I was so sad to hear of Whitney Houston’s demise. I would love to see people who are talented but are also addicted to drugs, living a long and productive life, but that rarely is the case. It would be nice to beat the odds. What was noticeable was Whitney having said that she is “the biggest devil is me, I am either my best friend or my own worst enemy”. There are rumours that her former marriage had rumblings of domestic abuse. Her past seems to suggest the pain she was trying to run away from. If you have pain, it is so important to try and face your own pain. Many people who take drugs and/or who are involving their time in unhealthy behaviours are doing just that, masking their pain, allaying their ‘enemy’. Continue reading
Category Archives: Addiction
“The biggest devil is me. I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy,” Whitney had said. We all need to make friends with our inner-devil.
Filed under Abuse, Addiction, Addiction Patterns, Celebrities, Depression
Amy Winehouse and Why Rehab needs to be Really Really Tough
Amy Winehouse
I read the sad news about Amy Winehouse’s death this week. I have felt the pain of working with people who live as addicts and those who love them too.
It is so unfortunate and in the life of someone with an addiction there is always the positive going on. The belief that things will be allright. Often permission giving messages are going on. Thoughts such as “I will be OK”, “Just this one time”, “I’ll stop tomorrow”, “I am in control of it and not it in control of me”, “It helps me create”. These messages and more keep going on. Then there are those who are around them who also unwittingly enable the addiction to continue. Addicts are like children who really want to have their next fix. The brain has surrendered to the substance. Continue reading
Filed under Abuse, Addiction, Addiction Patterns, Celebrities
Dominique-Strauss Kahn, The IMF ; Does Sex Addiction come into it?
Dominique Strauss-Kahn was the managing director of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and was reputed to have attacked a chambermaid at the Sofitel Hotel in New York. He was due to return to Europe to work on the monetary problems in the European Union but was instead arrested whilst waiting for the plane to take off. I am not sure what the trial will bring up but what has not been mentioned is that Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) could possibly be a sex-addict. The need to have sex with so many people and in different situations is one of the signs. It has not been a recent habit and he has a history of being referred to as a ‘great seducer’. Continue reading
Filed under Addiction, Addiction Patterns, Co-dependency, News, Politics, Psychology
Addictions and Lies – an addict cannot even trust themselves
Addictions are pernicious and do take over the lives of addicts. If someone you know or love is an addict. Beware. Tread carefully. It is easy to forget in the laughter. The sweet nature of who they really are is down there somewhere but the addiction hangs around like an overstaying guest. If the addict is you, really do see to it. The first step is always to become aware of it and and how it is affecting yours and others lives; then taking the steps to make it more and more conscious. If it is someone you love, a friend, relative, your partner, your child. It takes a lot out of you. From all the many people I have met, that tends to be harder then if the addict is yourself. We can sometimes get used and addicted to the addict remaining an addict. An addict is always dependent. Never free. The addiction takes a lot of time out of their lives, finding the cash, the search for the object, the secrecy and hiding, the relationship with others who maintain it; all adds to a way of behaviour which keeps it oscillating. Continue reading
Filed under Abuse, Addiction, Addiction Patterns, Co-dependency, Pathology
Dr Yaz Headley 