By Jennifer McDougall Even emotional pain makes a person feel paralyzed with hopelessness and fear. The impulses driven by anxiety and depression can make someone feel like they’re in the middle of a hurricane. Being still and staring off into thin air happens too often than this person is probablyContinue Reading

By Jennifer McDougall Since 2015, Passages Venice has been offering outpatient addiction treatment in the vibrant city of Venice, California. On August 10, 2017, we celebrated two years of outpatient therapy at our Venice location. Passages Venice is part of the Passages Addiction Treatment Centers family, which includes: Passages MalibuContinue Reading

How to Practice Mindfulness

By Jennifer McDougall Being mindful means being aware and accepting of the present moment, your experiences, and sensations. It’s this therapeutic practice that helps ease your mind and body of anxiety, tension, cravings, and emotions. After eight weeks of practicing and training your mind and body to be mindful, studiesContinue Reading

“When people who believe themselves to be addicts or alcoholics come under great stress or trauma, they mentally give themselves permission to drink or use drugs as a remedy.” ― Chris Prentiss, The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure “Every person in the AA program who’s successful is living proof that heContinue Reading

By Jennifer McDougall Addiction (defined as a state characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences) generally begins with the desire to escape—pain, loss, heartache, rejection, discomfort, anxiety, chemical imbalances in the brain, and depression. When drugs and alcohol are consumed they affect how the brain operates andContinue Reading