Healing through recovery for me has been one of the hardest but also one of the most amazing gifts that I’ve received. Before I got sober, there was no healing. No introspection, no looking at my part, and no taking time for me – none of that existed. What did exist was a lot of
recovery
9 Ways You Can Help Your Therapist
Are you in therapy or thinking about beginning? Sometimes life presents challenging circumstances, ideas, preferences and feelings; many can be addressed in therapy. It will be especially worth your while if you have undergone some major life events like divorce, other significant loss, illness or lifestyle change. Some people use psychotherapy to understand themselves and
Why You Want a Coach – 5-Year Continuum of Care for Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
Alcoholism and drug addiction are chronic and fatal diseases that require a continuum of care to help the client fully recover physically, mentally and emotionally, behaviorally and spiritually. It is a common myth that detox alone, or, detox and a 30-day inpatient treatment stay sufficiently rehabilitates the client to never drink or use again. In
Don’t Fool Yourself: What 6 Classic Pranks Teach Us About Rationalization
Did you fall for any April Fool jokes this weekend? You may dislike being the butt of a prank, but most of them are harmless enough. That can’t be said of the rationalizations people use to “fool” themselves into starting or returning to, harmful drugs. Often, as with the classic prank, the trap is extremely
Avoiding Relapse When Life Gets Overwhelming
June is traditionally the month for weddings. It’s also a month when many recent graduates are seeking their first full-time jobs. Either situation means major changes in living situations, responsibilities, daily schedules, and/or budgets—not to mention all the planning, decision-making, and to-do lists that go into making the actual transition happen. Even when they represent
7 Ways to Maintain Hope in Recovery
I remember eagerly, yet timidly, beginning eating disorder recovery. Notebook in hand, I was terrified, ashamed, and I was oh-so-tired. I was ready to be done, or so I thought. I didn’t realize on day 1 that recovery would be a process and I wouldn’t get better with that one notebook. It turns out that
6 Reasons to Surround Yourself with Sober People While In Recovery
During recovery, you will make lots of new friends who will help you stick to your goals. While letting go of negative influences during your first stage of treatment was hard, you are now ready to embrace meeting new people who support your belief in sobriety. Among the many friends you will meet are those
4 Ways to Use Affirmations – The Power of Positive Thinking
In AA, someone believed in affirmations and we started saying, “My name is ____, and I’m an alcoholic.” If you affirm anything long enough and often enough then our conscious, unconscious and subconscious minds begin to believe it. When I said by rote at the beginning of my sobriety “I’m an alcoholic,” a part of
Tips for Managing Anxiety
Everyone has experienced some form of anxiety in their life. Whether it be nervousness before an exam or job interview, a first date, or speaking in public, it’s a relatable feeling. We live in a fast paced environment with many responsibilities and we try to manage multiple things at once. There’s an unspoken expectation that
Can’t Fight Love – Safety Net Catches Sober Community
What is Sober Living Like? Here is a story about one facility that can tell you what to expect. Ever thought about being an acrobat? Does the thought of being an acrobat scare you to death? What if you knew without a doubt, that the safety net would catch you? No problem at all, right? Well, that