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 any specific religious denomination or believe in anyone else’s conception of a “higher power.” Words like “god”…
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 suffering from the disease of alcoholism to simply stop using as a result of…
Recovery always has moments of difficulty. We go through so much to achieve sobriety and begin engaging in an entirely new way of life, exercising our newfound spirituality and coping skills. However, there may be moments when we feel overwhelmed or depressed and wonder, “What’s the point?” We fall into a cycle of apathy and…
In sobriety, we are tasked with confronting ourselves at the deepest level of our being. We look back on the past harms we have caused others, and often begin looking forward at all the things we are finally able to do in our newfound freedom from addiction and alcoholism. However, our thoughts about the past…
Our time in addiction changed the way that we think. Our brains became so accustomed to drugs and alcohol that we began developing uncontrollable cravings. Often, we found out the hard way that, no matter how many times we swore we would not drink or use again, we managed to convince ourselves to pick up…
Human beings love to communicate: specifically, they love to talk. One of the biggest mistakes we can make as human beings is to spend a lot of time in conversation that is self-involved without really listening. You may nod your head but really you are just listening to that voice inside your head rather than…
If you have ever seen the holiday movie, “Elf,” you might remember a line that says “smiling’s my favorite!” Few people argue that smiling is bad for you because there are so many positive benefits to smiling. Even if it is not your favorite thing to do, it can greatly improve your mood and enhance…
Now you have made the choice to get sober and give up drugs and alcohol, all you want to do is stay on the straight and narrow. Somewhere deep down you believe this can happen if you strive for perfection, but another part of you might waver. Fear can creep in that mistakes might happen…
Recently, a small study was published about neurofeedback and the impact on people’s brains. Neurofeedback is where people concentrate on modifying brainwave patterns which can potentially bring positive treatments to people with many disorders, including “treatment-resistant” depression (TRD). Learn more about why neurofeedback is having such a positive impact on this challenging diagnosis. How it…
One huge roadblock to success is not failure itself, but fear of failure. Fear of failure is often worse than failing because it keeps you from reaching your full potential. Researchers have found that success in the face of failure comes from focusing on the results rather than trying not to fail. It’s really about…