Now that David Clark has run 100-mile races through mountains and deserts, it’s hard to picture him during his first weeks of sobriety. To the stunned clerks of a running store, he announced his plans to run a marathon. His basketball shorts had a waist size of 50. He weighed 320 pounds. When he got […]
Author Tells of His “Ultra Recovery” Read More »
Sometimes the best advice we could receive is the advice we’d give others. That’s why the guidance in the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and its offshoot support groups could be just as helpful for therapists as it is for their patients.
Applying the 12 Steps to Your Therapy Practice Read More »
The mindfulness movement has its roots in Eastern philosophies and meditation techniques such as those found in Tibetan Buddhism, Indian yoga and Chinese Taoism. The common thread connecting these philosophies is the idea of slowing down, focusing on the breath, the present moment, and directing one’s attention to the immediate experience of life. The goal
The Mindful Path to Addiction Recovery Read More »
Andrew Doan, MD, PhD, is a trained eye surgeon, father of three, a professor — and a recovering video game addict. Astonishingly he made it through medical school at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine while playing a real-time strategy game like StarCraft for 7 to 14 hours a day. He’d started gaming at the
Video Game Addiction: A Recovery Story Read More »
There are certain things you can count on as you go through life sober, and one of them is that you will feel stressed from time to time. Sooner or later things happen in life that challenge your feeling of serenity and leave you feeling overwhelmed and anxious. The question isn’t if you will experience
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Wouldn’t it be great if you got exactly what you wanted all the time? In a perfect world, the people around you would act the way you wanted them to act and they would say what you wanted them to say. You could work when you wanted to work at a job you totally loved,
The Power of Acceptance in Addiction Recovery Read More »
This is the first in a two-part series. In many addiction recovery programs, regular physical exercise is considered to be a top line behavior. Extensive research in exercise physiology demonstrates that exercise helps alleviate stress, increases a sense of well-being and boosts self-confidence. In recent years, addiction treatment centers, addiction therapists and addiction experts have
Morning Yoga Routine: A Tool for Recovery Read More »
As the song goes, “We all need somebody to lean on.” This is especially true when it comes to recovery. You cannot go it alone. Beating addiction is one of the most important things you will ever do for yourself and your family in your lifetime. But once you place yourself on the path of
What Is a Recovery Coach and Do I Need One? Read More »
When you’re in recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction, you’re on a continuous journey of learning to live life sober. Each day presents new lessons on coping with life chemical-free, and some lessons are more challenging than others. One of the biggest challenges people in recovery may have to face is dealing with illness and
Coping With Illness, Pain in Sobriety Read More »
In 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, each of the 12 steps contains words such as “we,” “us” and “ourselves.” These words help to remind each individual in the program that recovery is not a solo journey and that together we can do what none of us can do alone. In order
Asking for Help in Addiction Recovery Read More »