Understanding the Neuroscience of Denial in Addiction Recovery When people hear the word denial , they often assume it means lying, stubbornness, or refusing to face reality.But denial isn’t a character flaw. It’s not defiance. It’s not avoidance. Denial is a neurobiological response created by a brain that has been rewired by addiction. I know this not just as a professional in the addiction and recovery field, but because I lived it. And the more we understand the science o

Clients often tell me they feel stuck.  Stuck in their routines, stuck in their career, stuck in early recovery, stuck in relationships, or stuck in fear. I know that feeling well. I’ve lived it in both active addiction and in recovery. For some people, feeling stuck feels like failure, but it’s not failure.  It’s feedback.  It’s a signal that something internally or externally needs attention. Why We Feel Stuck 1. Fear of Change. Sometimes the misery we know feels safer than

Ever felt stuck in life ? Like no matter what you do, you just can’t move forward? I have. And while this image might come from a funny moment in a movie, feeling stuck in real life is anything but funny. When I Was Stuck in Addiction - and in Recovery For years, I was stuck. First in active alcoholism and addiction , and later in early recovery . Addiction was a misery that’s still difficult to describe, but being stuck in life and recovery was a close second. The truth is,

Halloween is the one night a year when we’re encouraged to wear masks, to hide behind a costume and play a part or pretend to be someone else. And it’s fun for a day!  For people struggling with addiction, however, wearing a mask often becomes a daily habit.  And it’s miserable.  I wore masks every day for years. The “I’m fine” mask, the “successful professional” mask, the “I’ve got my life together” mask.  On the surface, things looked pretty good. Career , nice car, nic