What’s the four-letter f-word that can determine the trajectory of one’s entire life path? It’s not the infamous curse word- it’s fear. Fear is the ultimate emotion; the stabilizer that defines us as conscious humans. It’s what makes us vulnerable, and it’s what also makes us pause, think, and react (or ... Read More
How To Set Boundaries When Your Parent Has An Addiction
While there is extensive information available to parents who have children struggling with addiction, there is scant advice for when the situation is reversed. If you are an adult with a parent facing addiction, you may feel angry, helpless, and alone. You may have threatened your parent in hopes of change, ... Read More
What to do If rehab isn’t working
Walk into any treatment center, and you’ll hear the ravaging war stories. You’ll talk to the person who’s been to rehab three times, ten times, and twenty-six times. You’ll learn about the facilities that created miracles, and you’ll hear about the facilities where clients died on the immediate grounds. In ... Read More
5 Tips For Repairing The Financial Problems Caused By Your Addiction
Getting sober may require assessment and repairing of everything from your interpersonal relationships to your physical health to your professional reputation. That said, you also may need to assess and repair your bank account- or lack thereof. During one’s addiction, it’s not uncommon to squander, ... Read More
Dating in Early Recovery – What Red Flags Do You Need To Avoid?
In early recovery, meeting new people is an entirely new adventure. Dating, which may have once represented drug-infused chaos, can even become a scarier tornado once you eliminate the mind-altering substance security blankets. Real feelings! Real intimacy! Real commitment! The idea is as tantalizing as it is ... Read More
Examining The Controversy Between Opioid Prescriptions in Recovery
For many people, sobriety refers to total abstinence from mood-altering substances. The premise is simple: do not use drugs or alcohol no matter what. But can or should there ever be exceptions in this seemingly black-and-white rule? In this case, how do we appropriately examine severe medical conditions, ... Read More
5 Brilliant Resolutions To Make This Year For Your Recovery
Are you the type of person who makes resolutions- without fail- year after year, only to lose steam by February 1? Or, are you the type of person who avoids such commitments altogether, fearing failure, disappointment, or simply being a timeless cliche? Research shows that over 80% of people fail to stick to ... Read More
The Holidays Are Coming: How To Celebrate Without Compromising Your Recovery
For some, the holidays evoke a sense of joy and togetherness, a time for family members to celebrate each other and enjoy coveted traditions. For many others, the holidays signify stress and tension. There’s a sense of dread and discomfort around having to spend time with all those people. Regardless, the ... Read More
If You’re Sober & Still Miserable, You Must Ask Yourself These 5 Questions
If getting sober is hard, then staying sober can feel like an impossible feat. Sobriety represents a complete transformation, one that requires you to reflect, shift, and change the way you interact with the world around you. While sobriety will never be a continuous episode of sunshine and rainbows, you ... Read More
Coping With Loss During Your Sober Journey
Death and taxes- they are the only two guarantees in this strange journey we call life. Of course, if you play your proverbial cards right, you can evade one of them. But death? That one is inevitable- it’ll happen to you and every single person you love- in a perfectly imperfect, randomized order. We can ... Read More