Once detox is complete, a person begins the real work of recovery. It’s in the weeks and months following initial treatment that you identify challenges to your recovery and find the tools to overcome them. Better understanding post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) helps position people...
The disease of addiction makes sufferers act in careless and hurtful ways to others. Though there’s no way to undo their actions, a person in recovery can seek to make amends with those they’ve wronged. When is the best time for addicts to apologize...
So much of our suffering is completely unnecessary. From an early age, we take on ways of thinking that create a useless burden, which traps us in a constant state of sadness and anxiety. We make assumptions, we harbor ill will toward others at...
Words carry incredible power. We rarely think about the many hidden meanings of the words we use to describe others, particularly when it comes to addiction. It’s important to understand that there are reasons addiction professionals choose their words carefully. The medical community has come...
Aftercare monitoring in addiction treatment is a bridge from residential programs to a substance-free life. After months of learning the tools you’ll need in recovery, aftercare monitoring teaches you to integrate these lessons into your daily routine. The longer a person with a substance use...
When you free yourself from the burden of substance use, you make room for the greatest pleasures that life can offer. Finding peace after addiction is a journey, but it’s well worth the effort. If you believe that you can’t live substance-free, then consider the...
Substances mask our problems. They also numb us to some of life’s greatest joys. When people with a history of substance misuse remove the barrier of drugs or alcohol, they begin the journey of experiencing richer, fuller lives. Through addiction recovery, you learn so...
Mental illnesses and addiction tend to go hand in hand. Sometimes, people begin using in order to numb their emotions and other symptoms of a mood disorder. In other cases, they develop mental health problems over the course of several years of active addiction....
Self-Improvement in Addiction Recovery Whether you’re new to recovery or have several years of sobriety under your belt, there’s always room for self-improvement. Today’s suggestions come from the work of Marty Nemko, Ph.D., career coach and bestselling author of How to Do Life. His advice...
While getting sober is often touted as the solution to all your problems, it’s not a magic bullet. As you grow accustomed to repairing relationships and waking up hangover-free, you may think that nothing could ever go wrong. In spite of the numerous benefits...
When you first begin your journey into addiction recovery, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of support and information that floods in. By receiving treatment at a qualified facility, a new world opens up before you. You’ll quickly learn an entirely new language of...
How teachable you are often indicates your happiness and success in life. To feel truly happy and fulfilled in life, you have to continually take stock of yourself and keep growing. It’s so important to be teachable, especially in the treatment setting, because it’s...
