Including a gratitude practice as part of our recovery can help us to connect with feelings of hopefulness and appreciation. When we focus on gratitude, we’re better able to think positively and optimistically. Gratitude can be a powerful antidote to depression and anxiety. How do we work our gratitude practice when we’re suffering? How can… Continue Reading How Can I Be Grateful When I’m Suffering?
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,… Continue Reading Committing to Our Recovery
The third week in January is National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, or NDAFW. It was started by scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA, to push back against the misinformation about drugs and alcohol that teens learn from TV, movies, music, friends, and random people on the internet. During NDAFW, people… Continue Reading National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
After years of struggling with the painful effects of addiction, we’d like to think that our recovery will magically solve all of our problems and lift our depression right out of us. The recovery process, however, is not as simple as that. Recovering from our addictions means healing from the deep mental and emotional health… Continue Reading I’m in Recovery – Why am I Still Depressed?
Treatment centers are adding recreational activities to their addiction recovery programs, and for very good reason. Physical activity is an important part of our overall wellness and provides tremendous benefits for our mental, emotional and physical health. When we incorporate recreation into our recovery, it can bolster our progress and help us in various different… Continue Reading How Therapeutic Recreation Helps with Recovery
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… Continue Reading What’s a Refuge Recovery Meeting Like?
While it may feel like addiction is one person’s problem, it is really a problem for everyone around her too. Not only do the consequences of addiction radiate outward to your friends and family, but dysfunctional relationships may also contribute to the development of addiction. Treatment for addiction can’t just focus on one thing. It… Continue Reading Why Family Therapy Makes Addiction Recovery Easier
Those of us living with addiction who are also parents face specific challenges. Our addiction affects not only us but the people around us, and our children are uniquely affected. Our role as their parents makes us responsible for our children’s well-being, but when we’re struggling with addiction at the same time, we are impacted… Continue Reading How Does Our Addiction Impact Us as Parents?
Upon entering addiction recovery treatment, group therapy may be a new experience for many of us. We’re more used to traditional therapy, where we work one-on-one with a psychologist. Group therapy allows us to explore topics in a group setting that we all have experience with. When it comes to addiction recovery, there are some… Continue Reading The Benefits of Group Therapy
After completing addiction treatment, joining a mutual support program is a good way to start building a strong sober network and to keep the lessons you learned in treatment fresh in your mind. 12-step programs like AA are the best known of these groups, but they may not work for everyone. Some people prefer a… Continue Reading What are SMART Recovery Meetings Like?