• Alcohol is often used as a coping skill, a way to manage stress, feel comfortable in social situations, a way to relax, etc.
• Underneath the substance abuse there is always emotional breakage with women.
• Women want to quit but just aren’t able to do it on their own.
• It is crucial to have medical care when detoxifying from alcohol due to the possible medical complications that can occur.

Self-evaluation: Do I have an addiction to drugs or alcohol?

• Women tend to base their self worth off their relationships.
• Women have an innate tendency to be nurturing and self sacrificing. They tend to put the relationship before their own needs and wants.
• Many women lost themselves in relationships, attempting to be what they think their partner wants them to be.
• Many women feel that they have to be with someone and fear the idea of being single or alone.

Self-evaluation: Do I have an addiction to love?

• Many women look to shop in order to fill the void that they are feeling within.
• Individuals with shopping addictions often have a great deal of conflict within the family due to the financial hardship that this habit has caused.
• Many women find that when they are depressed or bored, that shopping helps to improve their mood.
• Often purchases are justified as being on sale. Women who struggling with shopping addiction often hide their purchases to prevent arguments or do to the shame that they feel from purchasing these items.

Self-evaluation: Do I have an addiction to shopping?

• Many women are raised in alcoholic families and there are certain characteristics that they tend to develop as a result of the instability of being raised in an alcoholic family.
• Many children raised in alcoholic families end up having to play the role of the parent at times and be responsible for things that children should not have to deal with.
• These personality traits that develop in childhood carry over into adulthood and affect all of our relationships.
• Children of alcoholics have a difficult time knowing what "normal" is.

Self-evaluation: Do I have the "Adult Child of an Alcoholic" personality?

• Most people with substance abuse or mental health issues have enablers in their lives.
• Most enablers have good intentions but do not know how to stop their pattern of enabling.
• Enablers help their loved ones stay unhealthy.
• Many enablers do not realize that they are enabling by simply not talking about the issue that exists.

Self-evaluation: Am I an enabler for someone else with a problem?

• Society still has a distorted view of domestic violence situations, not really understanding why "she doesn't just leave him."
• This lack of understanding can make it very difficult and frustrating on those who are victims of domestic violence.
• Most women stay in the relationship out of fear. The other thing that keeps women in these relationships is hope that their partner will go back to the charming and kind individual that they were when they first met.
• When there are children involved in the situation it makes it even more difficult for the woman to leave.

Self-evaluation: Am I a victim of domestic violence?

• Many individuals who abuse prescription medications have a difficult time seeing this due to the fact that these medications are prescribed by a doctor.
• It is easier for them to justify their behavior to those around them.
• Many people become addicted to prescription drugs due to pain management issues and become paralyzed with fear of the pain which is why they continue to take the medication without exploring other options.
• There are many different alternatives for pain management outside of taking habit forming medications.

Self-evaluation: Do I have a prescription abuse/addiction problem?

• When individuals suffer with depression over a long period of time, there is often a feeling of hopelessness that occurs which can lead to suicidal thoughts.
• It is absolutely crucial for families to take any threat of suicide very seriously.
• There are certain warning signs to look for that would indicate if your loved one is suicidal.
• When someone is suicidal and has a plan, they must get treatment immediately.

Self-evaluation: Does my loved one have suicidal tendencies?

• Most people think of grief as the feelings of sadness that occur after the loss of a loved one but there are many different forms of grief. Grief can occur with any major life change, such as changing careers, medical issues, or moving. Grief can also occur when there were expectations of what your life would look like and the realization that this is not what it will look like.
• If you are not able to manage your feelings of grief, it can lead to deep depression and the potential for thoughts of suicide.
• Everyone grieves differently and so one cannot compare the way she is grieving to how others grieve. Everyone grieves at their own pace and in their own ways

Self-evaluation: Should I seek treatment for my grief and loss?

• Most individuals will suffer from some level of depression at some point in their life.
• The signs of depression in woman are not always visible. Many women will push through their depression for a very long time, presenting as having everything together on the outside while falling apart on the inside.
• There are still stigmas attached to depression, that it is a matter of willpower and that those suffering are just not trying hard enough.
• These feelings of deep depression can lead to suicide if not addressed in treatment.

Self-evaluation: Do I suffer from depression?