Pets can be our best friends, and coming home to a happy animal after a long day can be a source of comfort and stress relief. Interacting with animals can do wonders for our attitude and help us get through tough times. Researchers have found that...
Painting can be an effective way to eliminate stress and improve your overall mood. Art therapy, which includes painting and other forms of creative artistic expression, is a therapeutic practice utilizing art and creativity as a way of managing...
We can’t be happy all the time. We can, however, allow ourselves to maintain a positive outlook by making an effort to let go of negativity. It’s easy to get caught up in bad feelings, especially in early sobriety when our emotions tend to be...
Grounding can be an effective way to reduce stress and anxiety in early recovery. Grounding is a coping strategy that allows us to bring ourselves back into the present moment and pull ourselves out of the spiral of anxiety. When we begin to feel...
Feelings of depression are very likely during withdrawal and the early stages of sobriety. It is important to speak with a professional about feelings of depression to determine the best course to take to manage the symptoms, as depression can...
The Serenity Prayer— “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” -- is used to open up most 12-Step fellowship meetings. In recovery, we strive for a...
Not all drugs create physical dependence and subsequent withdrawal symptoms. Marijuana and many psychedelics and hallucinogens, for example, do not cause a user to go into a state of withdrawal when discontinued, but still carry the potential for...
Fear was one of the biggest factors in our descent into addiction. We were afraid of people, relationships, and facing life without the comfort of drugs or alcohol. When we make the decision to get sober, we are also making a decision to finally...
Many newcomers to recovery fellowships assume that they are entering into a religious program. While many of these fellowships stress the importance of spirituality, they stress that engagement in the program does not require one to subscribe to...
Alcoholism is a threefold disease of the mind, body, and spirit. There are three main factors within the disease: the spiritual malady, a physical allergy, and a mental obsession. These three factors are the reason why it is impossible for someone...
