Why You Should Limit Rewards in Early Recovery
Early recovery is a time of emotional highs and lows, and those overcoming a substance use disorder who are newly sober must take care to limit their rewards. Too many rewards— material items, gifts, even words of praise— can have negative effects on those in early recovery. When you receive a reward, the brain’s pleasure […]
What to Read After the Big Book
The “Big Book,” AA’s foundational text, is cornerstone literature in the recovery community. The Big Book is a great text to bookmark and revisit while in recovery from a substance use disorder, but adding additional recovery texts to your rotation never hurt. Why should I read recovery literature? Reading recovery literature can help you to […]
5 Signs You’re in a Great Sober Living Facility
You’ve completed detox, IOP, and PHP, so now it’s time to move on to the next level of care— sober living. What is a sober living facility? A sober living facility, or halfway house, is a group living arrangement designed to help those overcoming a substance use disorder to reintegrate back into society. Typically, people […]
Mindfulness & Meditation as Part of Recovery
In recovery, particularly early recovery, staying active and engaging in positive activities is essential to sobriety and physical and mental wellness. One such activity is mindfulness, which is essentially the idea of living in the present moment. To be mindful is to exist in the present and to carefully observe passing thoughts and feelings without […]
Art Therapy as Part of Recovery
Like many forms of therapy, art therapy garners mixed reactions from the recovery community. Its effectiveness is often disputed among rehab, PHP, and IOP program participants. At Royal Life Centers at Puget Sound, we believe nurturing guests’ creative side inspires and encourages and that art therapy, an integrative, dynamic form of therapy combining sensory and […]
5 Keys to Better Everyday Mental Health
Everyday mental health is just as, if not more, important as long-term mental health. A sustainable relationship with yourself— your emotions, feelings, and often, consequentially, actions— starts with positive actions that you take on a daily basis. Cultivating this relationship is especially important for those in the early or ongoing stages of recovery from substance […]
4 Ways to Manage Boredom in Substance Abuse Recovery
Productivity and progress, not boredom, are your friends in sobriety. Early recovery from substance abuse can leave you feeling isolated and unsure of what you should do next, and boredom can quickly become a reality if you let it. Disinterest in activities while resisting any lingering temptation to use drugs or alcohol may leave you […]
Building a Sober Support Network
Recovery is more than abstaining from drug or alcohol use; long-term recovery is rooted in a healthy lifestyle not dependent on substance use. Positive relationships, part of a healthy lifestyle, can help you on your recovery path. Surrounding yourself with people who care about you and your sobriety and building that network is an excellent way […]
Opioid Crisis Breaking Waves in Puget Sound
Last month, scientists from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) discovered something never found before— traces of the opioid painkiller oxycodone in mussels in Puget Sound. Oxycodone was not the only drug researchers found in tissues of local bay mussels. Antidepressants, chemotherapy drugs, heart medications, other antibiotics, and synthetic surfactants were also detected. […]
