How Opening Up Your Mind Benefits Recovery RecoveryBy Promises AustinDecember 27, 2012“One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, U.S. author and physician (1809-1894) Have we ever thought about our mind as having infinite capabilities? Do we imagine, even just a little, that we are capable of brilliance and uniqueness and incredible accomplishments? If not, why not?…
The Importance of Nutrition in Addiction Recovery RecoveryBy Promises AustinDecember 11, 2012You’ve already started down the path of recovery. Perhaps you’ve just completed residential drug rehab, or maybe you’re several months into an addiction-free life. While you probably recognize the terrible toll your addiction took on your life and relationships, you may be like so many recovering addicts who don’t fully realize the physical damage that…
Repairing Relationships after Addiction RecoveryBy Promises AustinNovember 28, 2012Addiction can be devastating to every aspect of your life. Your addiction may have damaged your career, your education, or even your physical health. More importantly though, your addiction may have broken many of your relationships, interaction you may be depending on now to help you in your sobriety. Depending on how long you were…
Conquering Obstacles in Recovery RecoveryBy Promises AustinNovember 23, 2012“Energy and persistence conquer all things.” – Benjamin Franklin, American statesman, scientist, philosopher, printer, writer and inventor (1706-1790) When we’re traveling along a road and come upon a roadblock, what do we do? It may be that we failed to exercise sufficient planning to learn whether or not there was any construction going on along…
Lighten Up: Look At Recovery With a Dash of Humor RecoveryBy Promises AustinNovember 2, 2012If you’re among the millions of Americans who have already completed treatment for substance abuse and are now in the early stages of recovery, you may also be familiar with the kind of anxiousness and downright fear that often accompanies the first few months of sobriety. Such feelings may take the form of dread at…
What Counts in Recovery is Where You Are Going Not Where You’ve Been RecoveryBy Promises AustinOctober 14, 2012Feeling disgusted with yourself for your past days of addiction? Do you walk around with a gloomy look on your face, mirroring what you carry inside? Ashamed, guilty, filled with pain and anxiety, torn-up in your guts because you’ve destroyed everything important to you and lost everyone you loved? It’s not a pretty picture, is…
How Embracing Vulnerability Promotes Recovery RecoveryBy Promises AustinSeptember 20, 2012To most of us, vulnerability isn’t a desirable state. We think of vulnerability to disease or attack and assume it’s something that should be avoided at all costs. But according to Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, a speaker, author and research professor at the University of Houston, embracing our vulnerability is an essential skill for a…
Discovering Healthy Ways To Have Fun In Recovery RecoveryBy Promises AustinSeptember 18, 2012Just because you’ve decided to quit drinking and doing drugs, have completed rehab and are now in what’s termed “recovery,” doesn’t mean that you need to resign yourself to living the rest of your life in a ho-hum, boring existence. While you may think that being clean and sober is just plain dull, the truth…
Seven Common Fears in Recovery (and Why Sobriety Is Still Worth It) RecoveryBy Promises AustinSeptember 16, 2012No one wants be addicted, but every addicted person faces fears of recovery. It’s not easy. It doesn’t matter what your addiction: alcoholism, prescription drug addiction, cocaine addiction or even sex addiction. Addiction recovery is a necessity for addicts who want freedom again, but it’s not a choice that is easy to make. And it…
The Value of Restorative Vacations in Recovery RecoveryBy Promises AustinSeptember 14, 2012Taking a well-deserved vacation is a time-honored family tradition. But what happens when you’ve gone through rehab for drug or alcohol addiction and think that vacations are pretty much a thing of the past for you? Although the belief is completely mistaken, the reality is that many in recovery think they simply don’t deserve a…
