Lipstick & Liquor: Powerful Documentary About Women Who DrinkAlcohol AbuseBy Promises AustinOctober 16, 2012Long hidden due to shame and stigma, the issue of women who drink to dangerous levels is finally brought to light in a documentary film that goes into great detail about who these women are and why they started on the path of self-destructive drinking. Lipstick & Liquor, which debuted at the Reel Recovery Film… Details
What Counts in Recovery is Where You Are Going Not Where You’ve BeenRecoveryBy 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… Details
3 Steps for Setting Healthy Boundaries with an AlcoholicAlcohol AbuseBy Promises AustinOctober 12, 2012Almost everyone has a friend or relative suffering from addiction to alcohol or drugs. The closer you are to an addicted loved one, the harder setting boundaries with an addict is. Addicted loved ones may lie, cheat or steal to cover their tracks. Even people with otherwise rock-solid boundaries can find alcoholics and addicts pushing… Details
Addiction and Moms: Numbers Rising, But Many Keep Problem SecretFamily ResourcesBy Promises AustinOctober 3, 2012A young mother attending her children’s school functions and sports events doesn’t create the typical picture of a person with a drug addiction, but it’s an alarming and growing reality, say experts. Recent articles have highlighted moms who have had children removed from the home or spent time incarcerated for drug use, often resorting to… Details
How Embracing Vulnerability Promotes RecoveryRecoveryBy 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… Details
Discovering Healthy Ways To Have Fun In RecoveryRecoveryBy 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… Details
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… Details
The Value of Restorative Vacations in RecoveryRecoveryBy 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… Details
How to Restore Faith in YourselfPersonal ResourcesBy Promises AustinAugust 25, 2012“One of the things I learned the hard way is that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.” – Lucille Ball, American comedienne, film, television, stage and radio actress, known the world over simply as “Lucy” (1911-1989) We often find ourselves… Details
Avoiding Addiction RelapseRelapse PreventionBy Promises AustinAugust 22, 2012Relapse is a situation that occurs when a recovering addict breaks sobriety and returns to his or her addictive behavior. While non-professionals commonly use the term for even small lapses into addictive behavior, doctors and mental health professionals typically only use it to describe serious lapses that potentially endanger the course of recovery. Any recovering… Details
