Addiction Archives - Page 4 of 9 - Jeremy Mast, MS, MDiv, LMFT

If You’re Looking for Substance Abuse Treatment in Ventura County, Read This

Posted on December 22, 2018

If you love someone who is struggling with a drug addiction or a substance use disorder, chances are you’re in crisis mode. Most likely, something has happened—again—that’s prompted you to seek out addiction counseling for your loved one or family member—again.

You’re scared for your loved one. Probably, you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and lot a little resentful. “Why does this keep happening?” you say to yourself. “He needs to really work his program this time. He didn’t work hard enough last time.”

Meanwhile, you wonder if you’re codependent. At least, that’s what most of what you’ve read says. You struggle with the line between supportive love and destructive caretaking. So much of what you do seems to alienate your loved one. And he’s not getting any better. After all, this has happened before. Will this time be different?

The good news is that yes, this time can be different.

Create Your Optimal Use Plan

Posted on December 14, 2018

in Addiction, Alcohol, Healing

by Jeremy Mast

The New Year is right around the corner. Many make resolutions to change their relationship with alcohol or a substance, resolving to use it less or not at all.

Maybe you’re working on this already. If changing your pattern of using or drinking is important to you, perhaps it’s time to consider creating what’s called an optimal use plan.

An optimal use plan is a hypothetical plan or vision that you can create on your own, with the help of a loved one, or ideally a therapist. It’s a “working plan” that will help you name your goals for your drinking or using and includes strategies for how to achieve them.

So how do you create one? Let’s dive in.

Master Your Recovery Mindset

Posted on December 7, 2018

in Addiction, Alcohol, Porn Addiction, Sex Addiction

by Jeremy Mast

If you’re in trying to change your relationship with alcohol, a drug, sex, porn, or some other addictive behavior, you know it’s not a cakewalk. I want to walk you through an exercise today that will hopefully call attention to recurring thoughts that might be getting in the way of you reaching your goals.

I’m going to try something different here. I’m going to ask you to notice your first reactions to the statements that I’m going to give you. But in order for it to work, you have to promise to pause after you read each statement, taking note of what you’re thinking.

So don’t read on until you do that, okay? But first, a few words about why this is important. Let’s dive in.

Changing the Conversation with Your Addict

Posted on December 1, 2018

in Addiction, Alcohol, Porn Addiction, Sex Addiction

by Jeremy Mast

If you’re in recovery, and especially if you frequent 12-step meetings, it’s not uncommon to hear about the “addict” in each person who struggles with addictive behavior. Often, using this term in this way refers to that part of the individual that wants to use, act out, or wreak havoc in some other way that is harmful to others.

I completely understand, then, why when I hear folks use this term in this way, they’re trying to prevent that damage from happening. They don’t want to lie anymore. They don’t want to hurt their partner with the “addict’s” hurtful words. And they really don’t want to use or act out.

So why am I about changing the conversation with your addict?

Navigating Family Gatherings When You’re in Pain

Posted on November 21, 2018

in Addiction, Anxiety, Depression, Porn Addiction, Relationships, Sex Addiction

by Jeremy Mast

During my drinking days, there were holiday seasons when I was really struggling. I remember being so anxious about what was going on in my life and so ashamed about my drinking that I really didn’t feel like talking to anyone.

With the holiday season upon us, so are the joys unique to this time of year. But if you’re struggling with depression, anxiety, if you’re reeling from an intimate betrayal, dealing with an addiction, or whatever, the holidays can be a tough time of year.

Family gatherings can present challenges. How do you deal with your family, who may have contributed to your pain in the first place? How much do you tell about what’s going on for you? Let’s take a walk through some ways of navigating family gatherings when you’re in pain that might help, no matter what’s going on in your life.

A Tale of Two Selves: Leading a Double Life

Posted on November 16, 2018

in Addiction, Infidelity, Porn Addiction, Sex Addiction

by Jeremy Mast

By all appearances, Gary (who’s not real, by the way) is a successful businessman, a loving father and husband, even an elder at his church. He is respected in his social circles, esteemed in his business, and loved by his family.

Behind the facade, though, Gary leads a very different life. He watches porn, though far less than he used to as his interest in getting massages with happy endings at local parlors has taken off. He slips in visits with prostitutes at hotels in the area between meetings, skimming money from his business to hide it from his wife. He covers his tracks, making sure that his secret life stays a secret.

Gary comes to see me because afraid he may have an STD and he’s not sure what to do. More than that, he confides he’s getting tired of the effort required to maintain his double life. Gary is typical of the clients that I see that are struggling sexual behaviors that have gotten out of hand.

And, like many of my clients, he wonders how things got this far, why keeps doing what he does, and how he could live two such drastically different lives.

The answer? In a word, shame.

How to Find an Addiction Counselor

Posted on November 7, 2018

in Addiction, Alcohol, Porn Addiction, Sex Addiction

by Jeremy Mast

Finding the right help for an addiction isn’t easy. These days, there are quite a few options. Do you choose inpatient or outpatient substance abuse treatment? Intensive outpatient? An online recovery program?

And what do you do if you know you also have concerns about your mental health at the same time? How should you decide what you should do if you need chemical dependency treatment and also need help with your depression, anxiety, or some other mental health issue?

Navigating all of this can be tricky, but there are a few considerations that might be helpful as you find an addiction counselor to begin your recovery.

Why Overcoming Addiction Isn’t About Getting Sober

Posted on November 1, 2018

in Addiction, Alcohol, Porn Addiction, Sex Addiction

by Jeremy Mast

When we talk about overcoming addiction, successful recovery is often determined by abstinence or sobriety. That is, you’ve only beaten your addiction to the extent that you haven’t used, drank, or acted out.

This idea is so common in our culture that in 12-step circles, we measure the strength of one’s recovery in terms of “clean time,” or that period of time that’s elapsed since your last acted, used, or drank. Hang around recovery treatment centers long enough and you’re bound to hear things like, “He’s got 12 years,” or “I just got my 90 days.”

But here’s the thing: Overcoming addiction has nothing to do with how long you haven’t engaged in your addiction.

So what’s the real story with beating addiction?

Silencing the Inner Critic: Alcohol, Drugs, Porn, and Problematic Sex

Posted on October 10, 2018

in Addiction, Alcohol, Porn Addiction, Sex Addiction

by Jeremy Mast

Chances are if you’re reading this blog post, you know exactly what an “inner critic” is. In fact, I’m willing to bet you’re intimately familiar with what that inner critic sounds like.

You also know all too well what if feels like to be on the receiving end of his or her withering, ruthless self-criticisms and attacks.

I certainly do. As I’ve gotten better over the years at listening to how I talk to myself, I’ve noticed that I am my own worst critic. It’s a cliche for a reason as being harder on oneself than anyone else is a very common experience.

Let’s look at this inner critic and what it has to do with problematic drug use or sexual behaviors.

I Asked Myself This Question When I Thought About Drinking

Posted on September 19, 2018

in Addiction, Alcohol, Porn Addiction, Sex Addiction

by Jeremy Mast

I know it’s the weekend because that ‘s usually when I make my weekly trip to my local Trader Joe’s. Recently, I was thrilled to find pumpkin-flavored Kringles, which are a flaky, frosting-covered pastry that’s really close to the Dutch pastries I grew up with.

Ah, autumn. My 3 1/2-year-old son was pushing the cart and I threw one in amongst the peanut butter, pasta, bacon, vegetables, and other goodies.

Then I strolled over to the side of the store that had the wine, beer, beverages, and snacks. I added a few more items to the cart, double-checked my grocery list on my phone, and was ready to call it a day.

I walked over to the cashier with the shortest line and stood there, waiting. I sighed.

My eyes roamed for a moment as I allowed my mind to wander. That’s when I saw it.