Addiction is a disease that affects all races, religions, and socioeconomic levels. No one person, or family, for that matter, is immune to addiction. Governments, counselors, patients and citizens as a whole have grappled with various ways to address and curtail addictions. From the temperance movement of the 1920s to various drug related laws that have been enacted; our society, courts, and politicians are aware that various vices exist that detrimentally affect our society at large.

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The Month of September is when most Latin Americans celebrate their Independence Day from “la tierra madre” or, “the motherland”. Because of this, September 15 – October 15 is also the month when Hispanic heritage is celebrated in the United States. As a US born Guatemalan, I love to celebrate our heritage, as well as celebrate and learn about all cultures. With this learning comes the understanding that there are certain aspects of all cultures that are to be examined and left behind for the history books rather than be kept in the stories of our ongoing lives.

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The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s “National Suicide Prevention Week” theme for 2018 is the Power of Connection. As they state in their website (https://afsp.org/campaigns/national-suicide-prevention-week-2018/): “Although there is no single cause of suicide, one of the risks for suicide is social isolation, and there’s scientific evidence for reducing suicide risk by making sure we connect with one another.”

One key way to build connection is to both lessen the stigma of mental illness, as well as build

awareness of what it means to live with mental illness.

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I have to admit, I am guilty of buying into this myth of “Work-Life Balance”. I put a lot of pressure on myself as a therapist to “practice what I preach”. When I find myself working too much, sleeping too little, and neglecting to take care of myself, I end up feeling like a hypocrite.

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