Love With Boundaries

Do you feel like life with your addict is full of chaos when they are in active addiction? You’re not alone!

Since late 1987, June 26th has been designated as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Almost 40 years later, it continues to be even more imperative to take action against the destruction that illegal drugs have had on addicts’ lives and on their families.

For Candace Plattor, this is a day of reflecting on her journey from addiction to opioids that were prescribed when she was originally diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, to helping hundreds of families navigate the challenges of addiction and ultimately heal. And since her last day using these drugs was July 18, 1987, it makes the timing of this day even more important for her.

Today’s article outlines steps loved ones can take to help addicts on their journey of recovery, and gives some serious consideration to what needs to happen in treatment programs to provide the best possible outcomes for a long-lasting recovery.

https://lovewithboundaries.com/blog/encouraging-family-participation-in-the-journey-toward-recovery-a-reflection-on-world-drug-day/

Encouraging Family Participation in the Journey Toward Recovery: A Reflection on World Drug Day Loved ones play a critical role in addiction recovery. Family involvement is key to a successful journey towards freedom from addiction.

Is codependency a self-protective behaviour?

Do you try to avoid having to deal with conflict in your life? When you love an addict, that may occur even more frequently.

"It is my responsibility to take care of myself, even though I have loved ones who will assist me when I need them. I understand that I am the centre of my own universe–as indeed we all are–and that is the way it’s supposed to be."

Are you taking care of yourself or putting the needs of others ahead of your own?

Love With Boundaries Offers Free Sessions for Families Affected by Addiction

Love With Boundaries Offers Free Sessions for Families Affected by Addiction Love With Boundaries is stepping forward with a lifeline for addicts and their families.

𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁❤

When we take better care of ourselves, we begin to feel much better holistically.

ℬℯ 𝒢ℯ𝓃𝓉𝓁ℯ 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒴ℴ𝓊𝓇𝓈ℯ𝓁𝒻

Anyone who is in a relationship with a practicing addict knows that there can be unexpected pitfalls around any corner. As we start picking up the pieces of our own lives, it’s important to be gentle and patient with ourselves.

We all have what I like to call an “inner GPS” that tells us when we are on track and when we aren’t.

We can know this by the way we feel inside.

It’s important for us to listen to this inner voice so that we can build up both our self-trust and our self-respect.

When we focus too much on the addict in our lives, we can lose ourselves in the process.

Asking ourselves some deeper questions and answering them as honestly as possible can help us find ourselves again. 💗

There is a wonderful saying that tells us “𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗸.”

Many loved ones of addicts don’t talk about their struggles or reach out for help because of the shame they feel for being in this situation. But until we ask for and receive the help we need, we don’t learn how to do things differently.

Recovery begins with self-awareness and with the willingness to ask for assistance when we need it.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗢𝗸𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽!

It's been almost 5 years since I presented my talk — 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 — at the .

Please take some time and watch it.

Does this resonate with you?

How to Love with Boundaries | Candace Plattor | TEDxBearCreekPark NOTE FROM TED: We've flagged this talk for falling outside TEDx's curatorial guidelines. This talk only represents the speaker’s personal experiences with ad...

Too often, we are taught that other people’s opinions of us matter more than our own self-care.

“What will the neighbours say?” is a refrain I heard often in my childhood. But now I know better.

Today I understand that how I feel about myself – my own self-respect – is the most important thing that I either have or don’t have.

Self-respect is no longer negotiable in my life – I will not be giving it up again.

Addiction can be a harsh reality, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the story. The Law of Attraction offers a path to recovery and a brighter future. If you’re seeking a new perspective, explore this law and let your emotions guide you to a happier, healthier life.

Read more about how to harness the law of attraction for recovery.

Having compassion for the addict you love does not mean that you continue to enable them.

Enabled addicts do not recover – because, really, why should they if others are going to do everything for them?

Having compassion means learning how to be emotionally healthy in your relationship with your addicted loved one, so that both of you – and your whole family – can truly recover.

What "choice" are you going to make?

We love receiving testimonials like this one from Suzanne.

Moving from self-doubt to peace through the Love With Boundaries Family Addictions Therapy sessions is possible.

Reach out today to book a FREE 30 Minute Consultation: https://lovewithboundaries.com/intake-questionnaire/

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚?

When we role model self-care and self-respect, rebuilding our own lives instead of putting everyone else’s needs ahead of our own, the addict in our lives sits up and takes notice.

As you begin to experience more joy and satisfaction in your life, different choice by different choice, you open the possibility for your addicted loved one to choose to do the same thing in their life. Is there a better example of a win-win than that?

From our 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗲 series:

It’s important to understand that addiction isn’t really about the actual problematic substance or behaviour.

What addiction is truly about is the underlying pain that people are unwilling to feel.

Is it okay for a drug addict in recovery to drink? It's important to understand that addiction isn’t really about the actual problematic substance or behaviour.

There are two aspects I know to be true when it comes to recovery from addiction:

#1 – Enabling and helping are very different actions;
and
#2 – If nothing changes, nothing changes.

When we continue to enable an addict, we basically assist them to remain in active addiction. I don’t see that as a loving act and if we are enabling, we need to learn how to stop doing that. When we help an addict, we tell them the truth and change our own behaviours, which gives them a fighting chance of recovery.

We need to love our addicts enough to stop supporting them in their addiction and instead to only support recovery.

We need to stop loving our addicts to death – and start loving them to life.

We need to learn the difference between enabling and helping, and this ebook outlines the difference.

https://lovewithboundaries.com/the-difference-between-helping-and-enabling/

Are you ready to give yourself the gift of self-care?

We love hearing from our clients, and we know how to help you.

Contact us today at Love With Boundaries. 💙

Get access to a free 30 minute consultation here: https://lovewithboundaries.com/intake-questionnaire/

How can we educate young people to understand that even experimenting with pot can be a slippery slope, particularly when the family doctor has said it’s harmless if they only smoke pot occasionally?

https://lovewithboundaries.com/blog/how-can-we-educate-young-people-about-drugs/

Are you able to put your own needs first?

There’s nothing wrong with doing something for someone we care about, as long as what we’re doing isn’t enabling that person to stay stuck in addiction. When we do that, our self-respect takes a hit, and we feel this inside.

It’s important to ask ourselves this question: Am I trying to ‘rescue’ someone so that I can feel better, or am I wanting to help them feel their own resiliency as they learn how to do things for themselves?

Do you have questions about Addiction Recovery?

Join us for our next Ask Candace LIVE! on Thursday, March 14 at 1pm PT/ 4pm ET.

This week Christine, one of our amazing therapists will be answering your questions and providing insight.

https://bit.ly/askcandacelivemar2024

Ask Candace LIVE! Bring your questions and get them answered LIVE

Candace Plattor is honoured to be a featured AVAIYA teacher, and we wanted to let you know you have one last chance to tune into classes with this group of relationship experts this week.

After you register, AVAIYA University will email you a link to watch the classes once the replays begin, from March 5th to the 7th.

Join Us For The Recovering From Narcissistic Parents Free Online Event AVAIYA University Presents 30 Therapists & More Sharing Strategies to Help You Recover From Narcissistic Parents & Heal Past Family Trauma.

Addicts need to understand their own resiliency.

Focusing all of your attention on the addict in your life – especially if they are still choosing to stay in active addiction – is not good for either of you. When we consistently do for them what they can – and should – be doing for themselves, we enable them by robbing them of the feeling of knowing their own resiliency. This keeps you in a state of worry and keeps the addict stuck in addictive behaviours.

Over 30 Relationship Experts, Trauma-Informed Therapists, Authors & More Share Life-Changing Strategies to Recover From Narcissistic Parents & Heal Past Family Trauma.

Save your seat for this online event now: https://plattor--avaiya.thrivecart.com/rfnp-special/

Join Us For The Recovering From Narcissistic Parents Free Online Event AVAIYA University Presents 30 Therapists & More Sharing Strategies to Help You Recover From Narcissistic Parents & Heal Past Family Trauma.

The only reason that millions of us are in recovery from addiction is because we have made the CHOICE, over and over again, one day at a time, to be in recovery.

If that wasn’t the case, those of us who are in recovery would still be in active addiction – or we would have died from our addiction.

Recovery is a choice, plain and simple.

The last of what I call a challenging trinity of holidays for loved ones of addicts is upon us: Valentine’s Day. Regardless of who the addict in your life is—your spouse, child, sibling, friend or parent—Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love in all its forms. But we often neglect to include loving ourselves, particularly if we’re alone, or in a dysfunctional relationship where all our energy is spent trying to figure out how to make it better. My relationship history is a perfect example of that.

Read more:

Valentine's Day Reimagined: From Codependency to Self-Love This Valentine's Day, whether you're in a relationship or not, consider what acts of self-love you can perform.

Candace Plattor is looking forward to being a speaker at the upcoming 𝗢𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 Virtual Summit on January 31 hosted by OHS Canada and Talent Canada.

This is a FREE event discussing Proactive Approaches to Tackle Substance Abuse Disorders.

Please register here to attend live or get access to the replay.
https://www.talentcanada.ca/virtual-events/opioids-in-the-workplace/

An addict’s manipulations will stop when we no longer allow it to happen.



https://lovewithboundaries.com/blog/an-addicts-manipulations-will-stop-when-we-no-longer-allow-it-to-happen/

We are pleased present Ask Candace LIVE! on January 11th at 1pm PT/ 4pm ET.

Read more in our Press Release on EIN Presswire - "Addressing Addiction in the Family: Love with Boundaries' Live Event Offers Hope Post-Holidays."

This event is crucial for the many families, world-wide, who faced the added stress of addiction during their first full-scale holiday gatherings post-COVID.

https://www.einpresswire.com/article/678620742/addressing-addiction-in-the-family-love-with-boundaries-live-event-offers-hope-post-holidays

Addressing Addiction in the Family: Love with Boundaries' Live Event Offers Hope Post-Holidays This event is crucial for the many families, world-wide, who faced the added stress of addiction during their first full-scale holiday gatherings post-COVID.