We are often surprised to find that many of the people attempting to help us recover in treatment have their own personal experience with addiction and recovery. Their experience, strength, and hope will be invaluable as we enter into a process of...
The importance of being connected with others in recovery cannot be understated. Getting involved with others who are attempting to recover from addiction is a great way to develop a support system that can help us get through the difficult times...
Many men and women suffering from the disease of addiction have problems with humility. Our egos are often overblown and not reflective of the true reality of our lives. That is not to say we cannot be confident, but we cannot allow our egos or...
Cravings are an unfortunate fact of life in early sobriety. We will experience times when we feel like our desires for the familiar comfort of drugs and alcohol are overwhelming. Eventually, we will reach a point in our recovery where we are not...
Heroin overdose rates have skyrocketed in the past few years. With the introduction of powerful synthetic opioid like fentanyl, overdoses have become much more common and much deadlier than they were in the past. Overdoses require prompt medical...
Many recovery programs focus on spirituality as a means of overcoming addiction and maintaining sobriety. 12-Step recovery, for example, focuses on experiencing a spiritual awakening and living a spiritual life to achieve sobriety. Others, like...
Many newcomers will enter the rooms of 12-Step recovery meetings, see the word “God,” and run for the door. There is a common misconception that 12-Step recovery programs are religious in nature, and that spirituality comes from developing a...
Addiction is a complex disease that is chronic, progressive, and often fatal if left untreated. One of the defining characteristics of addiction is a lack of power over drugs and alcohol, or an inability to stop using despite negative consequences....
Famed author Fyodor Dostoevsky, in his 1863 essay Winter Notes on Summer Impressions, said, “Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute.” Dostoevsky was...
Many men and women enter into treatment suffering from more than just addiction. There are often underlying mental health concerns that must be addressed if they are to overcome their problems with alcohol and drugs. Dual Diagnosis is a term used...
