Navigating the upcoming Holiday Season sober can be both frightening and freeing. Many of us think of the holidays as a time for family, friends, and fun. Often that fun has included substances. For many of us, substances have been a central part of our...
Recovery depends on communication. Being able to express yourself openly and honestly and to have real conversations can make a significant difference in the quality of your recovery efforts. Improving your communication in recovery is necessary to ensure that you are conveying your messages effectively...
Community-driven treatment is a key element in recovery for addiction program participants. Recovery, which is a process, does not end after the treatment is complete. Alumni involvement is vital to a permanent recovery, providing the opportunity for everyone involved to experience continuous connection and recovery...
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 to...
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 disorder...
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 helpful...
Manic Monday Have you ever heard the expression "Manic Monday"? I swear it must have been coined by someone who works in the field of addiction treatment. Sometimes I walk into Monday morning staffing with what seems like "umpteen" issues coming at me like rapid fire....
During the 2015 Fourth of July weekend, thousands of sober members of Alcoholics Anonymous headed to Atlanta to participate in the 65th Annual International Convention. I wasn't there. I wanted to be, of course. In fact I had made hotel and flight arrangements way in...
Overheard from a friend a few weeks ago, “My SpirMal went shopping today!” That caught my attention…SpirMal? What is that? I was quickly educated... SpirMal, as in, short for Spiritual Malady. Got it. I might not have known the term but I sure know something about spiritual...
I have heard the terms malady, spiritual malady, internal condition, untreated alcoholism, but until recently I had never heard the word "maladacious"! Even as I type, my spellcheck doesn't recognize it. My friend, in defense of her use of the word said to me- its...
Programs and Theories to help people stop drinking There are many programs and theories out there designed to help people stop drinking. The 12 Step programs and treatment centers all have the goal of helping people with a drinking problem to achieve long-term sobriety. While their...
"Remember that we deal with alcohol- cunning, baffling, powerful." The Big Book, 4th edition, Chapter 5, How it Works, page 58 Chronic relapse help for her daughter I had an occasion recently to be on the phone with a distraught mother seeking chronic relapse help for her...
