Boundaries for Recovery: Mental Health and Stress Management Setting healthy boundaries is essential for individuals in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). Many people in this process need support identifying when and how to set boundaries, often feeling disempowered due to shame or guilt about their past. It’s crucial to remind them that regardless of their history, everyone deserves dignity,...[ read more ]
People, Places, and Things A support network is not synonymous with romantic relationships. Our problems, and our solutions, are usually found in relationships. Whether at work, home, or community, our sources of joy and stress include people. Relationships and their quality have a direct impact on the quality of substance use disorder recovery. Romantic love is a complicated topic in...[ read more ]
Sobriety, the very thing that friends, family, and other loved ones have probably been praying and wishing for is stressful on relationships. A healthy sobriety is worth it, but it's important to know that the transition into sobriety is not a breeze on the individual or the people close to them. This entry has an emphasis on romantic relationships, but...[ read more ]
Yea, that’s how I felt when the addiction research industry started - and continued - to talk about trauma. (Now that I think about it, The Brady Bunch is a good reference for this blog post. Those kids were YOUNG when their respective parents died. They had an understood “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule about talking about their grief and...[ read more ]
Introduction to Intervention I recently shared that I was going through my old blog posts and site copy to update to person first language.** I came across one of my first blog posts on the Myth of Readiness. In it, I discuss how it’s a commonly held belief that a person with a substance use disorder (SUD) needs to “be...[ read more ]
Holistic Substance Use Disorder Treatment In May, I celebrated 31 years of sobriety. I’ve seen a lot of changes in the recovery** community over the years. One encouraging change is the open, and sometimes even welcoming perspective on the need for professional help for some people in recovery through 12-Step participation. It’s important to know, also, that 12-Step participation is...[ read more ]
But, What Do I Do At Parties? One of the first questions I get asked early and often in working with clients who are trying to change their relationship with alcohol is “But what about parties?” Here are some of the forms that question takes: What do I do when someone offers a drink? What do I say when someone...[ read more ]
"Age of First Use?" What the Hell Does THAT Mean? Go to any intake or assessment for drug and alcohol use**, and one of the questions you’ll be asked is “What was your age of first use?” The question might seem trivial. Because it’s when your use got problematic that is the concern, right? Yes. Right. And no. The age...[ read more ]
Your Definitive Guide To a Happy Sober Holiday Season - Tools And Tips Welcome to the Tools and Techniques Entry. So far, you’ve reviewed your current status of recovery in general, and you’ve assessed your upcoming holiday specifically. Today we’ll build a list of tools and techniques that can help you curate a holiday season that you enjoy free of...[ read more ]
Your Definitive Guide to a Happy, Sober Holiday Season - People, Places, and Traditions “The Holidays” Those 2 words create feelings, emotions, and begin a series of automatic responses in people. For some, “the Holidays” creates feelings of fun, festive, family celebration. They remember and anticipate laughter, Aunt Jen’s sugar cookies, Dad’s turkey, and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade...[ read more ]
