A Connected Life

There’s nothing glamorous about being dope sick, and if you’re not familiar with the term, keep reading; you’ll soon understand why those who are cringing at the sight of the term. What is dope sickness Imagine that you experience anxiety and depression. You think, okay, maybe I can handle this. Then comes the onslaught: fever,…
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Maintaining strong human relationships is important to physical and mental health, perhaps nowhere more important than when you’re fighting temptations to relapse into addiction. Peers who understand what it’s like are important, especially when your problem drug is alcohol, which non-addicted peers often consume regularly and can’t quite grasp why you can’t handle.  The best way to connect with…
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When in recovery from alcoholism, you quickly find that potential relapse triggers lurk everywhere. Alcoholics Anonymous developed its hotline-like buddy system to help combat that problem: many people lack the strength to stand firm on their own power when suddenly confronted with a tempting situation:  The sight of a neon “Happy Hour” sign  The aroma of an old-favorite…
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Whether you’re at an office happy hour or a family Christmas party, it can be a trying experience to have an alcohol use disorder and be surrounded by cheerful cocktail-sippers. Especially when others, never having experienced problems with uncontrollable drinking themselves, don’t understand how your problem could be all that bad.   Sometimes, the best solution is to avoid alcohol-serving parties altogether….
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Recovering from alcoholism means having a lot to live down. And having a reputation to rebuild as a worker, a community member and a family member.   Of the three, “family member” is both the easiest and the hardest. Easy, because these are people who know you personally and see your commitment to change, not just your record…
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Chronic stress increases your risk of relapse into drug use. And fatigue (physical or mental) increases your risk of becoming chronically stressed. So getting adequate rest is one important element of relapse prevention. That’s not always as easy as going to bed on schedule: if your brain is used to high-anxiety mode and especially if…
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If you belong to any “Anonymous” support group, you’re familiar with “I’m celebrating x months/years of sobriety” announcements. Even if your support network uses a non-12-Steps approach, celebrating sobriety anniversaries provides a boost to self-esteem and extra incentive to stay on the wagon. Obviously, you won’t want to celebrate with a wild party, or even…
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A healthy diet is important under any life circumstances, but in recovery from addiction, it provides special benefits: Replaces weight lost during drug use, without the health risks of empty calories Helps mitigate other health damage caused by substance abuse Reduces relapse cravings Further protects against relapse by raising energy levels, improving thinking ability, and…
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If you struggle with getting a good night’s sleep, like millions do, you may be willing to do anything to end the feeling of chronic sleep deprivation. The simplest solution for many insomniacs is to pop a sleeping pill like Ambien, Sonata, and Lunesta—all of which belong to a class of medications known as “sedative hypnotics.”   Emerging research shows that you just may be putting your…
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Addiction has devastating effects on all areas of one’s life—including sleep.  People suffering from addiction are approximately 5- 10 times more likely to develop sleep disorders. Ironically, many people initially use drugs and alcohol to help them with sleep issues, but end up getting addicted to the very substances they used to help them alleviate their sleep problems.  For example, alcohol, a depressant, is used by nearly 30…
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Substance abuse is physiologically damaging in numerous ways, many of which are outwardly obvious. However, it also causes difficult-to-detect inner changes including the depletion of vitamins and minerals the body needs to function optimally.  Those who abuse drugs and alcohol often feel tired and drained—beset by negative physical as well as emotional symptoms caused by a lack of proper nutrition. This process begins slowly, but worsens over time. …
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