Tips For Enjoying a Sober Vacation While in Recovery
Imagine you have just finished work on Friday afternoon, and you have a flight leaving early Saturday morning for your family vacation. Everyone is excited to get away from the busyness of life and spend a week together making memories. But you have one unsettling thought that is keeping you from really getting in the vacation state of mind: How are you going to cope with the challenges that travel might present to your addiction recovery journey? Whether you are traveling to the beach, the ski slopes, or the African Sahara, alcohol is likely to be involved in the leisure [...]
Building Healthy Friendships in Recovery
When embarking upon a new lifestyle, some changes may need to occur in your social circles to help you stay focused on your goals. Sometimes we must make the difficult decision to leave behind friends who fueled our addiction in the past in order to ensure a happier, healthier future. Finding new friends who support your vision and dreams will not only help with recovery but will also assist in creating a long-lasting support system. Here are a few tips for letting go and finding new people to support your journey. Saying goodbye to the old Before you begin finding [...]
Staying Sober During Summer Break
Summer is a time for many to let loose and enjoy the sun. For young adults in recovery, the summer is loaded with pressures and possible pitfalls. Leaving your college support system for three months can be daunting. We’ve compiled several methods that can help you maintain your sobriety during summer break. Maintaining a Support System Once you leave the support system you’ve developed at college it’s important to find a solid group at home. Finding an AA or 12-step program group that you can connect with is important to your continued recovery. Stay in touch with those from your [...]
Young, Fun, and Sober: Enjoying Your 20s While Recovering from Addiction
Having fun while in your 20s and managing the temptations associated with exciting activities is a balancing act. To thoroughly enjoy yourself while remaining sober, you need to build a strong foundation, avoid old habits and find enjoyment in unexpected places. When you take the right precautions and foster skills to stay sober, you can have a fun life with no regrets. Building the foundation A strong foundation of coping skills, a solid knowledge-base and healthy emotional regulation, you can overcome the urge to use drugs and alcohol in your young adult life. For most people, a strong foundation can [...]
6 Ways to Avoid Drug Addiction Triggers
Getting help and admitting you have an addiction is the first step on the long road of recovery. Even once you acknowledge an addiction, though, there are still obstacles to overcome. Avoiding triggers is a life-long task. Learning what causes them and how to combat them, can keep you from falling into a relapse. In this article we'll give you the scoop on how to do just that. Over time, managing drug addiction triggers will get easier. 1. Identify drug addiction triggers Knowing what could trigger a relapse is one of the first steps to finding freedom. Typically, there are [...]
Maintaining Sobriety in College
College is a thrilling experience. Meeting new people, finding subjects you're passionate about and maybe living independently for the first time are all exciting opportunities. While going to college comes with its fair share of good times, there's also a host of temptations that come with the new territory. Maintaining sobriety in college is not an easy feat. Even if you start drinking or using drugs only on a casual, social basis, it can quickly develop into an addiction. Moreover, if you're already struggling with a substance use habit or have overcome it in the past, it can feel like [...]
Opening Up During Outpatient Group
Unfortunately, many seasonal activities are associated with drinking as the weather gets warmer. Before recovery you may have enjoyed a cold beer after doing yardwork, during a BBQ, or while sitting at a ballgame. During recovery however, satisfying your thirst with your addiction substance is not an option. Outpatient and 12-step groups teach those in recovery the correct way to avoid people, places, and things that may cause a relapse. This works when you’re in the safe space of group, but when you cannot avoid activities that prompt old habits, temptation abounds. Falling back into your support system is how [...]
Different Types of Recovery Support Groups
If you have recently been through addiction treatment, it is likely you've heard the phrase, "Recovery is an ongoing process." This can be intimidating when you're facing life outside the support and security of a treatment center. The good news is that even once you've successfully navigated treatment, you're not going to be shipped off to fend for yourself. Recovery isn't easy, and because of this, it's vital that you continue to receive as much support as you need as you move into further stages of recovery. This is why recovery support groups are recommended. Benefits of recovery support groups [...]
Having Fun in Recovery
As a clinician who works primarily with clients between the ages of 18 and 26, I see boredom as a core relapse trigger. Since boredom is such a huge issue for young adults who are trying to stay sober, learning to have sober fun in recovery is imperative to the health and sustenance of a person's recovery. Many of the clients I work with think I'm crazy when I start to talk about having sober fun. Maybe they’ve become used to drugs and alcohol being their only form of excitement. Maybe all their friends are still in active addiction or [...]
The Differences Between Abstinence and Recovery
What is the difference between abstinence and recovery? Which is better? Read to understand the importance of each from an expert in addiction treatment.
Life After Treatment: The Courage of Recovery
You took your last drink, drug or pull on the slot machine. Congratulations. Everyone is happy for you and proud of you. New friends in the 12-step meeting say you are the most important person in the room. You receive phone numbers, coins and hugs. But why do you feel so sad and empty? Life After Treatment Life after treatment can be hard. The parade is over, the ticker-tape is being swept up, and there you are, lonely and afraid on the street. Your addiction, for a time, was your best friend. It promised you everlasting companionship—at least until it [...]
The Journey Through Recovery
Relapse, as it pertains to recovery, refers to the process of someone who is in recovery from addiction gradually falling back into their old habits after a period of sobriety. Some who suffer from addiction may relapse multiple times before being able to stay abstinent from drugs and alcohol long term. Relapse doesn't have to happen, but if it does, don't give up. See it as a learning experience and see how fast you can get back on track. There are some tools you can use to help you to avoid relapsing during your journey through recovery. The first one [...]
