If you struggle with substance abuse, you may have intense feelings of loneliness, isolation, and disconnection. You may feel uncomfortable asking others for help. And when faced with difficult emotions, it's easy to fall into the habit of numbing and avoiding emotional pain with drugs and alcohol, which can leave you feeling even more shame and despair. So, how do you break this cycle and create real connections that will reward you with relief, belonging, and a sense of safety?
The exercises in this workbook are based in proven-effective emotionally focused therapy (EFT)—an innovative approach for transforming the pain of addiction into a sense of love, community, and connection. Step by step, you'll build a solid foundation of self-compassion to help you heal from the underlying causes that drove you to self-medicate in the first place. Instead of trying to dull the pain at the core of your addiction, you'll discover how to develop a safety net of relationships to protect you. The more emotionally fluent you become, the more you'll learn to rely on your support network in times of distress—and the less likely you'll be to reach for substances. As you remove the obstacles that block healthy connection to others, you'll begin to resolve the pain buried deep within, and replace your addiction with a reliable, caring connection with others—and with yourself!