By Jana Albright, MA, CATC-IV, Primary Therapist at Promises Malibu Many addiction treatment programs emphasize talk therapy as a method for helping clients through the treatment process. Does talk therapy work for everyone? It depends, because every person who enters a drug treatment program arrives with their own complex and unique personal history, issues and …
Does Talk Therapy Work for Everyone in Addiction Recovery? Read More »
While you’re going through the taxing and difficult process of recovering from an alcohol addiction, choosing an AA sponsor is one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make. A great AA sponsor wears many hats. Depending on your needs, your AA sponsor will be your confidante, guide, advisor, teacher, sounding board, comrade-in-arms or …
One of the hallmarks of addiction is a persistent denial about one’s own condition. Many of us rationalized our behavior in order to feel better about how much we were drinking or using. “It’s only until I’m through this rough patch,” we might say. Or, “Everyone drinks/uses like this during the holidays.” If we’re lucky, …
Turning Points/Rock Bottoms That Led Celebrities Into Recovery Read More »
A recovering addict faces the same ups and downs in life as anyone else, but with the added pressure of knowing how important it is to handle the “downs” without turning to drugs or alcohol. Recovering addicts need to develop rock-solid resilience in order to forge ahead and never look for solace in drugs or …
6 Tricks for Developing Resilience in Addiction Recovery Read More »
When the holiday season arrives, workplace parties are a common form of celebration. Some amount of alcohol consumption is expected during these events, and most who attend will drink responsibly and in moderation.
On the soccer field, she may have seemed superhuman. But in her personal life, she was anything but, says Abby Wambach, the world’s leading scorer in international goals.
Becky R. believes in miracles. How else can she explain the change in her life from two years ago when she heard a judge say these words after her arrest for selling ecstasy to an undercover agent: “You will spend a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 45 in the Illinois Department of …
Some people who recover from one chemical addiction or compulsive behavior will develop a different addiction while in recovery from the first one. Simply put, substitute addictions, also known as cross addictions, occur when a person “replaces” one addiction with another. Why are some people more successful in recovery, while others may bounce from one …
Are Substitute Addictions an Inevitable Part of Recovery? Read More »
Each day, Brent Clark carries five index cards in his back pocket as a reminder of where he’s been and where he could be headed.
Active addicts and alcoholics typically don’t enjoy being told what they can or can’t do. The reason for this is simple: they’re usually being asked to do the No. 1 thing they don’t want to do: stop drinking or using. It leaves the addict with an automatic bristling when it comes to authority figures. So …