Leaving treatment and entering back into our previous environment can be difficult. We are reintroduced to certain stressors and problems that may have previously exacerbated our addiction. Our home and community life may have been a factor in our...
The words “happy, joyous, and free” are said quite frequently in the rooms of recovery meetings. However, what are they referring to? It seems simple enough-- we find happiness in sobriety, our lives become filled with joy, and we are free from the...
Recovery is about mental, emotional, and spiritual growth. Drugs and alcohol were a way for us to stay within our comfort zones. We self-medicated to cope with any and all external stressors and found solace in the immediate comfort provided by...
It is easy to fall into unhealthy thought patterns of internal shame and external blame. We never wanted to find ourselves caught so tightly in the grips of addiction that it was impossible to live the lives we expected to have before drugs and...
Kudzu is a perennial vine native to Japan and Southeast Asia. It was originally introduced to the United States in 1876 during the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, then it began being promoted as a great ornamental plant in the 1930’s through...
Many people are unwilling to go to treatment for drug and alcohol detoxification. They believe that they would be more comfortable detoxifying at home without assistance. There is also the factor of social stigma and people may fear that entering...
Relapse is a terrify but all too common situation that men and women in recovery find themselves facing. Relapse does not mean that one has failed in recovery. It simply indicated that an individual must summon the courage to try again and re-enter...
Many people have the experience of going through the difficult process of detoxifying their body of alcohol and drugs, only to relapse quickly after leaving treatment. It is not an uncommon situation-- about 85% of people who seek treatment relapse...
Although overshadowed by the growing opioid epidemic, the rates of benzodiazepine abuse in the United States have skyrocketed. Often, benzodiazepines are taken along with alcohol, opioids, or other depressants, causing a potentially lethal...
The greatest thing about recovery is the vastness and inclusivity of the recovery community. No matter where we are, we can almost always find a meeting close by or reach out to someone in the recovery community for support. There are even recovery...
