Most people I meet are affected by addiction in some way. In particular opiate addiction and opiate related deaths have increased significantly, but there is hope in recovery and there are effective treatments.  This starts with compassion, understanding and support. I heard the story below on "All Things Considered" and found it inspiring:

If you are trying to understand addiciton for yourself or trying to support someone else, I recommend this book:
Unbroken Brain:: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction by; Maia Szalavitz
​Maia Szalavitz presents a "new" understanding of addiction as a learning disorder and provides suggestions regarding treatment. 

https://www.thefix.com is also a great resource for young people looking for treatment and community, as well as articles on the latest addiction research/treatment. 

I believe that treatment for addiction is most successful when it is person centered, compassionate, and multi-systemic. There is no "formula' for treatment, it should be tailored to the unique experience of the individual. Treatment can include any combination of inpatient or outpatient rehab, group therapy, individual and family therapy ,medication management,  community based support (such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon meetings, or SMART Recovery meetings), recreational therapy)

This song has been by "go to" lately for walking around my neighborhood and preparing for my day. . Remembering gratitude and also struggle, can be empowering. Walking with music lifts the soul. In case you want to let it go to a few more rock songs from the mid nineties:

In the last couple of years I have developed a passion for fitness. I have also enjoyed working out to some extent, running in college, walking up the hills of San Francisco in heels (a bit unsafe really), and group fitness cardio classes-but now I can truly say it has become a love of mine. I go to shred classes, I lift heavy weights, I soul cycle,  I do stretches on the floor at home, I walk and run blocks with my dog, I have dance-off parties with my stepson. I find joy in moving my body in some way every day. 

And then there's the struggle-the struggle in fitness is when the real growth happens, not just the physical kind, but the mental kind. The war cry of trainers "You can do ANYTHING for thirty seconds!!!" Yes, You can. Of course there are times when it just seems too much, when I want to give up, order a pizza, go home and lay on the couch. And occasionally I do. But when I do, I know I made a decision to take care of myself. The moments when I keep going though, oh those are brilliant. Because I prove to myself that I can do it, that I can trust myself, that I am stronger than I think,  that I can control those negative scary thoughts for "thirty more seconds." When things become emotionally tough in my life, I remember those times when I thought I couldn't lift heavier, run farther, cycle faster, and I find inspiration there, for me. 

I know fitness is not "easy" and I am lucky to have developed such a passion, but it also took years (maybe decades) of work. It is nearly impossible to convince my non-fitness minded friends that this passion is also actually fun, but I do hope it gives you something to consider.  Being active includes so many different types of exercise, and you can achieve the same level of mindfulness and mental strength with even the "smallest" goals.

I have reposted a few quotes from one of my favorite articles about weightlifting and mental health by Henry Rollins after the jump. I hope you enjoy it.:
​