Using Al-Anon Slogans to Heal Post Holiday Depression

Depression and I go back a long way. Some of my worst bouts of depression have happened during or after the holidays. If you're coping with depression, particularly post-holiday letdown, here are some tips. I've tried many different techniques to heal or at least just cope with my depression. About 10 years ago, I tried Al-Anon, the companion support group for Alcoholics Anonymous. I discovered that Al-Anon principles were useful for treating a gamut of emotional issues, including depression. Some of the most helpful components of Al-Anon, for me, are the recovery slogans. Addiction A-Z lists a collection of slogans for all different sorts of situations. There are general helpful reality checks and mental health tools, too. Read more

Al Anon--What the Stinking Thinking of Addiction Looks Like

One mistake we make in health care is to separate emotional/mental health issues from physical health issues. Last time I checked my mind and spirit were housed in my body. Physical health affects mental health and vice versa. And behavior is an outward manifestation of inward processes (aka thoughts and feelings). To be truly healthy, we've got to get our thoughts, actions and feelings working together on the same page.

Addictive behavior is driven by distorted emotions stemming from unhealthy thoughts. In his recovery manual "Addictive Thinking: Understanding Self-Deception," Abraham J. Twerski says these thoughts are sometimes called "stinking thinking" (coined in Alcoholics Anonymous). Stinking thinking doesn't always go away just because an addict quits. Alanon says real recovery means identifying dysfunctional thoughts and replacing them with healthier ones. Here are some examples of sick things addicts tell themselves.
 What the Stinking Thinking of Addiction Looks Like 

Al Anon Recovery--How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Heals Negative Thoughts, Depression

I wouldn't say depression and I are friends, but we're definitely old acquaintances. I've tried different therapies to treat my depression. Counseling, journaling, herbal treatments, antidepressant medications, self-help books-each has helped me in some way. The best treatment I've found is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), also called Rational Emotive therapy. The National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists (NACBT) says CBT is a collection of techniques which seeks to root out the distorted thinking that causes unhealthy behavior. How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Heals Negative Thoughts, Depression