RTI Webinar: Addiction as Self-Medication

The Recovery Training Institute (RTI) hosted a 1-hour session exploring addiction by asking a different kind of question. Instead of only asking, “Why the addiction?”, the webinar examined, “What problem was the addiction helping solve?”

The session explored how addiction can become a way of coping with pain, stress, shame, anxiety, grief, loneliness, fear, or experiences that feel too heavy to carry alone. It invited attendees to look beyond the behaviour itself and better understand the needs, pain, or struggles underlying it.

The webinar also examined how life experiences can shape the ways people cope, survive, disconnect, and seek relief. It highlighted how shame and judgment can keep people stuck, while curiosity and compassion can support more honest conversations, stronger connections, and more effective pathways toward recovery.

Presenter 

The session was led by Carrie DeJong, MA, RCC.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, attendees will explore:

• Addiction as a response to pain, stress, and emotional distress
• How difficult life experiences can influence addiction
• Common reasons individuals may turn to addiction to cope or find relief
• How shame and judgment can interfere with honesty, connection, and recovery
• How curiosity and compassion can strengthen support for individuals experiencing addiction and recovery

Watch the Addiction as Self-Medication webinar recording below.