Pat Schneeweis, better known as Pat the Bunny of the band Ramshackle Glory, sings in the song Never Coming Home (Song for the Guilty): “Forgiveness from those that we hurt in this world never was guaranteed.” Schneeweis, whose struggles with heroin and sobriety are well documented in his songs, touches on an important note about…
Therapy and the development of coping skills are an important part of treating addiction. However, therapeutic treatment is only on part of the puzzle. For treatment to be effective, the problem of addiction must be addressed from a variety of angles, including every mental, physical, and spiritual aspect of the disease. That is not to…
Ceasing drug and alcohol use abruptly is extremely dangerous. Our bodies have adapted to the increased intake of substances and made physiologically changes. When we abruptly discontinue drug and alcohol use, our bodies respond with painful withdrawal symptoms. Many drugs cause withdrawal symptoms that range from mild to extremely painful, but alcohol and benzodiazepines are…
Addiction is a complex disease that affects mental, physical, and spiritual health. The complexity of the disease means that it requires daily maintenance and recovery practices to maintain sobriety. There is no cure for addiction, but that does not mean sobriety is not possible. The National Institute on Drug Abuse explains, “Not always—but like other…
Cravings are an unfortunate fact of life in early sobriety. We will experience times when we feel like our desires for the familiar comfort of drugs and alcohol are overwhelming. Eventually, we will reach a point in our recovery where we are not tempted by drugs and alcohol, but in the early stages of recovery…
Addiction is a complex issue. Some argue that it is solely a brain disease, some who argue that it is entirely spiritual, and some who argue against addiction being a disease at all. The truth is that addiction is a disease, albeit a complicated one. It affects the mind, body, and spirit in ways that…
The first thirty days of sobriety can be the most difficult. We are in a position where we want to overcome alcohol and drug addiction but have yet to develop the coping skills and engagement with a recovery program necessary to live happily, joyously, and freely in our sobriety. The first thirty days of sobriety…
Residential Treatment provides a safe place, free from external stressors, for us to learn more about our addiction, our recovery, and ourselves. We begin developing necessary tools and coping skills that will help us manage our recovery and sobriety as we reintegrate into society when residential treatment has ended. There are several options for us…
Fear is powerful. It can keep us lost in the past or too focused on the possibilities of the future for us to enjoy the present. When we overcome fear, we are able to overcome much of our anxiety and depression in recovery. Although we may never be rid of our fears, through recovery we…
Meditation is an extremely effective tool at our disposal to help us stay spiritually connected and maintain our sobriety. Not only does it help us spiritually, but it also can create very beneficial changes to our brains. Research into meditation has show that the practice can help improve our brains in ways that may be…