How Exploring Your Creativity Can Help Your Recovery
The twentieth-century French thinker Jean Paul Sartre was a prolific creator. Many of us associate him with the branch of philosophy known as “existentialism” that he helped to create. But Sartre was also a playwright, novelist, political activist, biographer and literary critic. He also was a notorious chain smoker: he was always smoking from a…
Read More >
When Summer Heat Starts Getting to You
When temperatures start to rise, so do tempers: many a scientific study confirms that people are more irritable, pessimistic and sleep-deprived when the weather gets hot enough to increase heart rates, and especially when the heat combines with high humidity. Sometimes, just having to get out of bed and go to work in that atmosphere…
Read More >
4 Surprising Facts Re: the Role of Testosterone in Addiction and Recovery
June marks Men’s Health Month. The 23rd annual campaign, which Congress began in order to raise awareness about health issues affecting men and boys, offers suggestions about things to do in June that support men’s wellness. One of them: wearing blue on June 16 (Father’s Day weekend) and showing your solidarity on Twitter via #ShowUsYourBlue….
Read More >
Will Your Partner Give You Another Chance?
As noted in the classic Twelve Steps, making amends to everybody one has hurt is an important part of addiction recovery. When the injured party is someone you have a longstanding relationship with, amends don’t stop at replacing damaged property or repaying misappropriated funds—they extend into your future relations and involve long, slow rebuilding of…
Read More >
You’ve Come a Long Way
If you’re familiar with the Bible, perhaps you remember the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18–19. He publicly bested 450 enemies by calling down God’s fire and rain from heaven—and barely a day later, he was brooding in the wilderness, claiming everyone was against him and he’d never accomplished anything. It’s not just in…
Read More >
How to Get an Accurate Diagnosis for Your Loved One
Getting an accurate diagnosis is crucial to the effective treatment of any medical condition. With addiction, too, a correct diagnosis is your best chance at recovery. What many families don’t know, however, is just how common misdiagnosis—and, in turn, sub-par treatment—can be. Here I’ll explain how misdiagnosis can frequently happen in cases of addiction, especially…
Read More >
Dopamine in Early Recovery – What Every Family Member Needs to Know
In the 1950’s, scientists made a fascinating discovery when they implanted electrodes in the brains of rats and electrically stimulated the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain. They found that another region of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens responded by triggering the release of the “feel good” chemical dopamine. That discovery eventually…
Read More >
Managing Pay Day Triggers in Early Recovery
If Pay Day used to be a cue to go binge drink or call your drug dealer, then you’re not alone. Many people with substance use disorders (SUDs) have struggled with the same temptation. A common dilemma in early recovery, then, is the question of how to successfully manage this potential relapse trigger. Below I…
Read More >
9 Emotional Coping Tips for Dealing with Financial Stress
The negative consequences of an untreated addiction to drugs or alcohol affect almost every domain of life, finances included. The destructive drug or alcohol seeking behaviors that constitute addiction can: suck your bank account dry destroy your good credit max out your credit cards lead to eviction or foreclosure cost you a job and regular…
Read More >
5 Tips for How to Avoid Financially Enabling a Loved One with Addiction
Knowing how to help and not hurt a loved one struggling with addiction is a common dilemma for family members. The reality is that in the absence of good guidance and support, a close family member with the best intentions may end up enabling a loved one’s habit. Where this danger often surfaces is in…
Read More >
The Impact of Health and Fitness on Your Recovery, According to the Experts – A Recap of Our March Live Event
How do health and fitness impact your recovery? Last week we invited two health and fitness gurus who co-specialize in addiction to answer that question, as part of our monthly Facebook Live series: Phil Scuderi is a chiropractic physician based in Palm Beach County, who specializes in treating pain through chiropractic care and other holistic…
Read More >
When You Feel No One Understands
For all the progress against prejudice, most of the world still tends to pass quick judgment on whatever—or whoever—makes it uncomfortable. If you’re in addiction recovery, and especially if you also have the clinical depression that often goes with addiction disorders, you’ve probably heard “You could stop if you really wanted to,” “Why don’t you…
Read More >
Top 10 Tips for Making Real Friends
A strong support network is among your best defenses against addiction relapse. And especially if you’re short on supportive family or your relationships there are affected by lingering hard feelings, good friends outside your household are important contributors to that network. But if you’ve been hanging out primarily with “drinking buddies,” you may have some…
Read More >
One Secret of Sobriety: Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously
Perfectionism is the bane of good health. It puts stress on body and mind, minimizes the importance of self-care, and has been known to drive people to suicide. It reduces overall effectiveness through anxious mental distractions and fear of challenge. It poisons relationships by generating tension and arguments. It’s also a contributor to behavioral illnesses…
Read More >
