Category: Blog

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In the spirit of “National Recovery Month,” an annual celebration of recovery that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) hosts every September, I’ve been devoting each blog

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” -Steven Covey I already have a white surrender chip and today I’ve just earned my

Substance abuse is heavily related to stress. That’s a common theme among research findings into the public health dimensions of drug and alcohol addiction in America. It’s also a trend

“A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking.” – Earl Wilson So, now I’m on vacation, scheduled for eight days of detox.

In the spirit of this month’s theme of celebrating recovery, I’ll be featuring four key milestones in recovery that are worth striving for and commemorating in fun, special ways. Broadly

If you’ve been in the sobriety game for a while or even just been to a couple 12 step meetings, you’ve probably heard the phrase higher power thrown around. In

“You will face your greatest opposition when you are closest to your biggest miracle.” – Shannon L. Alder At the end of my last story, I was camping out. Life

No discussion of addiction as a national public health issue would be complete without addressing the problem of stigma and stigmatization related to substance abuse. Stigma refers to the negative

“Camping is nature’s way of promoting the motel business.” – Dave Barry I became more and more unable to function at work. My savings account was almost in the basement

If you’re thinking, “I’m sober, my life is over”. You wouldn’t be the first. This is one of the many misconceptions of early sobriety and especially if you don’t already

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you will fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” – Jim Rohn

Recovery from a drug or alcohol addiction often requires addressing the powerful dynamic of shame. But you also can’t really address shame without first understanding where it comes from. That

“When you can stop you don’t want to. And when you want to stop, you can’t.” – Luke Davies Life is on the upswing now. I did manage to learn

When you’re looking for a sponsor remember, they are a person, not “the one” and there is no perfect person on the planet. That being said, what’s important is the

Healthy and supportive family relationships are a critical component of substance abuse recovery — but these don’t magically or immediately materialize upon completion of drug or alcohol treatment. Substance abuse can

“The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.” – Pema Chodron It didn’t take long at all. After a few short weeks I began every morning with my new magic

  If the disease of alcoholism is blind to gender, the health risks and treatment and recovery outcomes for alcohol scream, “You’re a woman! Watch out!” That makes recent news

In AA Meetings Part 1 we talked about different meeting sizes and styles to meet different needs. We also provided a list of all the meetings in Palm Beach County,

Whatever you think and hold in your consciousness will out-manifest itself. – Neville Goddard I had lost everything in my life. My husband, my almost husband and the hope of

When you leave rehab, you leave a built-in community and routine. This is why it’s so important to develop a new routine including a roster of go-to twelve step meetings

Whether you’re a high-functioning alcoholic on the fence about getting treatment or in recovery and feeling tempted to drink, here’s something you urgently need to know: the disease of alcoholism

Jami DeLoe once thought her biggest problem was drinking. That was before a diagnosis of “post-traumatic stress disorder,” or PTSD, which is the name given to a constellation of mental

These quick tips can help … Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You may have heard these words of encouragement from the

It isn’t what happens to us that causes us to suffer; It’s what we say to ourselves about what happens.” – Pema Chodron Last night I dreamed I was on