Drug and alcohol addiction is often a concurrent problem with depression. Many times drugs and alcohol are used as self-medication for depression. These might seem to help but when the addiction sets in its another story. To successfully treat depression any addictions, that started off as a coping mechanism, need to be faced.

Laura, who has battled drug and alcohol addiction throughout her adult life, contacted me asking me to share a link with you about relapse and why it matters. Laura, thank you for being so open and I’m sure that many readers can identify with you in their own struggles.

This is what Laura wrote:

‘My name is Laura, I work as a writer and editor. As someone who has battled drug and alcohol addiction throughout my adult life, I’ve always been ashamed to be open and admit it, but since I’ve been receiving treatment I’ve decided to talk more freely about my issues.

Nobody really likes to speak about it, but relapses can and do happen and it’s a major factor on the road to recovery from any sort of addiction. I know from my own recent past it’s often been two steps forward and one step back. I’ve recently been lucky enough to help edit this great article on how to define relapses. It’s important anyone with an addiction knows that it’s not necessarily the end of the world.”

You can read the article here.