner disease that makes us so vulnerable to addiction often originates in our belief system. Our belief system is made up of: The beliefs we hold about ourselves The beliefs we hold towards others The beliefs we hold about the world around us The addictive belief system is often the root of a “quick fix mentality.” This is the desire to find a fast solution to whatever problem is in front of you, whether ..read more

Dealing with addiction can feel overwhelming, and at times, isolating for those struggling. An addiction psychologist can play an essential role in your recovery. The addictive personality is often talked of as if it is a diagnostic tool – like noticing certain personality traits early on in an individual’s life may indicate an inclination towards alcoholism and abuse. This isn’t the case, however. The addictive personality is a popular term given to a progression of independent traits that are often present in individuals who find themselves vulnerable to addiction. The traits that make up an ..read more

The family is where we receive virtually all information about ourselves in the first couple years of life. Our beliefs about ourselves, others and the world around us grow out of the feed-back, or mirroring, that we receive from our parents. Throughout the course of development, coping strategies and emotional behavior learned during childhood can greatly influence a person’s risk of struggling with alcoholism and abuse. The single most distinguishing trait of an addiction-generating family is that it fails to meet the dependency needs of its children, not necessarily by outright neglect and ..read more

Emotional intelligence refers to the way we understand our own feelings and the feeling of others. Learning to identify your own emotions is an important part of your recovery. Boosting your emotional intellect can help you achieve more fulfilling relationships as well as help you recover from substance abuse, and boost your overall success. The role of emotional intelligence in addiction recovery The start of many addictions originate in an attempt to avoid or cope with painful feelings. Building your emotional intelligence is key to avoiding relapse and staying free from addiction long term ..read more

The addictive personality doesn’t just spontaneously develop. Certain experiences that a person may experience as a child will set them up for addiction later in life. By introducing and reinforcing addictive beliefs, the environment a child grows up in will influence their way of interacting with the world around them. Without the interruption of addiction-generating family patterns, we as a society are destined to pass addiction problems on to the next generation. As parents who struggle with addiction pass their behaviors on to their children, the addictive cycle becomes challenging to brea ..read more