Usually people who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse or other forms of addictive behaviors come from a background of abuse or neglect or have experienced some kind of trauma when they were younger. Being in these situations, a child and/or a young person can experience various painful feelings such as fear, helplessness, shame, guilt, sadness and eventually hopelessness. Becoming overwhelmed by these emotions and not having anybody to help them and validate their feelings may lead to them learning to run away and avoid such feelings to protect against pain or become consumed by those feelings and act upon them impulsively. Later in life, they may use substances or engage in addictive and destructive activities to numb those painful feelings. Despite their effort in avoiding these emotions, they are stored implicitly in a deeper level of the brain and will be triggered more often than they may have expected.

These emotions that have been stored in a less conscious part of the brain may not be accessible verbally, but can be found symbolically in images that the person creates. Therefore, the goal of art therapy is to access these hidden and avoided emotions that once had the purpose of protecting the individual, but either have been denied or exaggerated and lost its purpose to rediscover their adaptive qualities.

Images in an art therapy session can simply be composed of a few lines, colors or pictures from a magazine to more elaborate drawings, clay sculptures and other forms of creativity. These images will give an expert art therapist the opportunity to help the recovering person uncover meanings behind the symbolic images, discover more information about oneself than just talking and open many deep thoughts and emotions. Participants in art therapy don’t need to have any skills in art.

Talking about feelings can be very frightening and painful for a person who has been avoiding them for a long time. This person may not even be able to verbally express him/herself, but may be able to express thoughts and feelings about past and present events and situations non=verbally through lines, shapes and pictures. Creating them can become a new form of communication which is less threatening and safer for the recovering person.

Individuals struggling with addiction are usually very judgmental of themselves and are flooded with shame and guilt. Creating art can give them a tangible, concrete perception of their feelings and thoughts and give them the opportunity to observe themselves from a distance which can help them gain a new, less judgmental and more compassionate understanding of self.

Recovering individuals may engage in a simple art project whenever they feel overwhelmed or have an urge to take drugs/alcohol or engage in an addictive activity to distract and sooth themselves. Creating can give them a sense of control over the situation and a tool to accept and manage overwhelming feelings. Using their hands while using art materials such as colored pencils, markers, crayons, clay, paper and scissors can help them release some of their avoided feelings such as anger and lower its intensity, and to sooth and calm themselves when they are anxious.

In general, in art therapy sessions, the recovering person will be given permission and opportunity to experience and express those feelings that he/she has been running away from and avoiding for a long time in a safe and supporting atmosphere, with the presence of an empathic professional psychotherapist /art therapist who will help him/her understand and make sense of those painful feelings, acknowledge and accept them with compassion, reduce their intensity and tolerate them, and finally use them effectively to fulfill their needs and goals.

First off, I want to make it clear that I know this forum is not to have a diagnosis of my problems. I am not writing here to be diagnosed, but before I take that step I wanted to have opinions from people that know what the problem is.

I don't tend to speak out my emotions and when I do it is mostly incomprehensible and missing a lot of "information". It is actually a lot easier to write them down, hence why I am here instead of talking to my friends or family. I can't tell them. Not when I don't know if I really do have a mental illness. If it wasn't true, I'd feel as though they'd see me as a pretentious little girl trying to find something to make her special which would be infuriating. I can't start going around telling everyone I'm bipolar when it could be a lie. And even if I was sure it were true, I can't speak out my emotions.

I feel like I can't seek help either. What if they think I'm just trying to find something wrong with myself? And even then, where do I go for help? I don't want to talk to my family, I don't want to talk to my friends. They tell you to talk to people in your environment: teachers, adults, friends. I can't go to a teacher, I'm not really close to either of them. It would just feel awkward talking to someone you barely know about problems your barely sure are real.

I think I might be bipolar. I mean, it came to my mind at first. Then I researched a little on the internet and found more and more similarities with myself. Eventually I took the tests, but I have no idea how reliable they are. They all told me I was bipolar, but I don't take it too seriously.

I guess I do have the mood swings. I have these moments where I feel so nice like nothing can stop my hapiness, like I can do anything. I want to talk to people even do I'm usually a shy, introverted person. People told me I talked a lot more and faster and high-pitched. Sometimes I can't sleep because I'm too hyper and have so many thaughts in mind. Then I have these moments where I don't want to speak to anyone, where everything makes me feel sad and depressed. I feel like I have no motivation, like nothing really matters because "whatever, we're all going to die one day" and sometimes when the depression gets to a great extent, I think about how easier it could be to just end it all, to not have to suffer social anxiety and life problems anymore.

At the same time, I don't think my problem is that big. My life isn't falling appart. I do tend to have problems to maintain relationships, but should I really seak out help or can I pray for it to pass away.

It has been sometime since I first thaught I had a mental illness. Vaguely, 4 or 5 months. I don't feel like I can or should talk to anyone. I put myself a dead-line: at then end of january, if i haven't figured it out I'm going out for help. I feel like its a stupid idea. Who needs a dead-line to finally seak help?

Again, I'm not asking for a diagnosis, but more of an unprofessional opinion. Should I try getting help although I'm not sure if my problem is real or if my problem is the right problem? Did anyone have the same problem as me in the past?

Thank you for answering, it would be a great help to here from people that I feel don't have as much affect on my life as my friends and family, but have more knowledge on the subject.

Hello I'm a teen boy and I'm having a real tough time I'm not 100% sure I have OCD but when I was younger I would always have thoughts of dying and got really scared and frightened of it and also stuff in my room I liked it to be in order also my dad had OCD symptoms when he was younger like if he felt a certain way he would walk on the white lines on a road so he'd fell better and stuff like that so since I was young boy I can remember I was always into girls I fantasised and felt emotionally and sexually attracted to them and there was no thought that crossed my mind I was gay I remember going to a leisure center with my mum at around 7 or 8 and I would get changed in to woman's (because i was to young to be by myself) I always found myself looking at the women and liked it when I saw them naked but when I was 9 I had to get changed in the male part and felt uncomfortable as they were all naked so Back to my story I started masterbating at a young age (around 9) and it would be over like nude chat shows on tv and stuff like that once I found porn I couldn't stop masterbating over straight and lesbian porn once I entered secoundry school I had a massive crush on this girl and couldn't stop thinking about her I also remember being very jealous when she got a boyfriend it all started when I entered year 9 a girl had asked me out (I had liked her) and I did but I was extremely shy around her in school and so I felt so shy around her I broke up with her and then she tiled a lot of people the reason why dumped her was because I was gay this made my life hell I lost so many mates but got over it .then after a while I started to question If I really was gay ? I started to test myself by watching gay porn which didn't arouse me (even when I tried to masterbate and it made me start to gag) then I'd watch lesbian porn and be aroused this would stop me obsessing for a while but it came back and my mind is saying that I didn't try tow masterbate to gay porn because you like it really so I started looking and asking on yahoo awnsers they all gave me awnsers like your probably gay/bi this made me doubt myself even more this is making me stressed and I hardly go out on the weekends incase I see a man and have sexual thoughts i try to have gay thoughts but they don't feel rightI'm also having grounal responses why is this happening ! I don't want to be with a man also I've been having gay dreams and these dreams I'm literally checking if I'm aroused like in my dream but I believe I'm in love with a girl at the moment ? Also I'm constantly looking at myself to see if I look gay also when I see someone and there looking at me while talking to someone I automatically think that they think I'm gay I am also worried that girls think I'm gay when I started doubting my sexuality I thought I was gay bit now I think I'm bisexual and now my mind is saying that I'm thinking that because it's true also when I look into my past and see one part that seems homosexual it will cause a spike and cause me to panic is there a reason why I'm like this ? I play rugby and when I've made contact with males I don't feel aroused but my minds telling me I am I have also seen my friends penises before and not been aroused and just laughed what shall I do ? I don't know how much I can take of this it's everyday and I feel I have to keep checking If I'm aroused is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life am I in denial ? I just hate these thoughts I also remember when I was about nine that my cousin would sit on my lap but I pretended it was a girl and now mind keeps focusing on that and won't go Please someone tell me what's wrong I also look at myself in the mirror and and see if I look gay or have a gay voice or if I give off a gay vibe

Hi everyone

This is my first ever post. Today i have finally accepted that i am a gambling addict and need to stop. I dont have any friends to talk too nor will i speak to my family regarding the issue, mostly because am embarrassed and ashamed, to be honest they are not the most sympathetic and understanding so its just not an option.

I started gambling from the age of 8 believe it or not starting with 10p machines in the arcades, £2-3 football bets in the weekend with the help of my dad and not really affecting me at the time. As the years went on i got myself a fake ID for online betting were the small betting with a thing
of the past but when i got my first job at 18 things got out of control very quickly. 80% of the wages were spent on the one day (paid fortnightly) on the FOBTS alone trying to chase the losses.

Over the 6 years i took out payday loans, student loans, credit cards, sold belongings, you name it just to feed the habit and i can safely say i destroyed my chance at education because nothing else mattered. I am currently in 10k debt and as you can imaging it being soul destroying slowly paying it back.

Not creating excuses for myself on the silly idiotic things that ive done but there is a lot more to the story than meets the eye. Gambling has been destroying my life for years but i believe gambling had played a part on saved my life also at one point. After my parents split up, moved 300 miles away with my mum and couldn't truly accept it, couldn't make friends, bullied at school, alcoholic stepdad very abusive mentally and physically. So yes gambling made me feel alive for a short period of time. I know that sounds silly but it was the only thing that was keeping me going.

Am so sorry for rambling on there but i appreciate you taking the time to read this and appreciate any advice. Thank you!

I am a 31 year old guy, married struggling with depression and identity issues.
I spent today sniffing speed and masturbating.
I finished work at 6.30 am, i had been sniffing cocaine since 2am, the shift was a real battle, the cocaine was a terrible idea. *mod edit*
home alone, i immediately grabbed the laptop, i masturbated for 10 minutes and finished to a webcam girl, then i thought i was done for the day. but i really wasnt.
i sniffed more, masturbated more. *mod edit*
i showered and meditated on the bed.
the meditation was fantastic, i went to my centre, a place i used to go as a teen in the woods near my childhood home *mod edit*
i smoked more, i sniffed more.
i should have been sleeping because im in work tonight at 10 and i have no idea how im going to survive it.
i have given myself so much pleasure today at the cost of a truly gruelling work situation.
i feel good about this, though its probably the speed.
almost every second i am turning sexual thoughts over in my head.
i cant turn them off, even diverting my thoughts doesnt work.
i'm not asking for anything, i just wanted to share.
this side of me is completely hidden from everyone who knows me, including my wife.
now whoever reads this will know how i am too.