One of the saddest moments I experienced in recent years was witnessing the heartbreaking impact of the death of my son’s best friend due to accidental overdose. He had suffered with mental health issues, including anxiety, for several years and had consulted with over 7......
If you think one person can’t change the way we do things, then let me tell you about a client I will call GM. I met GM during a one-day course that I used to deliver at Hakea, about 7 years ago. During the course,......
At The Whitehaven Clinic we use personality profiling to help identify underlying root cause contributors to addiction. And a key focus during treatment is relationships and creating and building meaningful connections. For a bit of fun, here’s how we each personality type would match up......
For families, the subject of boundaries is an inevitable topic that will arise when dealing with a loved one in recovery. However, all too often boundaries are used as a form of punishment rather than as a communication tool or as a way to establish......
A question I’m frequently asked is, ‘what increases the likelihood of a client getting better during treatment’? Although there are several factors to take into consideration, the one clear leader is having a solid family-based support network. Ensuring that a clients’ support network is aligned......
In the face of a disease like addiction, maintaining healthy eating habits may seem insignificant. The impact of alcohol and other drugs can have a significant effect on an individual’s appetite and ultimately affect their health and well being due lack of nutrients and increased......
One of the very first things that I ask clients when they haven’t seen me for some time, is “what’s happening to your routine?” Why? Because routine, or rather lack of it, is one of the top contributors to relapse. As outlined in the Dynamics......
Addiction in Australia is one of our country’s most significant issues. In recent years, Australia has experienced significant growth in addiction, where the number of sufferers is rivaling with drastically larger countries. WHAT IS ADDICTION? “Addiction involves craving for something intensely, loss of control over its......
𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝘂𝗻. WHAT ARE PERSONAL BOUNDARIES? Healthy boundaries are a necessity for self-care.......
Good sleep is essential to good health, yet 4 out of 10 Australians don’t get enough healthy sleep. WHY IS SLEEPING WELL SO IMPORTANT? It is significantly important to get a good night’s sleep, in order to maintain good mental and physical wellbeing. Getting adequate......
Addiction is a complicated topic with many varied opinions on it worldwide. There are a range of questions people often ask like: Are some people more prone to becoming addicted? How do you know if you are addicted? What are the signs of addiction? Does......
WHY ARE DRUGS ARE DRUGS A ROAD SAFETY ISSUE? Driving whilst under the influence of drugs is a significant road safety issue. You’ve probably heard all about the dangers of drinking and getting behind the wheel, although, mixing drugs and driving can be just as dangerous. ......
Mindfulness is about living in the now. Is it essentially about being more aware and awake in every moment of your life. WHY BE MINDFUL? Mindfulness can reduce stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, increase self-control, and improve your......
WHAT IS VAPING? Vaping involves the inhalation of vapour created by highly addictive electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes, vape pens, and other vaping devices). The vapour is produced through the heating of a liquid that typically contains flavourings, chemicals and nicotine. These devices can also be used......
When people undertake change (especially in relation to addiction) it is known that there are five main stages. Pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. Behaviour change is a slow process and it is complex. To undertake behaviour change a person needs to disrupt their current......
I’m so used to saying the F word, that I didn’t really notice the C-word until this week when my youngest daughter told me that she might not have to go to school because of Corona Virus. Immediately I thought, wait … is this a......
So, it’s official … the world has gone mad and we’re running out of toilet paper! Although I have to say the cleanliness in prisons has improved hugely which is great news for the germ-phobes amongst us! J The changing landscape regarding the C-word has......
ROUTINE – THE SCARIEST WORD IN RECOVERY The one word that scares most people in recovery is … routine Routine is one of the most important things for clients in recovery, yet is often the most resisted concept to put into action. And why? Because......
HOW DO YOU RECOGNISE ADDICTION IN YOUR CHILDREN OR PARTNERS? It is very difficult to see someone we love self-destructing with their addiction. We often feel helpless as we watch them make poor choices and we often enable them even though we think we are......
Every single person experiences stress or anxiety at some point in their life. However, depending on our personality type and underlying fears, anxiety is experienced, and triggered, differently for each personality type. Anxiety is simply described as the prolonged exposure to stress and stressful thoughts.......
Personality wise, we all have different thinking styles, and as a result, some of us are more predisposed to anxiety than others. Therefore, when we understand the underlying personality-based triggers and how they originate from our fears, we’re then able to put effective strategies into......
One of the key myths about prison is that prisoners are rehabilitated in prison. If those prisoners are drug addicted, the average tax-payer would assume that the prisoner receives treatment to prevent them being released and doing it all again. Karl O’Callaghan said it best......
Loving and supporting an addict, whether a spouse, family member or friend, is an unquestionably difficult situation to be in. Addiction does not just manifest itself in the individual but it also affects the friends, families and partners of the addict in question. People who......
What comes to mind when you think of ‘addiction’? We usually have a picture in our mind that arises whenever we hear the word. Sometimes we think of alcohol, sometimes illegal drugs, then often our mind adds to the picture with thoughts of loss of......
Tough love is many things and has been known as being cruel to be kind. As the Urban Dictionary says, “ to show somebody tough love today may save them heartache in the future BUT, it may cause a small amount of upset for the......
WHAT IS HARM MINIMISATION? Harm minimisation defines harm reduction as the policies, programmes and practices that aim to reduce the harms associated with the use of psychoactive drugs in people unwilling or unable to stop. So… the aim is to not try and STOP someone......
I was interviewed by Steve and Basil from 6PR morning show on Friday asking about the reasons behind the rise in wine-o-clock and whether it was a “bad” thing. They asked “isn’t it good to have a glass of two to relax each day?” It’s......
I was interviewed by Channel 7’s Daily Edition recently after the findings of a worrying report were released. The report, produced by University of Western Sydney, showed that over 500,000 Australian women are drinking to dangerous levels. What is also worrying is that despite falls......
I’ve been asked a lot lately by media about how much is too much to be drinking every day. The answer is actually about informed choice – because there is a worrying number of women that are miscalculating what a standard drink is. If asked,......
A recent front page article about mandatory rehab for meth users on the West Australian sparked a much heated debate about treatment options and human rights. I was constantly asked why aren’t we doing this immediately as it seems to be a logical solution to......