Alcohol & Social Anxiety: Your Best Friend or Your Frenemy?

We’ve all been there—you want to be social, have fun, and connect with people, but your social anxiety is doing everything in its power to hold you back. Then enters alcohol, promising to be your new best friend, taking the edge off and making socializing easier. But sometimes, alcohol isn’t the friend you think it is. In fact, it can be more like a frenemy—seemingly helping you in the moment but making things worse in the long run.

Does Alcohol Really Help Social Anxiety?

If you experience social anxiety, your goal in social situations is probably to decrease your inhibitions—something alcohol is known to do quite well. But here’s the catch: alcohol doesn’t come with a fine-tuned dial to adjust just how much inhibition gets lowered. Instead, it can throw that dial all the way to the extreme, leaving you vulnerable to missteps you wouldn’t normally make.

Alcohol can make you feel funnier, more charismatic, and charming, ...

What Happens When the Person You Love Most Loses Themselves to Opiate Addiction?

Losing someone to opiate addiction is a heart-wrenching experience—especially when that person is your partner, your confidant, the one you vowed to stand by through thick and thin. In this post, we explore the unique challenges and emotional turmoil faced by those who love someone battling opioid addiction. Whether you're just starting to notice signs or have been grappling with this crisis for years, understanding the insidious nature of opiate addiction can be the first step toward reclaiming your life and protecting your family.

Understanding the Hidden Nature of Opiate Addiction

One of the most perplexing aspects of opioid addiction is its ability to hide in plain sight. Unlike other addictions, the early stages of opiate dependency can be deceptive:

• Subtle Behavioral Changes:
  Many people assume that if someone isn’t visibly intoxicated, there’s nothing to worry about. With opiate addictio...

Do Addicts Mean the Hurtful Things They Say? Understanding Addiction and Empathy

Have you ever wondered, Do addicts mean the hurtful things they say? If so, you’re not alone. This is a question I recently received from a viewer, and I know many of you may be struggling with the same concern.

So, let’s break it down—do they mean it? The answer is yes, no, and sometimes. Confusing, right? Let’s dive deeper so you can understand when they mean it when they don’t and why addiction often seems to strip away empathy.

How Addiction Affects Thoughts, Emotions, and Behavior

People in active addiction are often operating from a place of intoxication, desperation, or defensiveness—and all three can impact what they say and how they act. Understanding these states can help you make sense of their words and behavior.

1. Intoxication: Truth, Distortion, and No Filter

Substances like alcohol and drugs alter brain function, making it hard for a person to regulate their emotions and thoughts.

Setting Boundaries with a Loved One Struggling with Addiction: Avoid These 3 Common Mistakes

Loving someone with an addiction is incredibly difficult and heartbreaking. Of course, you want to help them, but you also have to protect yourself. And as you probably already know, that can be very, very challenging. Keep reading to discover crucial tips on avoiding the top three most common boundary mistakes—and what to do instead.

These top three boundary mistakes might not be what you’re expecting, so stay with me—there’s logic behind them.

Boundary Mistake #1: Setting Too Many Boundaries

When you love someone with an addiction, their substance use impacts not just them but you, too. It’s completely natural to want to control their behavior in an attempt to shield yourself from the chaos. This often leads to setting too many boundaries—rules about what they can and cannot do, expecting them to comply.

But here’s the catch: boundaries are about what you will and won’t accept, not a...

Loving an Addict: How It Impacts You and How to Take Back Control

Loving an addict or alcoholic can make you feel like you're losing your mind. While "crazy" may not be a clinical term, it's the only word that captures the emotional chaos so many of us experience in these situations. You lose yourself, your sense of stability, and sometimes, even your identity. If this resonates with you, know you're not alone—and you're in the right place.

I’m Amber Hollingsworth, a master addiction counselor with over 20 years of experience. On my YouTube channel, I aim to help families navigate the impact of addiction. We will unpack the emotional toll of loving someone with addiction, the mental rollercoaster you’re on, and—most importantly—how to start reclaiming your sanity.

The Emotional Rollercoaster

When you're closely connected to someone struggling with addiction, your emotional brain (your limbic system) syncs up with theirs. It's almost magnetic. Ever notice how being around anxiou...

Gray Area Thinking: Understanding Addiction on the Spectrum

Addiction isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. It exists on a spectrum, with a gray area between casual use and full-blown addiction. This "gray area thinking" is where many people find themselves—not sure if their substance use is problematic, yet not identifying as an addict or alcoholic. If that resonates with you, you’re in the right place.

In today’s blog, we’ll explore gray area thinking, how it differs from gray area drinking, and what you can do if you’re navigating this confusing middle ground.

Signs of Gray Area Thinking

Gray area thinking often involves conflicting feelings about your substance use. You may:

1. Vacillate between concern and dismissal – You promise yourself to cut back but later convince yourself it's not a big deal.
2. Avoid discussing your substance use – Fear of judgment or pressure to change makes you reluctant to open up.
3. Experience negative impacts – Your substance use may not dominate you...

Could Ozempic Be the Key to Tackling Addiction?

You’ve probably heard all the buzz about Ozempic, hailed by many as a breakthrough weight-loss drug. But did you know its active ingredient, semaglutide, might also hold promise in a completely different area—addiction? That’s right, folks are buzzing about its potential to curb addictive behaviors, and while there’s no published research on it just yet, the anecdotal evidence is piling up. Let’s dive in.

From Weight Loss to Addiction Control?

Semaglutide works by mimicking a hormone that helps you feel full faster, which is why it’s so effective for weight loss. But here’s where things get interesting: countless users on platforms like Reddit are claiming that the drug has unexpectedly helped them reduce or eliminate other behaviors, from drinking and smoking to compulsive shopping and even skin-picking.

While these are just personal stories (not hard science), the consistency of these experiences is enough to make you wonder—cou...

Running on Empty: How to Refill Your Cup When Supporting a Loved One with Addiction

Supporting someone struggling with addiction is one of the toughest roads to walk. You love them, you care for them, and you want to help them through this dark journey. But let’s be real: you’re exhausted, anxious, and maybe even resentful. You're running on fumes, and then you stumble upon advice to “stay positive” or “listen more patiently.” And you think to yourself, "How am I supposed to do that when I’ve got nothing left to give?"

The Empty Cup Dilemma

You’ve probably heard the saying: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” And right now, your cup is bone dry. In this guide, we’re going to talk about how to refill your emotional reserves so you can continue being the supportive, loving person you want to be. Your needs matter, too.

I’m Amber Hollingsworth, a Master Addiction Counselor, and on my YouTube channel, Put The Shovel Down, I focus on both perspectives: the person dealing with addic...

Unlock Self-Awareness and Transform Your Life with These 3 Questions

Too often, we move through our days on autopilot, never stopping to reflect on the motivations behind our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. But what if you took a few moments each day to pause, reflect, and ask yourself three transformational questions? These questions can unlock self-awareness, help you grow personally, and strengthen your relationships.

Whether you're on a personal recovery journey or navigating family recovery, self-awareness and self-honesty are essential for lasting change. These daily reflections will challenge you to get honest with yourself and build the habit of integrity over time.

Here are the three powerful questions to ask yourself every night.

1. Was I Resentful Today?

Resentment can quietly build, turning into self-pity and leading to poor decisions. It’s like a low-level anger that simmers under the surface. Identifying resentment is critical for personal growth and recovery ...

5 Signs You Might Be Enabling Your Loved One’s Addiction

Enabling goes beyond simply paying someone’s bills or letting them stay under your roof. It’s a deeper, more complex dynamic that can keep your loved one stuck in unhealthy patterns. In this post, we’ll walk through five major signs that you might be enabling someone struggling with addiction. Think about each sign as you read—does it resonate with your experience?

If you're here, you're likely concerned that you might be enabling someone you care about. 

So, let’s explore the five signs that you might be enabling:

1. Shielding Them from Natural Consequences
If your loved one isn’t facing the natural outcomes of their actions, they might not see a reason to change. Natural consequences happen when someone’s actions lead to logical results, like missing work and getting fired. On the other hand, punishment is something you impose in response to bad behavior. By stepping in and fixing their problems, they might feel like every...