Indian Addiction and Recovery Blog

All about the new ICD-11

Akansha Sahay

February 26, 2022

What is ICD and the changes in the 11th edition Most professions have some kind of reference guide that aids them in doing their job better and helps them keep up with the changes in their professions. Lawyers would refer to law books and official government websites to learn about updates to new laws. Architects would similarly want to learn…

Is Internet Gaming Addiction Real?

Akansha Sahay

February 21, 2022

Gaming disorder is defined as the excessive and obsessive usage of offline or online video games. Despite experiencing negative consequences, a gamer with compulsive gaming prioritises playing over other social activities. The obsession can grow to the point where one might use gaming to escape life and avoid other hobbies and daily activities causing severe distress or impairment. What…

How to deal with Stigma

Akansha Sahay

February 18, 2022

Stigma involves any form of negative attitudes or discrimination against someone based on certain characteristics, such as a health condition or a mental illness. Although the term isn’t limited to mental conditions, mental health stigma is more prevalent and adverse. This stigma makes the experience of a person already suffering from a mental illness more painful. It reduces the chances…

Sex and Masturbation Addiction in Females

Akansha Sahay

Compulsive sexual behaviour and masturbation addiction in women Mr Dixit* was always proud of his daughter. Unlike other teenagers who spent their time in malls and theatres, Riya* always spent time in her room studying. So, imagine Mr Dixit’s shock when Riya’s college principal informed him that she may not be able to move up to the next year due…

How can I afford addiction treatment?

Akansha Sahay

February 15, 2022

Malti had been taking extra cleaning jobs for over 3 months so she could save enough money to put her son who was suffering from addiction in a rehabilitation center. Her latest place of work was at a psychologist’s house and there she learned from her employer that India has a number of free addiction treatment centers. Needless to say,…

What is masturbation addiction?

Akansha Sahay

February 1, 2022

Masturbation addiction or compulsive masturbation is a progressive and compulsive condition in which an individual has emotional and psychological dependence on self-satisfaction. In this condition, one might continue to masturbate despite hampering personal or work life and feel no control over it. What is masturbation addiction? There is nothing inherently wrong with masturbation. Many people enjoy this in their personal…

Importance of sleep in addiction recovery

Akansha Sahay

January 29, 2022

Staying overnight working, partying, or even just vibing to your favourite song seems apparent, especially today, where sleeping early as a part of daily habits is unusual. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation's minor but conspicuous effects are inattentive to many, leading to detrimental impacts on the body over time. The topic might not hold a grave concern, especially among millennials and Gen…

What is porn addiction and is your partner a porn addict

Akansha Sahay

What is porn addiction and is your partner a porn addict? Sarita* and Vivek* were a happily married couple of about 5 years (names changed to protect identity). They led an active life which also included a healthy sex life. All this changed when Vivek got a pornographic clip that he found very interesting. Although Vivek had seen porn before,…

Why is sex-ed important and how one can talk to their children about sex

Akansha Sahay

The importance of imparting sex education to your children In 2019, Netflix released a ground-breaking series called, ‘Sex Education’ and it became an instant hit throughout the world. The premise of the show is that the students of the Moordale Secondary School have no one to guide them about sex and hence a student whose mother is a sex therapist…

How to cope with a partner with sex addiction

Akansha Sahay

December 15, 2021

A good sex life can do wonders for a relationship. It can bring you closer to your partner, reinforce the love you have for each other and keep you in good spirits. However, what if you have a partner who has an insatiable urge to have sex all the time? Do you give in to your partner's fantasies at all…

12 step program for agnostics or atheists

Akansha Sahay

December 7, 2021

Ralph G. Nichols, the author of “Are you listening?”, said something very profound, “The most basic of all human needs is to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” There are many ways to help someone with an addiction problem and the most basic of them is to offer to listen to…

Positive affirmations for addiction recovery

Akansha Sahay

December 5, 2021

There are two definitions of ‘affirmation’ in the oxford dictionary. The first one is, affirmation is the action or process of affirming something, and the second is affirmation is an act of emotional support or encouragement. These two definitions give you a glimpse into why affirmations are a powerful tool when it comes to addiction recovery. What are affirmations? Affirmations…

Does rehab really work?

Akansha Sahay

Until the early 19th century in the US, people suffering from addiction were housed in various locations or sent to jails. It wasn’t considered a mental disorder, and the mental hospitals at the time were not equipped to treat addiction. The initial approach to addiction treatment was to drink in moderation rather than abstinence and included cold baths, vomiting, and…

Has the pandemic made life better in any way?

Akansha Sahay

November 16, 2021

The pandemic caused multiple deaths, mental health concerns, and increased calls to suicide helplines for help. People felt incredibly lonely, restricted to their homes, and many struggled to feed themselves and their families due to job losses. And remote workers lost a sense of time, boundaries and felt burned out. Countless people felt distressed during this period, and it affected…

Journaling techniques to help you in your addiction recovery

Akansha Sahay

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is probably one of the most famous books of our times. As the title suggests it was a diary where the young Anne Frank wrote about the trials and tribulations of living in hiding in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. With the holocaust happening around her, the diary became her source of comfort…