Understanding the changes that need to take place in sobriety is essential to recovery. One of those changes is who you choose to spend your time with. When you were active in your addiction, the friends you hung around with probably drank and used as heavily as you did. You and your drinking and using […]
It is not unusual to become stressed when making significant changes in your life, with unknown challenges lying ahead. As you work with your counselor or therapist, it is essential to talk about your stress levels, including any anxiety you are having. When discussing past trauma and events, experiencing asthma-like symptoms or difficulty swallowing is […]
Spending Time Alone When we are alone, we may reflect on past events, picking over all that happened to us, and believing we are responsible for where we are today. Destructive, useless thoughts, can drive us deeper into self-hatred, shame, and blame. Thankfully, it’s possible to exercise control over these moments, processing our thoughts in […]
For many reasons, the holiday season raises an assortment of red flags around our circle of family and friends, including the resentment and loneliness that may trigger a relapse event. Cultivating safe, supportive peer relationships with those who understand our emotional issues is critical for managing potential triggers. Understanding Triggers Intense social, environmental, or emotional […]
A step often forgotten or ignored in recovery is getting to know yourself again after losing your identity in the throes of your addiction. Connection to yourself can be found through tools such as meditation and self-reflection practices that provide peace and motivation for maintaining sobriety. Meditation and other practices are common in treating addiction […]
When your body deals with a detoxification program, it is not unusual to experience nausea, weakness, fatigue, and other side effects depending on your former habits and situation. You may also experience wide-ranging mood swings that you may not have expected. Some people in detox experience mood swings associated with removing the harmful substances that […]
You might have voices of doubt telling you that change is not possible. In the past, it may have had you convinced you were not capable of amounting to anything, and that no one in your family amounted to much. Those messages, instilled in you from the time you were born, contributed to how you […]
After having a time of suffering from addiction to drugs and alcohol, shame will no doubt take over your whole being. Shame is often accompanied by guilt due to the regret of the past, impulsive choices, and harming essential relationships. Your shame may have so much power over you that you may not see any […]
The definition of relapse is “to suffer deterioration after a period of improvement.” Another definition is “a deterioration in someone’s state of health after a temporary improvement.” Regarding someone with substance addiction, relapse is a return to drugs and alcohol after a period of sobriety. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 40-60% of […]
Getting sober allows people to look back at what they did before and make changes. Life skills often have to be relearned and implemented to assist in staying sober. You may be wondering what life skills have to do with sobriety, but they are vital. Doing the right thing does not come naturally for someone […]
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