Being in recovery – aren’t those words wonderful-sounding to your ears? For some, this may be true. But what about for the others who are struggling just to make it through each day? What about those of you who are feeling pretty beat up about the whole process? What can you do to stop taking…
Newcomers to recovery are familiar with the advice to live one day at a time, to be in the present, and to avoid spending precious moments worrying about or living in the past. That all sounds well and good, but when it comes time to actually act on the advice, it may be a lot…
Seeking treatment for your addiction is one of the best things you can do. You will receive excellent advice and support as you work to overcome your addiction and move on to a healthier future. When you leave your initial treatment, whether residential or outpatient, you will need an aftercare plan. They are imperative to…
Getting up and facing the new day may seem like a struggle at times. This is even truer for those of us in early recovery, especially since we haven’t yet become familiar or comfortable with a routine that helps keep us grounded in the principles of sobriety. While this can be a particularly unsettling time,…
Drug rehab – check. Daily 12-Step meetings – check. What’s next on the list of recovery tasks? Most experts advise, “Get a sponsor.” But why? And how? Addicts helping addicts is part of what makes AA/NA so effective. Sponsorship involves one recovering addict walking another through the Steps and helping them stay sober. A sponsor…
“There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.” – Orison Swett Marden, American writer associated with the New Thought Movement (1850-1924) Has it ever seemed as if someone we know has an immediate future that looks preordained, that catastrophe and tragedy are surely…
As you seek to put the scourge of substance abuse behind you, you will inevitably need to go through a period of intense self-reflection. Remembering the things you did in the past while you were under the influence of drugs or alcohol will not be a pleasant experience. But it is something that you will…
If you feel like you’ve climbed out of a deep, dark pit and are just beginning to see daylight after treatment, it may still seem like you’re in a fog. You may very well be filled with uncertainty, even fear, over what you’re supposed to be doing now to help maintain your sobriety. This period…
The final step in the twelve step program states, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” Whether you are recovering from an addiction to alcohol, narcotics, overeating, or anything else, if you have made…
There is a common myth that claims drug addicts and alcoholics must hit rock bottom before they will finally be ready to get clean and sober. This is certainly not true of everyone; however, the terrible dynamics of addiction are such that many men and women caught in its clutches can spiral downward so quickly…
