Connecting Intention & Action in Addiction Recovery
One of the most difficult parts of addiction recovery is handling the disconnect between intentions and actions. You may have no intention whatsoever of using or drinking because you know the consequences, but you find yourself spending your paycheck on drugs or alcohol and relapsing. How did you get here when you so much did […]
International Overdose Awareness Day
Today, August 31, is International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD). IOAD is dedicated to raising awareness about overdose and fighting addiction stigmas, as well as remembering loved ones who have passed away from overdose or suffered permanent injury. The event was initiated in 2001 and has been coordinated by the Penington Institute, a non-profit public health […]
Identifying Triggers to Prevent Relapse
Addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease, and relapse is a part of recovery. Accepting this reality can be difficult, but it’s important that those in recovery are able to see that relapse is a setback, not a failure, and does not mean that sobriety is not possible. Knowing your triggers and being able to […]
7 Things to Look for in a Sponsor
Recovery newcomers may not have heard the phrase “working the steps” or may not understand what exactly that means. In the addiction community, the “steps” referred to are the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (Narcotics Anonymous uses the same 12 steps). Your sponsor helps to guide and support you through the steps, meant to provide […]
New Data Suggests Opioid Overdose May Be on the Decline
Preliminary estimates released this month from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that deaths from opioid overdose may be falling, despite a ten percent increase in overdose death rates in 2017. A record number of Americans died from opioid overdose last year, according to the CDC data, and the 72,000 deaths number […]
Staying Positive After a Relapse
Staying positive after a relapse, especially when you’ve been sober for a length of time, can be difficult, but letting negative thinking consume you can make you feel worse and make it harder to not relapse again. On the flip side, you might be especially motivated to “do recovery right this time,” and bite off […]
5 Things to Avoid After Drug Rehab
After completing drug treatment, it’s important that you are working a program and maintaining certain habits and routines to stay sober and keep recovery strong. It is just as important, however, that you avoid certain things that do not support— or may be harmful to— your recovery. Remember that recovery is a continuous process and […]
The Importance of Healthy Addiction Replacement Habits
A big contributor to addiction and addictive behaviors is poor coping mechanisms. When someone is in active addiction, self-medicating with substances is often the only coping mechanism that someone knows. Much of recovery involves replacing harmful habits with healthy ones and learning to rely on these positive substitutions. It is critical to take care in choosing […]
The Devastating Resurgence of Methamphetamines in America
With the opioid crisis reaching alarming levels— over 140 Americans die every day from opioid overdose (National Public Radio) and thousands of major pharmacies across the country now sell non-prescription Narcan, a naloxone nasal spray used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose— methamphetamine use has been flying under the public health radar. In 2005, […]
Accepting Setbacks in Recovery
In recovery, it is essential to remember that relapse does not erase your successes. A relapse is a speed bump, not failure. Still, it can be difficult to keep this in mind when you’ve been sober for a length of time. It’s important to accept your setbacks and build on them in ways that support […]
