Tag: Mental Health

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How to Stop Shopping Addiction

What may start as harmless shopping can turn dangerous when it becomes compulsive spending. If your shopping feels out of control and you’re spending excessive amounts on clothes, gadgets, makeup, or other items, shopping addiction can be just as damaging as drug addiction.

By understanding shopping addiction and its treatment you can learn how to manage your purchasing decisions and well-being.

Understanding Shopping Addiction

Shopping addiction, also called compulsive buying disorder, involves excessive buying behavior that leads to distress or impairment1. An individual with compulsive buying disorder is unable to control their thoughts and actions around spending, and feels relieved after a purchase. 

Shopping addiction often co-occurs with other behavioral health conditions involving impulse control, particularly mood and anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and eating disorders. Compulsive shopping tends to run in families, especially those with mood and substance use disorders.

When spending becomes compulsive, other life facets suffer because of the energy spent on purchasing. Pre-spending anxiety can govern a person’s entire life, only to be relieved by a purchase. The individual can neglect their personal relationships, health, and employment to shop, and they can also be in serious financial trouble. 

Signs and Symptoms of Shopping Addiction

Shopping addiction usually has 4 phases: 1) Anticipation; 2) Preparation; 3) Shopping; and 4) Spending1. Phase 1 includes thoughts and urges with a specific item or spending. In the second phase, the person prepares for shopping and spending, including decisions on when and where to go, on how to dress, and which form of payment to use. Phase 3 involves the actual shopping experience, which is intensely exciting and can even lead to sexual arousal2. Finally, the item is purchased, often followed by disappointment with oneself.

As this cycle repeats, loved ones may notice shifts in behavior and mood that make the shopping addiction apparent. Spotting these signs within oneself or another can help prevent further damage.

Behavioral Signs

You may notice a change in someone’s behaviors as compulsive buying disorder takes hold. Signs include

  • Frequent shopping sprees
  • Impulse buying 
  • Financial struggles due to excessive spending
  • Hiding purchases
  • Chasing sales and deals
  • Accumulating unused items
  • Often returning items (due to buyers remorse)

Emotional Symptoms

A person with compulsive buying disorder will cycle through different emotions1 as they move through the 4 phases.

  • Anticipatory signs of compulsive purchases include
    • Depression 
    • Anxiety  
    • Boredom  
    • Self-critical thoughts 
    • Anger 
  • Immediate consequential emotions after spending include
    • Euphoria 
    • Relief from negative feelings
  • Emotions following the purchase after the initial euphoria fades include
    • Guilt
    • Shame
    • Low self-esteem
    • Emotional numbness

Financial Consequences

A shopping addiction can cause severe financial consequences that impact both the individual and their loved ones. The person often collects debt from maxed-out credit cards and personal loans, which is accompanied by additional fees, higher interest rates, and a damaged credit score. 

As the addiction progresses, they may be unable to pay essential bills, such as rent, utilities, groceries, or medical expenses, leading to unpaid invoices and the potential loss of services or even housing. In extreme cases, compulsive buying disorder can result in personal bankruptcy, as the person is unable to repay their debts and meet financial obligations.

Causes of Shopping Addiction

Compulsive buying disorder is a multi-pronged condition caused by various factors. Understanding the developmental, neurobiological, and cultural influences of shopping addiction can guide treatment efforts.

Psychological Factors

The Diamond Rehab in Thailand details the prevalence of co-occurring conditions that can precede and worsen compulsive spending behaviors3, forming a complex and chaotic concoction. These conditions often involve impulse control and emotional regulation, specifically obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, and other avoidant personality disorders. 

Impulsive spending acts as a coping mechanism to manage negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and low self-esteem, using shopping to solve the negative feelings temporarily. Shopping addiction can be both a product of and the cause for mental health concerns, necessitating personalized treatment when unraveling these conditions.

Environmental Influences

In a world consumed and fueled by media, people are taught that material possessions equate to happiness, success, and social status. Advertisements are designed to create desire, often exploiting emotional triggers to encourage impulsive purchases. This is especially true nowadays, with social platforms using targeted ads based on internet history.

For example, if you search for winter jackets on Google, you may encounter ads for trench coats on your social media platforms.

Consumerism is deeply ingrained in many cultures, with immense pressure to keep up with fashion, technology, and lifestyle societal norms. Social media amplifies this pressure by showcasing small, curated portions of people’s lives, often filled with luxury items and experiences, leading to anxiety and a desire to conform to these perceived standards4.

The internet also provides easy access to spending with online shopping. The convenience of being able to shop anytime, anywhere, has removed many of the barriers that previously limited impulsive purchases. Individuals may feel less inhibited and guilty for spending money as they have fewer in-person interactions, like handing money to a cashier, creating a false illusion of security behind a screen.

Biological Factors

Neurobiological theories credit compulsive buying disorder to abnormal neurotransmission1, particularly in the serotonergic, dopaminergic, or opioid systems. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, reward, and reinforcement5, is a key player in “reward dependence.” Dopamine is released when spending, creating a sense of euphoria. This reinforcement can lead to repeated behaviors in an attempt to experience that pleasurable feeling again, contributing to the cycle of addiction.

Irregular serotonin levels, a neurotransmitter responsible for emotional regulation and impulse control, are connected with various impulse control disorders, including compulsive shopping. Low levels of serotonin disrupt the ability to manage urges, leading to compulsive shopping behaviors as a way to temporarily alleviate negative emotions.

There is also evidence that individuals with a family history of addictive behaviors, such as substance use or gambling addiction, may be more genetically predisposed to developing other types of compulsive behaviors, including shopping addiction6.

Strategies to Overcome Shopping Addiction: Professional Treatment Options

Navigating compulsive buying disorder recovery requires a comprehensive approach that often demands outside professional help. Building an extensive toolkit of skills to manage negative feelings and impulses tied to shopping behaviors can empower you to save and spend your money confidently. 

Therapy and Counseling

Individual, group, and family therapy each offer a unique approach to help manage compulsive behaviors. Individual counseling, often through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), creates a personalized setting where you and your therapist collaborate to identify the specific emotional and psychological issues driving the addiction. You can learn tailored coping mechanisms and practice using them when in stressful or triggering situations. 

Group therapy provides a supportive environment to share experiences and challenges with others facing similar issues. A group setting can help you feel less isolated and gain insight from peers’ experiences. You’ll practice accountability, build connections, and develop healthier social interactions, which can be a crucial part of the recovery process.

Family therapy is another important option, especially when shopping addiction negatively affects relationships and family dynamics. Your family unit can improve communication, address underlying family conflicts, and learn more on how to support you in recovery. Loved ones can learn how to set healthy boundaries and avoid enabling compulsive shopping behaviors.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Shopping Addiction

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective forms of therapy to navigate compulsive buying disorder7. CBT helps individuals identify and address the underlying thoughts, beliefs, and emotions that trigger compulsive shopping. By recognizing these patterns, you can learn healthier thought processes, coping mechanisms, and strategies to manage impulses. 

CBT helps individuals recognize the triggers and irrational thoughts that lead to their compulsive shopping behavior, such as stress or low self-esteem, as well as external factors like social pressure. You can learn to critically examine these thoughts and replace them with more rational, balanced perspectives. For example, you might learn to question whether buying an item will improve your mood or help you gain social approval, leading to a more realistic assessment of your needs. 

Medication

Sometimes, medication is necessary to manage the impulsive urges as well as the co-occurring mental health conditions like OCD and anxiety. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine, and Sertraline can treat compulsive buying disorder1 due to the similarities in neurotransmission and behaviors with other compulsive disorders. 

A comprehensive evaluation can guide medication usage for shopping addiction. Your professional care team can help you navigate your needs to find the appropriate medication and dosage. 

Financial Counseling

In many cases, financial counseling helps individuals regain control over their monetary struggles, especially if the person is in debt or battling legal issues. The proper counselor or mentor can help you manage finances, develop better money management skills, and repair the financial damage caused by compulsive spending. You may benefit from creating a debt repayment plan, learning budgeting skills, and developing a healthier relationship with money. 

Financial counseling skills can serve as a strong foundation for lifelong budgeting methods. You and your counselor may set savings goals for major life events, such as buying a home, funding education, or preparing for retirement. Developing realistic savings plans and making investment decisions can help you align your long-term financial goals.

Support Groups 

Joining support groups like Spenders Anonymous provides a sense of community, understanding, and accountability in your recovery. They offer a safe space to share experiences, learn from others, and receive ongoing support.

Developing Healthy Shopping Habits

Overcoming shopping addiction requires a combination of self-awareness, discipline, and practical strategies. Recovery stories are built on everyday habits that support a sustainable, healthy mindset.

Creating a Budget

Adopt a strict budget that you and your financial counselor create for discretionary spending, limiting the amount of money available for shopping. By tracking your spending and sticking to this budget, you can prevent impulsive purchases and stay within your means. Apps and websites like YNAB and Goodbudget keep users on track with time-tested budgeting methods, as well.

You may motivate yourself to adhere to your budget by giving yourself a small reward, such as going for ice cream if you do not overspend each week. A day of recovery is a day worth being celebrated! The effort to choose your health and well-being every day is a great feat, so continue to reflect and pride yourself on your hard work.

Mindful Shopping

When shopping for necessities, ask yourself whether you truly need the item, how it aligns with your values, and what the long-term consequences of the purchase will be. Mindfulness can help you stay grounded and make more intentional decisions.

Consider using cash instead of credit cards to make purchases, as this can help you directly feel the impact of spending. You could remove saved payment information from online shopping accounts, making it less convenient to make impulsive purchases, too.

You can also practice delayed gratification. By implementing a “cooling-off” period—waiting 24+ hours before making a purchase—you give yourself time to evaluate whether the item is truly necessary, which can help reduce impulsive buying.

Lifestyle Changes

Occasionally deleting social media apps can offer solace from advertisements and convincing influencers who tell you to try the newest product. You can also try unsubscribing from marketing emails or limiting time spent on shopping sites with website controls to reduce the urge to shop.

Real dopamine from healthy activities is the best kind of dopamine. Rediscover and reignite your passions by reading, painting, taking walks, and volunteering to keep you occupied and fulfilled.

Preventing Relapse

Relapse prevention planning aims to recognize and address warning signals before they escalate to the physical stage—compulsive spending. It takes a cognitive behavioral approach to preventing relapse and provides appropriate skills for what to do if a relapse does occur. It blends education, coping strategy development, trigger identification, building support networks, and lifestyle changes.

Identifying Triggers

You and your care team can begin to build your relapse prevention plan by reflecting on 3 key recovery components: 

  1. Reflect on your recovery history. In treatment, what worked and what didn’t work? If you’ve relapsed before, what led to it? What were your triggers before you got treatment? Learn from mistakes of the past to make a realistic relapse prevention plan.
  2. Write down personal, relationship, and employment goals to highlight situations you want to be in and people you want to be around. 
  3. Identify your triggers—all the people, places, and things that could cause stress. Developing coping strategies for each trigger can empower you to live life without fear.

One of the most essential parts of a relapse prevention plan is building skills to navigate uncomfortable feelings and situations. You may practice coping techniques such as breathing exercises, regulating emotions through journaling, and saying “no” to situations that do not serve your recovery. This can help you walk into any situation with confidence. 

Ongoing Support

Attending outpatient care or talk therapy sessions can help you navigate foreign situations and continue skill-building. During individual therapy sessions, you’ll likely engage in various therapeutic methods like dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). 

What Real People are Doing

A user on Reddit shares their practical and realistic lifestyle changes that helped them overcome shopping addiction8, serving as an inspiring example for others facing similar struggles. They walk through the importance of decluttering, adopting mindful shopping practices, and creating a monthly budget to track their spending. 

By focusing on delayed gratification and shifting their mindset from impulsive buying to intentional purchasing, they successfully broke free from compulsive shopping. Their experience highlights how small, sustainable changes in daily habits and financial awareness can make a significant impact on their physical, mental, and financial well-being.

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Celebrities That Are Open About Their Mental Health

Celebrities have the unique ability to reduce mental health stigma with just a quote or two about their experiences. Many well-known celebrities, like Emma Stone and Howie Mandel, exercise this ability to show 1) mental health issues don’t discriminate and 2) how they healed, and that recovery exists for everyone. 

We’ll cover a few of the many celebrities changing the narratives about mental health and championing the freedom to heal openly.

Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen is a model and muse for her husband, singer John Legend. She’s also opened up to the public about her struggles with postpartum depression. Despite support from her family, fame, and fortune, she found herself unable to control or lessen her symptoms. 

Chrissy spoke up about her struggles to show how “postpartum does not discriminate,” even though she “has a good life.”

Selena Gomez

Singer and actress Selena Gomez has experienced depression, anxiety, and anxiety attacks. She posits them as side effects of, and exacerbated by, her medical condition, lupus. Her mental health led her to take a break from performing and speak up about her struggles, saying, “I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues.”

Emma Stone

Actress Emma Stone began experiencing anxiety and overwhelming anxiety attacks at a young age. For three years, the debilitating attacks and constant anxiety of something going wrong plagued her. She’s since learned to use her “big emotions” as an acting superpower and credits acting for helping her manage the anxiety. 

Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson, known more commonly as The Rock, is an actor and boxer. He’s tall and buff and stars in action movies, comedies, and children’s films. He’s also publicly acknowledged his struggles with mental health and the importance of maintaining mental well-being. By opening up about his struggles with depression, he hopes to give hope to others struggling and be the voice to tell them, “Hey, it’s gonna be OK. It’ll be OK.”

Lizzo

Body-positive rapper and singer Lizzo has spoken about her challenges with mental health, specifically after coming to fame. She notes, “My anxiety didn’t go away. My depression didn’t go away.” 

She’s taken to social media to document her struggles, bring fans into her healing, and acknowledge her progress, recently saying she’s much happier now than before. 

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga experienced depression and anxiety at the sudden soar of her success as a musician and singer. She remembers little of this time, besides it being “traumatizing.” Now, she’s using resources like antidepressants to stabilize her mood and speaks out about her experience. She says,

“I openly admit to having battled depression and anxiety and I think a lot of people do. I think it’s better when we all say: ‘Cheers!’ And ‘fess up to it.”

Adele

Singer Adele has wowed listeners for years with her powerful voice and deep lyrics, but has also opened up to how mental health issues have impacted her career. She struggles with depression and experienced postpartum depression after the birth of her son. Talking about it was daunting at first, like it was for Chrissy Teigen, but she believes this openness can reduce stigma and embarrassment. 

Miley Cyrus

Singer, actress, and former Disney star Miley Cyrus has opened up about her depression and how it affects her. She acknowledges it is out of her control and unrelated to her lifestyle and status as a superstar, but recognizes she can help others by talking about it. She says,

“There’s not much that I’m closed off about, and the universe gave me all that so I could help people feel like they don’t have to be something they’re not or feel like they have to fake happy.”

Jared Padalecki

Despite the fame and acceptance actor Jared Padelecki experienced from a young age, he still struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts—even with career success, good friendships, and a strong fanbase. He notes how mental illness doesn’t discriminate, saying,

“It’s not just people who can’t find a job, or can’t fit in society that struggle with depression sometimes.”

Lili Reinhart

Actress Lili Reinhart’s struggles with anxiety peaked as she tried to navigate the world of auditions, hoping for roles and her non-acting life. Her anxiety became so severe it impacted her ability to work and made her physically unwell. She’s also spoken on social media about body image and her experiences in the spotlight, helping others (especially young girls) realize it’s okay to struggle and it’s okay to ask for help.

Kristin Bell

Depression is different than sadness, which actress Kristin Bell highlights after struggling with the condition. She describes it as much more than needing a hug or just “shaking off” the feeling, but rather needing professional help to challenge her thoughts and feel like herself again.

By voicing her experience, she hopes to validate others’ feelings and help them get the care they need. She says, “It’s important for me to be candid about this so people in a similar situation can realize that they are not worthless and that they do have something to offer. We all do.”

Gwyneth Paltrow

Famous for her wellness brand Goop and her skills as an actress, Gwyneth Paltrow has also come out to share her struggles with postpartum depression and how her experience differed widely from common perceptions. Rather than crying everyday and being unable to take care of her baby, she instead felt like a “zombie, unable to access emotions.”

Gwyneth notes, “But there are different shades of it and depths of it, which is why I think it’s so important for women to talk about it. It was a trying time. I felt like a failure.”

Howie Mandel

Comedian and actor Howie Mandel judges America’s Got Talent and advocates for more accessible and affordable mental health treatment. He was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in his 40s, though the condition began early in his childhood. Receiving a diagnosis and beginning treatment validated his experiences and relieved the weight of managing it on his own.

Since his diagnosis, Howie strives to reduce the stigma around mental health conditions, particularly OCD, and help others get the care he needed.

Prince Harry

British royal Prince Harry has talked publicly about the effects of losing his mother, Princess Diana, and navigating grief and trauma in the public eye. He spent decades holding in his emotions and presenting a positive front, which he says strained his relationships and work. Now, he’s more upfront with his emotions and less focused on masking them.

Lil Wayne

Rapper Lil Wayne revealed he struggled with depression and loneliness as a young kid. He also disclosed the bullet wound by his heart, once called an accident, was actually the product of a suicide attempt. Lil Wayne rose to fame not long after the attempt, which he said didn’t cure his depression or loneliness.

But he feels better now than ever before, and wants others to know they can get better. He says, “(I’m) hoping I can help anyone else out there who’s dealing with mental health problems by… being vulnerable. To me, I look at it by being brave and stepping up.”

Why Is Addressing Mental Health Important?

Stigma thrives in silence and misconceptions. Speaking on mental health issues shows what the experience is really like—and that people heal. Celebrities set an example when they share their struggles, championing for vulnerability and community and showing that mental health conditions typically break the stereotypes that lead to stigma. 

Destigmatizing mental health conditions can encourage more people to seek help and view their mental wellbeing as a crucial aspect of their overall health. Both are vital components to recovery.

Find Treatment For Mental Health

Imagine your favorite actor or singer telling you they struggle with the same mental health condition you do. Discovering this connection point, and seeing how they’ve navigated the condition, can inspire hope and the willingness to get treatment. People heal in many different ways, and there’s a path for everyone.


You can find mental health treatment providers on Recovery.com and see pictures, reviews, insurance information, and more to find the best treatment for you.

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The Signs a Young Adult May Have an Eating Disorder

Adolescence and early adulthood are pivotal periods for navigating life’s challenges and developing a sense of identity, particularly when it comes to mental health. During this time, external pressures can contribute to the rise of eating disorders, which have become a silent epidemic among young adults. Disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating not only impact physical health—leading to malnutrition, heart complications, and other severe conditions—but also take a profound toll on mental well-being.

Recognizing the signs early during these formative years can make the difference between a lifelong struggle and a successful recovery. Early intervention allows young adults to regain their health, rebuild self-esteem, and restore a healthy relationship with food and body image.

Listen to our podcast episode with Dana Sedlak (LCSW, CEDS-C) to learn more about eating disorders and adolescent treatment options. 

Common Types of Eating Disorders in Young Adults

Eating disorders can affect anyone, but especially young people. The average onset begins between ages 18-211, a time when individuals are particularly vulnerable to societal pressures and body image concerns. Each eating disorder is a complicated and multifaceted condition that requires specialized care.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image, leading to severe restriction of food intake1. People with anorexia often have an obsession with being thin and extreme dieting, excessive exercise, or other behaviors to avoid weight gain.

A person with anorexia nervosa can drastically lose weight, refuse to maintain a healthy weight, and fixate on calorie counting or food-related rituals. Despite the risks such as malnutrition, fatigue, and weakened immune function, the fear of gaining weight drives the person’s cycle of restrictive behaviors.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa involves cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors, or “purging,” to prevent weight gain2. During a binge, the individual can feel “out of control” while eating and consume a large amount of food in a short period of time, followed by intense guilt, shame, or distress. To counteract the binge and these negative feelings, the person purges by self-induced vomiting, excessive laxative use, or extreme exercise. 

Unlike anorexia, people with bulimia may maintain a normal or above-average weight, making the disorder less immediately visible. However, bulimia can lead to serious health complications, including electrolyte imbalances, gastrointestinal problems, dental erosion, and heart issues, making it a dangerous and harmful disorder if left untreated.

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder (BED) has recurrent binge episodes, and, unlike bulimia nervosa, individuals do not purge3. During a binge, the person may eat rapidly, eat until uncomfortably full, eat large quantities even when not hungry, and isolate themselves, then feel ashamed or guilty afterward. These intense emotions can lead to a cycle of emotional eating. 

Someone with BED does not take immediate action to counteract the calories consumed, leading to weight gain and health risks like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular issues. 

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED)

Some eating disorders may not neatly fit into the traditional categories but still have severe health implications. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), for example, is when individuals limit food intake due to a lack of interest in eating4 or an aversion to certain textures or tastes, rather than concerns about body image. Orthorexia nervosa, though not officially recognized as an eating disorder, involves an unhealthy obsession with eating foods deemed “pure” or “healthy,”5 which can lead to severe dietary restrictions and malnutrition.

Other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED) can also be a diagnostic category for individuals who exhibit significant eating disorder behaviors but do not meet the full criteria6 for anorexia, bulimia, or BED. OSFED can include a wide range of disordered eating patterns that still pose serious health risks, such as night eating syndrome or purging disorder. 

Physical Signs of an Eating Disorder

While weight fluctuation is perfectly normal, staying vigilant to your child’s physical and mental well-being can help you discern if the changes are healthy or warning signs of an eating disorder. 

Noticeable Weight Changes

Restrictive eating behaviors can result in weight loss, as seen in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, where food intake is drastically reduced or purging prevents weight gain. This weight loss often comes with other red flags, including fatigue and dizziness as the body becomes deprived of essential nutrients.

Conversely, rapid weight gain can indicate BED with frequent episodes of overeating. 

When talking to your child about weight loss or gain, remember that this topic is sensitive and accompanied by a host of negative feelings. Instead of focusing on their weight, you can discuss your concern about their eating habits and its impact on their health.

Physical Health Issues

Outside of weight, unhealthy eating behaviors impact all parts of the body via inadequate nutrition or harmful behaviors like vomiting. Carbohydrates serve as the brain’s main energy source7, so severely restricting food intake causes low energy levels, dizziness, and fatigue8 as well as cognitive impairment and decline.  

Symptoms such as bloating, constipation, or abdominal pain can manifest from irregular eating patterns9, starvation, or the misuse of laxatives.

For women, hormonal imbalances due to extreme weight loss or nutritional deficiency can cause amenorrhea10, or disruptions or complete cessation of their menstrual cycle. In these cases, the body prioritizes essential survival functions over the reproductive system, which has the potential for long-term harm.

Changes in Appearance

Due to a lack of essential nutrients, particularly protein and vitamins, hair and nails become brittle and dry11. Malnutrition and dehydration can also cause the skin to lose its elasticity and moisture, leading to a dry and flaky appearance.

Purging behaviors, such as vomiting, create dental problems as stomach acid erodes tooth enamel12. This can lead to tooth decay, sensitivity, discoloration, and even gum disease. Chronic vomiting can also damage the throat and mouth lining.

Behavioral Signs of an Eating Disorder

Often, someone with an eating disorder will try to hide their unhealthy eating habits. If you suspect that your child has an eating disorder, try to pick up on the subtle behavioral indicators that they may need help.

Obsession with Food and Weight

In an attempt to maintain control over their weight and emotions, they may constantly track every calorie consumed, often to an extreme degree, indicating an unhealthy relationship with food. Chronic dieting or switching between restrictive eating plans disrupt normal eating patterns, contributing to a cycle of weight loss and gain, damaging both physical health and mental stability.

By fixating on their body image, they may have a distorted view of their own size, even when underweight. You may notice frequent body checking (e.g., excessively looking in mirrors, pinching skin). 

Secretive Behavior

Rooted in deep emotional struggles related to body image and self-worth, someone with an eating disorder may isolate themselves and exhibit sneaky behavior around meals. They may stash or hide food in their room, bags, or other secret locations and consume large quantities of food privately. 

The person can lie about their eating habits, claiming to have eaten when they haven’t or significantly downplaying how much they ate. Or they may immediately leave the table after eating to purge. 

Emotional and Psychological Signs

While the most obvious signs of an eating disorder appear physically, the emotional distress behind the changes can sometimes have the most negative impact. 

Mood Swings and Irritability

When the body is fighting to function without proper fuel (food), cognition declines. Malnutrition and restrictive behaviors can affect brain chemistry13, leading to a lower tolerance for life’s ups and downs and causing sadness, frustration, or mood swings. 

Eating disorders like anorexia can lead to structural changes in the brain14 such as loss of gray matter and decreased thickness of the cerebral cortex and the outer layer of the brain. These mutations influence emotional regulation, lending to an overall negative affect.

Anxiety and Depression

It’s no coincidence the rise of anxiety and depression among young adults correlates with the onset of eating disorders15. These conditions provoke more severe disordered eating symptoms and create a complex web of co-occurring conditions necessitating specialized treatment. 

Much like anxiety and depression, someone with an eating disorder tends to have low self-esteem and withdraw from social activities, either due to fear of eating with others or from fatigue. A constant preoccupation with food, weight, and body image also creates emotional exhaustion, exacerbating the symptoms.  

Perfectionism and Control Issues

For some, controlling their eating is a way to process and cope with situations that are out of their control—usually spiraling into unhealthy and restrictive habits. Perfectionism can manifest as strict dietary rules and an extreme exercise regimen to feed the obsession of an ideal body type. And when they fall short of these unattainable standards, the person can experience intense self-criticism and guilt, perpetuating disordered eating patterns.

Eating disorders often coincide with conditions like obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and other compulsive disorders as both are driven by intrusive, distressing thoughts16. Someone with these co-occurring conditions may severely restrict their food among other behavioral rituals in an attempt to control their anxieties and thoughts. Each disorder has a unique impact on the brain and body, requiring individualized care.

Impact on Daily Life

Physical, behavioral, and emotional disruptions can blend into a symphony of destructive daily habits, worsening the eating disorder. Over time, this degrades the person’s overall well-being.

Academic Performance

Depriving the brain of proper nutrition leads to poor attention, concentration, and problem solving skills13, therefore decreasing academic performance. Students can then feel overwhelmed and frustrated by their poor performance, contributing to a cycle of restrictive behaviors and underperformance.

Beyond the physical impact of malnutrition, obsessive thoughts and anxieties can further disrupt concentration as they fixate on counting calories, planning meals, or their weight. Mood swings may also make it hard to stay present in academic settings.

Social Withdrawal

People with eating disorders tend to distance themselves from loved ones, avoiding social interactions and family gatherings to hide their food habits. They may feel ashamed of their eating disorder and concerned about judgements from worried friends and family. 

Isolation can only worsen the negative thought patterns involved in an eating disorder as a cycle of rumination grows. If you’re concerned about your child, you can try to do low stress, fun activities with them without mentioning their weight or eating habits to break this habit.

Daily Routine Disruptions

Eating disorders often interfere with healthy sleep17 due to energy and hormonal imbalances, leading to issues such as insomnia and irregular sleep patterns. This lack of sleep and food can contribute to poor concentration, irritability, and more.

Many individuals, particularly those with anorexia nervosa, orthorexia, or bulimia nervosa, compulsively or excessively exercise as a way to control weight or “burn off” calories. This overexercising can become a rigid part of their routine, often prioritized over other aspects of life, including social activities, rest, or work. 

Whether through lost hours of sleep, a preoccupation with exercise, or difficulty completing daily tasks due to fatigue, an eating disorder can take over much of their mental and physical energy.

When to Seek Professional Help

There is no such thing as a “bad” time to ask for help—whether you’re noticing the onset of eating disorder warning signs or the person needs serious medical care, professional treatment and family support can help your young adult not feel alone in their struggles.

Consulting Healthcare Providers

A healthcare professional can offer tailored insights for eating disorders and collaborate with you to create an achievable care plan. 

A pediatrician or general practitioner can be a good first point of contact. They can perform an initial physical assessment to evaluate the individual’s overall health, checking for signs of malnutrition, weight loss, or other physical symptoms associated with eating disorders (heart irregularities, electrolyte imbalances, or gastrointestinal issues). After these initial meetings, the practitioner can refer you to a specialist.

You may employ a diverse range of professionals to treat the eating disorder and any co-occurring conditions. Eating disorders are often linked to deep-seated emotional and psychological issues such as anxiety, so a psychologist can help address the mental and emotional aspects of each disorder through therapy. A registered dietitian specializing in eating disorders plays a crucial role in nutritional rehabilitation, as well. They can help restore a healthy relationship with food by creating personalized meal plans that support both physical and emotional recovery.

When necessary, eating disorder treatment centers offer intensive, multidisciplinary care based on the client’s needs. Some people with eating disorders may need a more intensive level of care to help monitor and manage their symptoms. When talking to your doctor, you can figure out which level of care best fits your needs:

  • Outpatient (OP): You’ll meet 1-2x per week with your provider and others in treatment.
  • Intensive outpatient (IOP): You’ll meet 3-5x per week for several hours at a time for more intensive care.
  • Partial hospitalization (PHP): You’ll meet 5-7 times a week for a full day.
  • Residential: You’ll live in a rehab for 28+ days and engage in treatment with a comprehensive staff and a community of peers.
  • Inpatient: You’ll live in a treatment center or hospital-like setting and have 24/7 monitoring.

Supporting a Young Adult with an Eating Disorder

Your child might be going through a confusing and complex time, and your support can set them on the path to a healthy relationship with their mind and body.

Open Communication

When talking to your young adult, it’s important that they feel safe in their space and in the conversation to be honest and vulnerable. Try to approach them with a non-judgemental tone, and calmly voice your concerns. You can say phrases like “I’ve noticed that you seem to be struggling with eating lately, and I’m concerned about your health.” This approach focuses on your feelings and observations rather than making the person feel judged or blamed.

Avoid talking about their physical appearance. Comments about their size, even if intended to be positive or neutral, can reinforce the focus on body image and exacerbate shame and guilt. 

Change takes time, and they may not be ready to acknowledge their problem immediately. Be patient and try to avoid threatening language, as this may push them away or increase their resistance to seeking help.

Let them know that you are there for them, regardless of their response to your concerns. Make it clear that your support is unwavering, and they can talk to you whenever they feel ready.

Creating a Supportive Environment

Your home can be a safe space where your young adult feels encouraged, understood, and supported in their journey toward health and well-being. In addition to having filling, nutrient dense foods, you can create a comfortable environment that encourages discussing emotions, struggles, and progress without fear of judgment.

You can be a positive role model for your child. Try to avoid dieting and weight talk, as this can reinforce disordered thinking. Shift the focus from appearance and weight to overall health and well-being, as this helps reduce the pressure they may feel to meet certain body image standards.

Recovery from an eating disorder is often a long and complex process, with setbacks and challenges along the way. Be patient and compassionate as they navigate their journey.

Resources for Further Help

These resources provide various levels of support, from immediate crisis intervention to long-term recovery assistance, and are available to individuals, families, and caregivers.

Hotlines:

  1. National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Helpline

Phone: 1-800-931-2237

Text: Text “NEDA” to 741741 for 24/7 crisis support

  1. Crisis Text Line

Text: Text “HELLO” to 741741

  1. The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ youth)

Phone: 1-866-488-7386

Text: Text “START” to 678678

Websites:

  1. National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): Offers comprehensive resources, including a screening tool, information on treatment options, and support forums.
  2. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD): Offers free, peer-led support groups, mentoring programs, and educational resources for individuals and families affected by eating disorders.
  3. Eating Disorder Hope: Provides resources on eating disorder treatment, recovery tools, and educational information for individuals and families.
  4. BEAT (United Kingdom): Offers support, resources, and a helpline for individuals with eating disorders in the UK.

Support Groups:

  1. ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders)
  2. Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA)
  3. Overeaters Anonymous (OA)
  4. The Body Positive
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7 Most Commonly Used Drugs in College

College is where you start new things—new classes, new friendships, new relationships, new jobs, and, for some, drugs and addiction. Many young adults experiment with substances in high school or college, which can lead to more intense use in college; potentially, addiction.

College students tend to use drugs most accessible to them. We’ll cover the 7 most common drugs used in college, emerging trends, and how students can find treatment.

Alcohol: The Top Contender

Alcohol ranks #1 as the top-used drug in college1, with well over half of students reporting they drink. It’s easily accessible, cheap, and found outside class in most (if not all) social settings. College parties and campus Greek culture notoriously include alcohol, often consumed in excess by students with a low tolerance. 

Parties are a regular part of college culture, occurring on game days, weekends, and… spontaneously. Roommates may drink together on non-party days or go to bars after class. Alcohol is seen as celebratory and a catalyst for meeting friends and garnering social connections. Many students struggle to avoid it, even if they’d like to or hadn’t planned on making alcohol a cornerstone of their college experience.

Regular use and binge drinking can lead to addiction and other adverse health effects.

Marijuana: The Most Prevalent Recreational Drug

College students might turn to alcohol for a night out with friends or use marijuana to relax and unwind. Much like alcohol, marijuana is readily accessible on most campuses, regardless of its legal status in the state.

Students may smoke weed to relax after class, to socialize with peers, or because they feel an intense urge to take it. This often signifies an addiction.

Weed use can be more challenging to conceal, since it leaves a distinct odor.

Prescription Pills: A Double-Edged Sword

When used as prescribed, prescription pills can help students navigate chronic pain and mental health conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). College students can also use these medications recreationally.

Use of Prescription Painkillers

Doctors often prescribe opioids for severe pain, typically after a surgery or for conditions like cancer. As an opioid, these medications can also trigger a flood of dopamine2 and sense of wellbeing (especially when not used as prescribed), which reinforces the action. Some college students seek out this effect even after their prescription runs out, or they’re no longer in pain.

Illegal opioids can contain fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid 50x stronger than heroin3. More college campuses are including Naloxone kits to help students reverse an overdose to opioids or fentanyl. But the best way to avoid the risk is only taking prescribed medications as prescribed.

Study Drugs

A grade can determine a lot—if you get accepted into a competitive program, if you meet requirements for a scholarship, and the quality of future jobs. Many college students also want good grades for their own sense of accomplishment. Achieving A after A isn’t easy, which is why some college students (around 4%) reach for study drugs.

Study drugs are prescription stimulants used to improve focus and energy4, theoretically. Not all cases of taking a stimulant imply this, though. Study drugs include4

  • Adderall 
  • Ritalin 
  • Desoxyn

A student taking one of these medications would likely have a prescription. It becomes a study drug when they don’t have a prescription or don’t take the drug as prescribed (like doubling their dose or taking extra when they have an exam).

Stimulants: Enhancing Focus or Creating Dependence?

The occasional use of a study drug, like once or twice before midterms, can be a regular practice for some college students. Those with heavy course loads or challenging classes, like pre-med or pre-law students, may feel particularly overwhelmed getting through school on their own strength. They can become reliant, and then addicted, to illicit or prescription stimulants like meth and Adderall. 

Some students may turn to caffeine, which is cheaper and more accessible than stimulants. They may take caffeine pills or regularly consume energy drinks. These pills and drinks can have 150-300 milligrams of caffeine each. The recommended daily limit is 400 milligrams, though one person might be more sensitive to caffeine than another. Drinking 3+ energy drinks a day, or having 3+ caffeine pills, puts a student at 450-900mg of caffeine. These high levels of caffeine can lead to heart issues5 and, rarely, death.

Cocaine: The Party Drug of Choice

Media still depicts cocaine as a “luxury” drug used by professionals and rich partygoers. College students’ attitude towards cocaine has become more positive6, leading to more experimentations and mimicking cocaine’s use as portrayed in media. 

Cocaine is a stimulant, causing a sense of euphoria and the ability to ‘let loose,’ which students might find appealing at a party—especially when it’s seen as the cool thing to do. But this can lead to addiction and health consequences, along with poor academic performance.

Ecstasy: The Allure of Raves and Euphoria

Ecstasy is a stimulant that can have psychedelic effects, which is why some college students use it at raves and parties for a more ‘trippy’ experience. Ecstasy often goes by the name Molly. It causes a strong feeling of euphoria and inhibition, but taking too much, too often can lead to addiction and other side effects. 

Ecstasy use correlates to dehydration and serotonin syndrome7, which happens when drugs or prescribed medications add too much additional serotonin. Young, thrill-seeking college students may be especially at-risk of taking too much ecstasy and becoming dangerously dehydrated, addicted, or sick from serotonin syndrome.

Vaping and Synthetic Drugs: Emerging Trends

Vaping Nicotine and Cannabis

College students and young adults in general vape more than older adults8. Vaping is generally seen as a safe alternative to cigarettes (it’s not). Nicotine vapes often come in appealing packaging and with tasty flavors, which a study found was one of the top reasons college students vape. 

Cannabis vapes often have flavoring too, and offer greater convenience compared to smoking a bong or blunt. Students may find this component especially beneficial, but it makes the likelihood of regular use and addiction, plus negative health effects, much higher.

Students can vape other drugs too, including synthetic drugs.

Synthetic Drugs

Synthetic drugs and designer drugs mimic ‘pure’ drugs with natural origins. For example, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid whose natural origin is the opium poppy plant. Synthetic marijuana, or synthetic cannabinoids, mimic the effects of the marijuana plant.

Some synthetic drugs come from clandestine labs and undergo zero quality control or testing. Manufacturers may market them as ‘supplements’ that are ‘not intended for human consumption.’ College students may purchase and take these drugs not knowing their addictive potential, or how they interact with other substances.

Factors Influencing Drug Use: Peer Pressure and Stress

A theme of stress and a desire to connect with others emerges throughout the college experience. Add in a greater tendency for experimentation and thrill-seeking, and you capture more of the landscape for college students and young adults.

Many students face extreme academic pressures and stress, which can lead to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Some students alleviate symptoms by chemically altering their state of mind. For example, a study on college students who vape8 reported a top reason was to “improve depression.”

Without effective on-campus support, students may turn to substances to manage stress. College campuses can help by improving access to their counseling services and educating students on the risks of substance use, and what to do if they need help. 

Consequences of Substance Use: Health Risks and Academic Impact

Substance use in college can lead to poor academic performance, below-average grades, lost scholarships, and expulsion. Many colleges have guidelines on substance use and documented consequences, especially as it relates to performance-boosting drugs.

Students also risk health consequences from substance use, including

  • Uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms
  • Higher risk of cancer from the carcinogens found in nicotine
  • Lung and cardiovascular diseases
  • Skin lesions
  • Dehydration
  • Weight loss
  • Addiction
  • Organ damage/failure

Treatment Options and Recovery Resources

Campus Resources

College students have a myriad of recovery resources available to fit their needs. For example, many college campuses offer free or discounted mental health care. Most campuses also have infirmaries that can assess a student’s physical health and recommend the next steps in their care. These clinics can also distribute medications and treat wounds.

Importantly, more colleges now have Naloxone kits available throughout campus. This means you have better access to the overdose-reversing medication Naloxone, which is easy to use and effective. If you notice signs of an overdose, including shallow breathing, blue lips, and unconsciousness, call 911 and administer Naloxone as soon as you can.

Off-Campus Treatment

College students can access off-campus recovery resources via public transit, their own car, carpooling, or by using virtual services. Off-campus treatment includes

  • Residential rehabs, where patients live at a treatment center for 28+ days and receive intensive treatment. Some centers, especially ones specifically for college-aged patients, allow time for schoolwork and attending classes online.
  • Outpatient care, including day treatment (most intensive), intensive outpatient, and general outpatient (least intensive). These structured programs offer robust care with the flexibility students often need to continue attending school.
  • Holistic and alternative treatments like acupuncture, ketamine therapy, yoga, and creative arts.
  • Therapy sessions as needed.

Majoring in Hope and Recovery

College offers a uniquely formative and memorable experience for students. Substances can add dangers and hurdles, but by using available resources, students can find the support they need for a comprehensive recovery.

You can find rehabs for young adults using Recovery.com and compare prices, check insurance coverage, read first-hand reviews, and more.

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How Much Does Rehab Cost in California?

Rehabs in California combine addiction treatment with the idyllic setting of a summer vacation. They offer privacy, a change of scenery for those out of state, and coveted year-round warmth, making California a go-to recovery destination.

But how much does it cost?

Average Cost of Rehab

The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS) found the average cost for rehab is $50,469. This price reflects a stay of 30-60 days. Outpatient programs average around $8,000 per person. 

Services like medication-assisted treatment (MAT), detox, and sober living contribute to the complete price or can be offered as independent programs. An outpatient MAT program, for example, costs around $7,000. Sober living typically costs $1,500-$2,000 per month across America.

Costs of rehab vary due to factors like treatment staff, amenities, and whether or not they accept insurance. For example, a private rehab with highly experienced staff and luxury accommodations will cost much more than a state-funded rehab. 

Rehab Costs in California

California has over 2,000 active treatment centers to serve the nearly 100,000 people seeking treatment in the Golden State annually. It ranks as the 23rd cheapest state in America for residential rehab, with costs averaging out to $56,654 per person for a stay of 30+ days. The amount you end up paying varies widely by your insurance provider and the specific plan you have.

This picture from NCDAS captures average costs across states.

average cost of residenital drug rehab per state
From National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics

What’s Included in $56,654?

The cost of a California residential rehab typically includes these services:

  1. Detox  
  2. Room and board  
  3. All meals and food  
  4. Therapy sessions in a 1:1, group, and family setting
  5. Holistic therapies like yoga or creative writing
  6. Any amenities (like a pool or weight room) included at the facility
  7. Some extracurricular activities, like hikes, sightseeing, or adjunct treatment services  
  8. Alumni services like recurring alumni meetings, help finding work and housing, and ongoing contact from staff

What’s (Usually) Not Included

Some rehabs will offer certain services for an additional cost. Check with the center see what services are included in the total fee and which are add-ons. Potential add-ons include:

  1. Spa services like facials, manicures, and massages
  2. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) when needed, including psychotropic medications for mental health conditions
  3. Alternative treatments like NAD+ therapy or ketamine-assisted therapy
  4. Psychedelic therapies may come as an extra cost unless the center specializes in this type of treatment and offers it in their primary care package 
  5. Private rooms may come as an extra cost unless the center solely offers private rooms
  6. Advanced clinical services like genetic testing, blood analysis, and creating nutritional profiles

Some rehabs will offer all of the above within their total cost of services. Others may charge a set cost for each service and allow clients to add them to their bill. 

Benefits of Going to Rehab in California

Recovery Community

California is home to a uniquely supportive recovery community. Its warm weather and coastal vibes have drawn treatment providers to open more and more rehabs, making it one of the most rehab-populated states in America. The density of providers means you have more options to find the best treatment for you.

City or Rural Options

California rehabs offer an urban or rural experience, depending on where in the state you go. For example, you can go to a rehab in Los Angeles or Malibu to experience the city or opt for a rehab near places like Lake Tahoe to connect with nature.   

Warmth and Ocean Access

Many rehabs along California’s coast offer beach trips. Some sit right on the shore for easy ocean access at a moment’s notice. Most areas in California also stay warm year-round, even in the winter months. This can be particularly appealing to people from northern states.

A New Environment to Heal

Going to rehab in California takes you to a new environment to focus solely on your recovery. Leaving your current environment can offer a few key benefits, like

  • Removing you from people or places that trigger substance use
  • Additional privacy, since you won’t be around people you know from home
  • Inspiration and motivation from a new setting

Finding Treatment in California

A California rehab could be an ideal recovery setting for you or your loved one. California rehabs offer various treatment approaches, such as evidence-based, holistic, faith-based, or alternative care. They typically accept major insurance plans or government coverage from Medicaid and Medicare.
Use Recovery.com to browse California rehabs and see their costs, insurance information, photos, reviews, and more.

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Catching The Tune of Recovery with Griffin House

Griffin House is a talented singer-songwriter who draws from his personal journey through addiction and recovery to create music that inspires and uplifts others on their own path to healing. We were excited to talk with him and record his episode on the Recovery.com podcast, where you’ll hear how he initially pursued recovery, went back to drinking, and became sober again…and how he navigates a new life in recovery.

Listen to Griffin’s episode here, and hear stories from our past guests!

GriffinHouse

Initial Draw into Music

Griffin tried singing for the first time in a high school play and playing guitar with friends at his college dorm. Performing and turning his creativity into music others can enjoy altered his dreams and motivations. Griffin pursued a career in music instead of golf, which he played until college. He joined a band there and eventually made his own record, selling CDs out of his backpack and playing local shows. 

Griffin moved to Nashville 6 months after graduating college and caught “a big break,” leading to a record deal with Island Def Jam Records. Griffin reflects,

“…I was kind of a beginner with beginner’s luck. I just always loved music and could never imagine that I could do it for a living way back when I was playing golf in high school. But, sometimes life takes some crazy turns and I’ve been doing it for 20, 25 years now.”

…And The Pull of Alcohol

Griffin’s family drank often, incorporating alcohol into day-to-day life and normalizing drinking. Griffin notes, “…it seemed to always be around.” He noticed right away how he seemed to react to it differently. Soon, he began drinking heavily and felt the impacts on his life. Griffin says,

“By the time I was in my mid 20s I realized that it was causing problems in my life and I needed to do something about it.”

Griffin called a hotline for help and then attended his first Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting, attending regularly for about 3 months. Then Griffin spent more time on the road, playing music, and eventually starting drinking again for several years. He got married, had kids, but soon realized he wanted to be a different kind of dad.

Recommitting to Recovery

Griffin decided to drink again several years after the birth of his daughters. He credits this change to wanting to be a better, more present dad for them. He says,

“I realized, wow, I don’t want my kids’ memories of me to be drunk… I want to be present for them. I want them to have a dad who is not addicted to a substance. And that was highly motivating for me as well, to just get back to where I knew I could be.”

Griffin recommitted to his recovery, returning to AA meetings and staying abstinent from alcohol, which he still is to this day. He’s continued to write and perform music, using his experiences with addiction and recovery to craft songs and fuel his creative expressions. 

Griffin also helps others on their journey to recovery. He recounts how getting sober once ostracized him; now, others are coming to him asking for guidance. Griffin also keeps connected to his local recovery community through continued AA meetings and events. He’s a gift to others in many ways, whether through the strums of his guitar or the support he extends to others.
We’re grateful Griffin joined us! Listen to his episode here and find stories from other guests.

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How Traumatic Invalidation Leads to Personality Disorders

Invalidation takes many forms, from obvious “I don’t believe you”s to more subtle reactions, like not listening or telling you how your experience should feel. When someone doesn’t accept or believe your experiences and emotions, it invalidates them and can lead to numerous psychological effects, including personality disorders.

Invalidation that extends over a long period of time with intensity is considered traumatic, as it alters your perception of self and others. Traumatic invalidation often occurs in childhood from caregivers, and its effects can last well into adulthood.

But you can learn how to validate your experiences and heal from the results of traumatic invalidation, one day at a time.

Understanding Traumatic Invalidation

Traumatic invalidation stems from intentional or unintentional emotional abuse, most often in childhood1. It happens when a parent or other caregiver repeatedly invalidates their child’s experiences or emotions. This can happen from childhood into adulthood, depending on if the parent or caregiver recognizes and wants to change their behavior. A few examples of traumatic invalidation include:

  • A parent acting disgusted or disappointed when their child cries or shows emotion. The parent makes it known their response isn’t valid or acceptable.
  • Minimizing someone’s negative experiences by saying, “It could be worse,” “At least it’s not…” or challenging it with something they went through that they believe is worse.
  • Berating and name-calling, like “You’re being such a baby about this.”
  • Villianizing emotions and sadness by saying “You’re always crying” or “I’ll give you something to cry about.”
  • Facial expressions, purposeful ignoring, and body language can be more subtle forms of invalidation, but equally hurtful.

Why Do People Do It?

Many people don’t intend to invalidate someone’s feelings and experiences. For parents especially, they may do it by accident since they don’t know how else to communicate or have their emotional availability lowered due to a mental health condition or stressor. But its effects remain regardless of intent.

Some parents, friends, or romantic partners may use traumatic invalidation as a means of control and harm. For instance, they might be the abuser themselves, dismissing or denying the victim’s experiences to prevent them from seeking help or breaking free from their influence. This form of invalidation not only erodes self-esteem but also creates doubt about your reality, making it harder to recognize the abuse and reach out for support.

Traumatic invalidation can also stem from racism and prejudice towards minorities2, like LGBTQ+ people, women, and people of color. These groups are less likely to have their experiences and perceptions believed. This can lead to microaggressions and ongoing stress for minorities.

Connection to Personality Disorders

Traumatic invalidation has been connected most strongly to borderline personality disorder (BPD)3. This means children who experience traumatic invalidation were found more likely to develop BPD, plus other cluster B personality disorders. Here’s a quick overview of those and BPD:

  • BPD’s symptoms4 include an intense fear of abandonment and efforts to prevent it, uncontrollable emotions, unstable relationships, and suicidality. Someone with BPD fluctuates from extreme emotions and seeing people as all good or all bad, which can start and end relationships quickly.
  • Narcissistic personality disorder’s (NPD) symptoms5 include entitlement, lack of empathy, grandiosity, and a need for excessive and constant admiration. Someone with NPD struggles to function if they’re not the center of attention, as their sense of self-worth depends on it.
  • Antisocial personality disorder’s (APD) symptoms6 include lying to, manipulating, or harming others for personal gain or pleasure without remorse. Someone with APD is generally prone to violence and criminal behavior. 

Other personality disorders fall into clusters B, C, and A7. Cluster C includes anxious personalities and cluster A includes eccentric, like schizotypal. Traumatic invalidation generally correlates to cluster B.

Traumatic Invalidation as the Starting Point

Not every case of BPD or other personality disorder starts with traumatic invalidation, but it often does. BPD in particular, while it doesn’t have a primary cause, often stems from emotional instability in childhood. This could include traumatic invalidation, emotional abuse, and other traumas, like physical or sexual abuse.

Traumatic invalidation can lead to low self-worth, an unstable sense of self, and difficulties with forming and maintaining relationships. These effects can form the blocks of a personality disorder like BPD.

Traumatic invalidation often happens in childhood. Similarly, personality disorders typically develop in adolescence, showing more prominently after age 18. Signs of traumatic invalidation may first show through symptoms of a personality disorder in later teen years.

Psychological Mechanisms at Play

Repeated invalidation can cause critical damage to self esteem and personal identity. To cope with the confusion, shame, and disorientation caused by a parent or caregiver dismissing emotions and experiences, someone may use substances. This can numb emotions and connect people to others who use substances, giving them a sense of belonging and community lacked in childhood. 

Similarly, teens may engage in a sport, art form, or academic perfection to find another source of validation and support. While the activity itself may not be harmful, reliance on it can damage their sense of self and self-worth.

The Rocky Road of Relationships

Traumatic invalidation can make relationships, romantic or otherwise, a confusing and daunting experience. Difficulty with relationships is a hallmark of personality disorders8 like BPD, too. 

After traumatic invalidation, someone may intensely pursue relationships and use them to dictate their identity. Or, they may avoid relationships since that’s what caused them harm as a child—people can seem unreliable, mean, and untrustworthy after traumatic invalidation. Unstable relationships can deepen their sense of invalidation and further shroud their sense of self. 

Treatment and Therapeutic Approaches

Professional treatment can heal the effects of traumatic invalidation by reshaping how someone views themselves and their emotions. Therapy can re-validate someone’s experiences and feelings, helping old wounds heal and their true identity come to light. 

For example, a therapist trained in healing traumatic invalidation can help their client realize

  • Their emotions, past and present, are real, valid, and important. And then, how does that change how they feel about themselves?
  • What happened wasn’t okay or deserved. But healing is.
  • They don’t need other people to decide how they feel and what they’re allowed to feel. 
  • They can challenge others’ perceptions and feelings with truths about themselves.

Treating traumatic invalidation can also address a personality disorder. Those with personality disorders often stay in treatment throughout the ups and downs of their life, learning how to navigate their symptoms and develop the skills needed to maintain positive relationships. Their therapist may use dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) which was specifically developed for BPD; it helps people shift from black-and-white thinking and regulate their emotions before they harm themselves or others.

Preventing Traumatic Invalidation: Countering with Truth

As an adult, you have the opportunity to challenge invalidation from your parents or other sources, like friends, partners, or other family members. Their opinions and reactions don’t define you or what you experience. 

If you sense someone is trying, purposefully or not, to invalidate you, you can challenge the feeling either to yourself or out loud in conversation. Here’s what you can reflect on:

  • Is this coming as helpful feedback to offer me perspective, or to minimize my experience and emotions?
  • What gives this person the authority to challenge my experiences?
  • If they have a different perspective, are they leaving room for what I believe is true and treating my emotions with respect?

Conversation Examples

This is how using this truth-focused approach in a conversation could go:

  1. “That’s not at all what happened. She wasn’t trying to say that; you shouldn’t have got so upset.”

“It’s what I experienced, and how the experience made me feel.”

  1. “You’re taking this too seriously. If you just tried to relax more or calm down you wouldn’t feel like this.”

“No, this is how I feel and it’s okay to feel it. My experience was upsetting to me.”  

  1. “That’s not true. You should have done _____.”

“Since you weren’t there and haven’t experienced this yourself, I’ll believe my truth.”

Healing With Support and Community

Traumatic invalidation effects don’t last forever; nor do personality disorders with proper treatment. You can learn to validate your experiences, feel secure in how you feel, and use your community to gain new perspectives—delivered with respect. 
As iron sharpens iron, so you and your peers can learn and heal together. Using Recovery.com you can also find a rehab for personality disorders and compare prices, locations, amenities, and more.

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Why “Just Say No” Failed: Unpacking the Ineffectiveness of a Simplistic Anti-Drug Message

The “Just Say No” anti-drug movement, buoyed by good intentions and hopes to end the newly redeclared War on Drugs, sank to the depths of unimportance and, worse, ineffectiveness. Despite nationwide efforts and leadership from First Lady Nancy Reagan, teens remained just as likely to use drugs as before—in some cases, more likely.

Why? How could something so simple not succeed?

It was largely due to the placement of blame for drug use and a lack of education on addiction. We’ll explore why that had such a negative effect and what America and the world learned from this failure. 

Origins and Objectives of “Just Say No”

“Just Say No” came as a response to crack cocaine1’s birth in the 1980s. As a cheaper and more accessible version of cocaine, crack use soared, coupled with violent crimes and incarceration. President Reagan redeclared the War on Drugs; his wife and First Lady created the campaign to ‘just say no’ to drugs. Abstinence was seen as the only solution.

Police gave talks at schools across America to highlight the dangers of drug use and it being a criminal offense. They grouped all drug users together as criminals and the ultimate sign of failure, encouraging students to avoid this through abstinence. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) was borne from police efforts, and still well-known today.

Just Say No and D.A.R.E were meant to instill a desire to remain with the ‘good’ group, where you’d be seen as a lawful contributor to society. And, you’d be safe from overdose. The public quickly accepted the movement, largely because Nancy Reagan led it and, with her husband, made the War on Drugs a top issue among Americans.

Critiques of the “Just Say No” Approach

One primary critique of this proposed response to drugs is, “It’s not that simple1.” What made Just Say No so accessible became its demise. 

Just Say No failed to address the complexities and nuances of substance use, like genetic predisposition, peer acceptance and pressure, using substances as a coping tool for mental illness, and the experimental nature of adolescents. 

In 2001, America’s Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, labeled D.A.R.E and Just Say No1 as “ineffective primary prevention programs.” Data showed teens still used drugs2 at the same rate, if not a little more, despite the public’s remarkable awareness and understanding of the campaign. 

“Why Should I Say No?”

The Just Say No campaign seemed to picture a conversation about drug use going like this:

“Hey, do you want to take some of this cocaine?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

In reality, conversations and the general conception of drug use look something more like this:

“I’m struggling so bad to keep my A in this class. I just can’t pay attention.”

“Try these, they help me.”

Or, 

“I always smoke weed after school to relax. It helps me handle the stress.”

“Oh, really? Can I try some?”

Just saying no fails to teach the dangers and realities of drug use3 to a highly vulnerable population: kids. Without a proper understanding of how drugs work, the dangers of fentanyl, and how to prioritize their safety, many school-aged kids simply follow what their friends and peers do. If they can drink or smoke weed and be fine, so can they—they don’t need to say no.

Simply being told not to do something can work momentarily, but human nature tends to supersede this command across all age groups, races, and genders, making it ineffective. 

What Actually Works?

Simplicity didn’t cut it. The message didn’t need to become more complex either, it just needed to focus more on the truth: many teens will use drugs, from their own desire to or a lack of education on the risks. 

For example, many teens and college students don’t understand the risks of taking fentanyl and overdosing. Fentanyl accounts for the “vast majority” of overdose deaths in teens3. One way this happens is by taking a laced pill, which is a counterfeit pill designed to look like a safe prescription medication. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently found 7 out of 10 counterfeit prescription pills contain a lethal dose of fentanyl4. 

Taking just one on a whim can end someone’s life. Had many overdose victims known the true dangers and risks, they might have used fentanyl test strips, avoided illicit drugs altogether, or relied solely on prescriptions from their doctor.

Education in Schools and Homes

Most teens don’t receive adequate education on drugs3, drug use, and the risks it poses. This makes them vulnerable to addiction and overdoses, plus legal and academic consequences as their use progresses. Effective education at school and the normalization of honest conversations at home can give teens the information they need to make safer choices. 

For example, schools could incorporate drug and addiction education into their health classes, which cover nutrition, reproductive health, and other crucial areas of personal health. Students would learn what drugs do to their brain and body, how to get help for addiction, and the deadly risks of illicit drug use and fentanyl. Importantly, schools can teach students how to use Narcan, which reverses an opioid overdose. Spreading awareness about fentanyl test strips and using clean needles promotes harm reduction. 

At home, parents can normalize discussions about drug use and its risks. One conversation can make kids aware of fentanyl, the dangers of addiction, and what to do if they start struggling with substance use or witness an overdose. Parents can reiterate how they’re there to help, listen, and connect their child to treatment when needed. 

Activities Over Lectures

While talking is essential to educate students on drugs and addictions, activities can seal their understanding. One in-school program shows how sugar and salt mixed into a glass pitcher of water look the same3—indiscernible to the eye, like fentanyl-laced pills. Students mixed each solution and saw firsthand how they couldn’t tell the 2 apart. This can have a greater impact than just hearing it.

Real-Life Stories

Stories from people who have gone through addiction can highlight both the dangers of substance use and the hope available in treatment. Schools can invite speakers with lived experiences to describe their realities with drug use, treatment, and preventive measures they found beneficial (or think would have helped them).

Seeing someone who recovered from an addiction offers inspiration and fights the stigma surrounding substance use and mental health conditions. Students see how untrue many stereotypes about addiction and those with a substance use disorder really are, which can boost their willingness to get help or start conversations with friends. 

Lessons Learned and Future Directions

Just Say No’s failure showed the complexity and multifaceted nature of addiction. Simply declining to take drugs wasn’t an effective strategy for most people. Learning why they shouldn’t take drugs, how to do it safely if they choose to, and knowing how to reverse an overdose promises tangible change.

It’s a bit too early to tell how much of an impact this will have as more and more schools and households adopt an education-first approach to drug use prevention. Many professionals agree meeting teens where they’re at should be the first effort3, whether they’re in active addiction, curious about drinking or using drugs, or ambivalent to drug use. 

With these changes, we can shift the way an entire generation views addiction and mental health, save lives, and reduce the negative impacts addiction has on teens and their families.

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FMLA for Mental Health: What You Should Know

If you’re struggling with anxiety or depression that’s impacting your ability to work, you’re certainly not the only one. Millions of Americans face mental health challenges—but the good news is, you might be eligible for time off to focus on getting better. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) offers unpaid leave for qualified medical reasons, including mental health conditions.

Here’s everything you need to know about using FMLA for mental health.

Can You Use FMLA for Mental Health?

The FMLA covers mental health conditions.1 If your mental health significantly impacts your ability to work, you might qualify for FMLA leave. This allows you to take unpaid time off without fear of losing your job. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) explains: 

An eligible employee may take FMLA leave for their own serious health condition, or to care for a spouse, child, or parent because of a serious health condition. A serious health condition can include a mental health condition.

What Is FMLA?

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a U.S. law that provides eligible employees with unpaid, job-protected leave for specific family and medical reasons. This means you can take time off work to address serious health conditions, including mental health issues, or to care for a sick family member. FMLA is designed to help employees balance work, personal health, and family responsibilities.

Reasons for Leave

Treating the Employee’s Own Health Condition

The FMLA allows employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for their health.2 According to the DOL,

An eligible employee may take up to 12 work weeks of leave for their own serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform their essential job duties.

This includes both physical and mental health issues. If your anxiety or depression significantly interferes with your ability to work, you may qualify for FMLA leave to seek treatment. You may consult with your healthcare provider to determine if your condition qualifies.

Caring for a Family Member

The FMLA also allows employees to take unpaid leave to care for a family member3 with a serious health condition. The DOL specifies, 

Leave may also be taken to provide care for a spouse, child, or parent who is unable to work or perform other regular daily activities because of a serious health condition. Providing care includes providing psychological comfort and reassurance that would be beneficial to a family member with a serious health condition who is receiving inpatient or home care. FMLA leave for the care of a child with a serious health condition is generally limited to providing care for a child under the age of 18.   

This also includes caring for an adult child with a disability:4 

A parent may use FMLA leave to care for a child 18 years of age or older who is in need of care because of a serious health condition, if the individual is incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.

Whether you need to provide physical care, emotional support, or attend medical appointments, using FMLA for mental health can offer some flexibility during times when you have extra family responsibilities.

Who Qualifies for FMLA?

To qualify for FMLA leave,5 eligible employees need to meet the following criteria: 

  • Work for a company with at least 50 employees within a 75-mile radius
  • Have worked for the company for at least a year 
  • Clocked 1,250 hours in the past 12 months

If you meet these criteria, you can apply for FMLA leave for mental health reasons.

What Mental Health Conditions Qualify FMLA Leave?

The FMLA covers a broad range of mental health conditions. This includes most common disorders:

Conditions like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other serious mental illnesses are also typically covered under FMLA.6 According to the DOL,

A disability under the ADA is a mental or physical condition that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual, such as working. Major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia are a few examples of mental health conditions that may substantially limit one or more of an individual’s major life activities when active. A mental health condition requiring an overnight stay in a hospital or residential medical care facility would be a qualifying serious health condition under the FMLA. 

You can start by consulting with your healthcare provider to determine if your specific condition qualifies. 

Can You Get Paid Leave for Mental Health?

While FMLA provides job protection for unpaid leave related to mental health, it doesn’t guarantee paid time off. However, some employers offer additional paid leave options, like sick days or short-term disability, which may cover absences related to mental health. State laws also vary, with some providing paid family and medical leave benefits. Currently, 13 states have passed legislation to fund medical leave programs.7 Coverage varies according to your specific situation, so check your employer’s policies and state laws to understand your options.

Will My Boss Discriminate Against Me for Taking FMLA?

While the FMLA provides important protections,8 it’s normal to worry about potential discrimination or retaliation from your employer. However, the law prohibits employers from taking adverse actions against employees who use FMLA leave, including for mental health conditions. According to the DOL, employers are prohibited from interfering with employees’ right to take FMLA leave, as well as discriminating or retaliating those who do so. The following actions are also not allowed:

  • Refusing to authorize FMLA leave for an eligible employee
  • Discouraging an employee from using FMLA leave
  • Manipulating an employee’s work hours to avoid responsibilities under the FMLA
  • Using an employee’s request for or use of FMLA leave as a negative factor in employment actions, such as hiring, promotions, or disciplinary actions

Taking FMLA leave is your right. You shouldn’t have to worry about losing your job or facing negative consequences because you’re taking the time you need to care for your mental health. If you believe your rights have been violated, you may consult with an employment attorney. 

Who Can Fill Out FMLA Paperwork for Mental Health?

Typically, a healthcare provider, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or therapist, can complete the FMLA paperwork certifying your need for leave due to a mental health condition. They’ll provide the necessary information about your diagnosis and a treatment plan to support your FMLA request. While your employer doesn’t need to know your medical history, they can “request that you provide medical certification containing sufficient medical facts to establish that you are using FMLA leave for a qualifying serious health condition.”9

How to Apply for FMLA for Mental Health

Applying for FMLA leave for mental health reasons might seem daunting, but understanding the process can make it easier. Here’s a general guide:

  1. Inform your employer: Start by notifying your HR department or supervisor about your need for leave due to a mental health condition. While it’s not always required, providing 30 days’ notice is ideal.
  2. Complete FMLA paperwork: Your HR contact can help you with the FMLA paperwork.10 This usually includes a request form and a medical certification form.
  3. Obtain medical certification: Schedule an appointment with your mental health provider to complete the medical certification form. This document confirms that your condition qualifies for FMLA leave.
  4. Submit required documents: Return the completed FMLA paperwork and medical certification to your employer.
  5. Understand your rights: Familiarize yourself with FMLA regulations and with your employer’s leave policies. This knowledge empowers you to protect your rights around requesting and taking leave.

Everyone’s situation is unique. If you run into any difficulties, consider consulting with an employment attorney for guidance.

Employee Requirements 

Employees have responsibilities when taking FMLA leave:11 

  • You must provide your employer with sufficient notice when your need for leave is foreseeable.
  • You’ll need to cooperate with your employer in providing medical certification. 
  • While on leave, you may need to periodically update your employer on your status, especially if your return-to-work date changes. 

Follow your employer’s specific FMLA policies for accurate guidance.

Employer Requirements

Employers also have specific obligations under FMLA:12

  • They must provide eligible employees with unpaid, job-protected leave for qualified medical and family reasons. 
  • They have to maintain your group health insurance coverage during your leave. 
  • Upon return, they must reinstate you to your same position, or an equivalent position with equal pay and benefits. 

When it comes to FMLA and mental health, it’s important for both employers and employees to understand their rights and responsibilities. To learn more about how to talk to your employer, see our article on requesting time off work to go to rehab. 

Find Treatment for Mental Health

Taking care of your mental health is a priority—even if it means having a difficult conversation with your employer. If you’re struggling with a mental health concern that’s impacting your ability to function at work, look for professional help today. 

Frequently Asked Questions About FMLA for Mental Health

What mental health conditions qualify for FMLA leave?

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) covers a range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. If these conditions significantly limit your ability to work, you may qualify for FMLA leave. Consult your healthcare provider to determine if your condition qualifies.

Can FMLA leave be used to care for a family member with a mental health condition?

Yes, FMLA leave can be used to care for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious mental health condition. This includes providing physical care, emotional support, or attending medical appointments. The leave offers flexibility for family responsibilities during challenging times.

Does FMLA protect against job loss due to mental health leave?

Yes, FMLA provides job protection for eligible employees taking unpaid leave for mental health reasons. Employers cannot interfere with your right to take FMLA leave or retaliate against you for doing so. Your position or an equivalent role must be available upon your return.

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Can You Be Predisposed to Addiction?

Your genes affect your hair color, height, personality, and even your music taste. But can they go so far as predisposing you to a substance or behavioral addiction? Research says yes—but the reasons aren’t as cut-and-dried as having a certain gene or not. 

But in any case, it’s crucial to note that being predisposed to addiction doesn’t mean you’ll become addicted. Other factors contribute much more heavily to addiction, like your environment, life situation, past traumas, and more.

When The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree

Certain genetic functions and traits can pass through families and predispose you to addiction, much like being predisposed to a condition like diabetes, depression, or heart diseases. The DNA you inherit can make you up to twice as likely to develop an addiction compared to someone with a different genetic makeup. 

So if your parents or grandparents have had an addiction, you’re more likely to develop one too. The likelihood varies slightly by substance, but hovers around 2x for most. 

This phenomenon has been meticulously studied and documented, mainly because it can seem so counterintuitive. If you see first-hand how an addiction has hurt a parent and affected your life, falling into the same patterns would seem like the last thing you’d expect to happen. But those genetic variables, plus your environment and life history, can turn casual substance use into an addiction right under your nose.

Genes Related to Addiction

Several genes code for different traits and predispositions that can lead to addiction. These genetic influences show a pattern of causation, but the exact reasons for those patterns isn’t as well-known or understood, yet. Here are a few examples of specific genes and genetic variants that can predispose someone to addiction:

  • One variation of the dopamine receptor gene can make you more susceptible to the addictive effects of substances because it changes how substances influence your brain’s reward pathway.
  • Variations in genes Per1 and Per2 can trigger someone (especially a teenager) to drink more alcohol than another, especially when stressed.  
  • People can be more likely to develop an alcohol or opioid addiction if they have a certain variation in their mu opioid receptor gene.
  • Dual copies of a gene called CHRNA5 makes people twice as likely to become addicted to nicotine, since the coding of that gene makes cells more sensitive to nicotine.

Is There an “Addiction Gene?”

In short, no. No one gene codes someone to become addicted to substances. And even for the genetic variations that can lead to addiction, it’s not a given that having those WILL make you addicted. That’s because addiction is the product of much more than your DNA. 

While there are “risk genes,” these aren’t the same as a gene that guarantees addiction. More often, genetic addiction risks relate to how your brain processes risk and reward, and if you’re more or less impulsive. How your brain regulates dopamine signaling also contributes to addiction risk, which is determined by your genes and various genetic variants.  

The Role of Epigenetics

Your behaviors and environment can activate or deactivate parts of your genes, a process called epigenetics. These changes aren’t to the DNA itself, but rather how your body reads and interprets genetic sequences. This can result in more or less proteins being made and when your body makes it, which can have cascading effects throughout your body. Epigenetic changes are reversible, unlike DNA mutations. They’re also what determines the function of your cells, like whether they become heart cells or nerve cells. 

A change in your behavior or environment could result in an epigenetic change that makes you more susceptible to addiction. For example, a highly stressful situation (like job loss) could vary how your body reads a sequence of DNA, triggering the small biochemical changes that make you more susceptible to addiction—like altering how your reward pathway handles dopamine. 

The epigenetic changes that make addiction more likely can happen with or without the inherited changes that can predispose you to addiction. 

Stress and Trauma as Triggers for Change

Trauma at any stage in your life can result in epigenetic changes, designed to help you survive in some way. These changes can also be passed down from a mother to her child. For example, mothers who experience greater stress and poor nutrition during pregnancy pass down epigenetically altered genes and the higher risk for diseases and addiction.

Chronic stress associated with trauma or other events can change how genes are expressed. The hormone released when we’re stressed, glucocorticoids, makes these changes through epigenetics. Other physiological changes related to hormones like adrenaline and cortisol also make epigenetic changes, altering how genes are read and expressed. When these changes affect your reward pathway, decision-making skills, and dopamine levels, you can become more predisposed to addiction.

Environment: The Other Side of The Coin

Your environment greatly affects if you do or don’t become addicted to substances or a behavior, like gambling. Did you grow up around others who used substances, or in a traumatic and chaotic home? Did your peers at school normalize substance use? Is instability and stress a daily norm for you?

Factors like these strongly contribute to both substance use and mental health conditions like depression, complex post-traumatic stress disorder (c-PTSD), and more. 

Social pressures make up your environment, too. If everyone around you uses substances, you’re more likely to as well. They might even encourage it as a bonding mechanism. Being genetically predisposed to addiction can make these environmental influences all the more impactful.

Would Knowing Risk Levels Lower Addiction Rates?

If you knew you had a higher risk of addiction based on your genes, would you be less likely to drink or take drugs? Some people might, but not everyone.

Studies found genetic risks don’t usually inspire changes in behavior. Risk doesn’t equal sureness, so people may not feel they need to make any changes. 

However, some people would find that information invaluable, much like discovering their genetic risks for cancer could help them navigate its prevention and treatment. It might inspire them to them take the appropriate steps to screen for it regularly and catch it early on. Depending on their risk levels, they may make changes to their lifestyle and diet to lower their risk of developing cancer. 

Similarly, someone who knows they’re at-risk to develop addiction can make lifestyle adjustments (like not drinking) and work on stress-management to lower their risk.

Knowing Your Risk Without Genetic Testing

You don’t need lab results to let you know if you’re predisposed to addiction or more likely to develop it. While that’s the most accurate route, you can also take a look into your past.

Did you have a parent or grandparent that struggled with addiction? You’ve likely inherited small genetic variations that make it more likely for yourself. And, that might also mean you’ve grown up in an environment that would contribute to addiction’s development. You may have PTSD, a mental health condition, or chronic stress from an unstable household or emotionally unavailable parenting, which can all heighten your chances of addiction.

Reflect on how drinking or taking drugs makes you feel—this can be another great indicator of your addiction risk, but it takes mindfulness and being willing to recognize issues. Ask yourself,

  • Do you feel markedly less afraid, anxious, or stressed after drinking or taking drugs? 
  • Do you like yourself better after you’ve drank or taken drugs?
  • Do you feel like you need it?

Recognizing these results early on and proceeding cautiously can prevent casual use from becoming an addiction. You may decide to abstain all together if the potential for addiction feels too great. The choice is yours.