It’s often said that relapse is part of recovery, that, far from being a catastrophe, it’s a necessary step in overcoming addiction. Others say this message is unnecessarily pessimistic and creates an expectation of failure. Which way of thinking about relapse is most helpful for people trying to recover from a substance use disorder? First,…
Recovery from addiction is not a straight line. Nearly everyone has slip-ups, setbacks, and relapses. Everyone has bad days when they feel like they can’t possibly last much longer in recovery. When these setbacks happen, whether it’s something relatively small like losing your temper or something more serious like a relapse, the important thing is…
The question seems like it has an obvious answer: Recovery means you no longer manifest addictive behavior. On closer inspection, though, the answer is not so obvious, and in fact, there are probably many valid answers. Everyone is different, with a different history, a different pattern of substance use, and different goals for recovery. If…
Many people make some new year’s resolutions every year. They start diets, join gyms, and throw away their cigarettes, promising themselves things will be different from now on. Unfortunately, new year’s resolutions rarely stick. Most people make it a couple of weeks and give up. It’s just too hard or there’s too much going on.…
One popular belief about addiction is that once someone develops a substance use disorder, she will always have it, even though she might learn to control it. This idea, like many beliefs about addiction, owes much of its popularity to AA. In AA, members introduce themselves as alcoholics–never “former alcoholics,” even if they’ve not had…
Medication assisted treatment, or MAT, means using FDA-approved medications as part of a treatment plan that includes counseling and therapy. Currently, MAT is primarily used to treat alcohol addiction or opioid addiction. There aren’t yet any medications for treating addiction to stimulants or benzodiazepines, although medications such as antidepressants may be used to treat co-occurring…
Many of us have grown so accustomed to keeping up with our daily lives while handling tremendous amounts of stress that we don’t recognize the warning signs of burnout until it’s too late and we’re already suffering. We’ve learned how to function and maintain the regular operations of our lives. We manage to keep a…
Living with addiction, we have not been committed to our own well-being for quite some time. For many of us, our own health has not been a priority for many years, even decades, of our lives. Our focus and energy have gone predominantly to maintaining our addictions, to covering our tracks so people aren’t suspicious,…
After leaving treatment, attending mutual aid meetings are a great way to continue your recovery. You meet other people who are also in recovery, which helps you build your sober network. Attending meetings also gives you a chance to review what you learned in treatment. At the very least, attending regular meetings is a good…
As we’re doing the important work of recovery, one thing we come to learn is that our relationships have a lot to do with our mental and emotional health. When we are in stressful relationships, our well-being suffers. Similarly, when we are not at peace within ourselves, this is reflected in our relationships and the…
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