Addiction, Recovery and Relationships Blog

Diagnosing Addiction: The sooner addiction is detected the more favorable the prognosis.

2007-11-26T14:51:00Z

Diagnosing Addiction by Daniel Linder MA, MFT as featured in September, 2007 issue of Recovery Today. When it comes to treatment, “rule of thumb” is: The sooner addiction is detected the more favorable the prognosis. The goal is always to intervene as early as possible. The reasoning is simple – addiction worsens over time, related problems mount and it becomes more entrenched and impervious to treatment. However, more times than not, by the time the addict enters treatment, the addiction has progressed...(read more)

"No Intimate Relationships During the First Year of Sobriety!"

2007-11-26T14:49:00Z

"No Intimate Relationships During the First Year of Sobriety!" by Daniel Linder MA, MFT, as featured in March 2007 issue of Recovery Today. Recovering addicts hear this all the time in 12-step programs. However, this sound bit of wisdom is rarely heeded. Many have a hard time accepting that a hiatus from intimate relationships is necessary. In their minds, dating and new relationships seem benign. “As long as I’m not using and we’re not using and are in a program, I’m safe.” Not so fast. Getting...(read more)

Question regarding "Isn't your Relationship Model of Addiction just a summary for co-dependency?"

2007-11-26T13:20:00Z

From an anonymous author: Isn't your Relationship Model of Addiction just a summary for codependency? A relationship model of addiction seems to put under the microscope the various relationships of subject and source ... subject and subject, for example, addict and gambling, addict to addict. Isn't all human behavior based on a relationship model? I suppose it is interesting that this can be seen as new news, but I thought that this was how things were all along. For instance, I used to be a musician....(read more)

Question regarding "Relationship with a Source of Relief?"

2007-11-26T13:10:00Z

from an anonymous author: I appreciate your efforts in writing about this subject, I find it fascinating. You mentioned, "The ‘relief’ that the ‘relationship with a source of relief’ provides is from pain or frustration related to unmet emotional needs." This is interesting to wrap my mind around because I know of a few people, including myself, who struggled in their relationships with a notion of a Higher Power or a G-d. They are recovering devout people :) I say that partially joking, but many...(read more)

Introducing… The Relationship Model of Addiction

2007-11-26T13:00:00Z

As featured in the June, 2007 issue of Recovery Today In inherent limitation of the medical model is ignoring the fact that ‘pathological dependence’ implies that a relationship, one that is emotional and psychological in nature, has formed with the substance or activity (i.e. gambling, porn, etc.) The ‘pathological dependency’ is a pathological relationship, one in which there is continuous and increasing emotional involvement. The relationship with a source of relief that serves primarily to provide...(read more)