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“We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” –The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, Step 4 “Making a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself” is often thought
“We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.” –The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, Step 3 Besides
“We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” –The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, Step 2 When Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935,
“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.” –The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, Step 1 The idea of admitting you’re powerless over an addiction sounds
One common symptom of addiction disorder is becoming “dis-ordered”: missing work, forgetting appointments, neglecting personal grooming. An important part of detox is reorganizing life for new self-understanding, new goals and
If perfectionism had any role in your developing an addiction disorder, you’ve probably harbored fear of learning new skills you weren’t sure you could get “right.” And if you’ve been
“I’m so stupid” can be easy for many people to say, especially in the wake of addiction-related damage. But if you dwell on the thought (or on any other negative
An active support network, comprising both formal support groups and informal friendships, can make the difference between relapse and long-term recovery. But as with any tool or program, a support
Any life transition—getting married, moving, starting college and of course attaining sobriety—comes with inherent strain on the nerves. Even “regular” transitions such as a change of seasons can catch you
If you think you’ll be happy when you find the right job/retire/have enough money— you’ll not only miss a lot of fun along the way, you’ll sink into apathy if
If you’re a member of any 12-Step group, you’ve heard many of your fellow members announce: “Tonight I’m celebrating one year of sobriety”—or six months, five years or ten years.
Prevention still beats cure for maximum simplicity and minimum pain: so if you’ve escaped addiction so far (or if you want to help others avoid repeating your mistakes), here are
While it’s not a good idea to get involved in a new relationship during your first few months of sobriety—you have enough life transitions and adjustments to cope with right
Although “living one day at a time” is a basic tenet of sobriety, you may well ask: Yes, but how do I do it? Here are a few ideas. 1.
The “reform school” approach to romance is a disaster waiting to happen. It’s one thing if you’re already married to the person with the addiction—which commits you to dealing with
It takes about three months to get a chemical addiction out of your system—one week physically and twelve weeks psychologically. Even after that, the danger of relapse remains strong for
Chemical dependence is always a family problem. If you have an addiction disorder, chances are other members of your household have unconsciously encouraged it, usually in one or more of
Even with the best medical care, physical drug detox is typically a miserable experience. Depending on the substance involved, you may develop flu-like physical illness that saps your strength, turns
Beer at a Memorial Day picnic, red wine at a college-graduation party, champagne at a wedding—there are occasions where “social drinking” is considered ubiquitous, at least in certain extended families
Getting away from everyday routine can be the perfect tool for reducing relapse dangers by reducing stress—or it can be a minefield of temptations with drinks on every corner, the
If there’s anything more frightening than suspecting you’re addicted to drugs, it’s suspecting that someone you love—especially your child—is the addicted one. Some parents worry so much about this possibility
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
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
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
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
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,
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
Self-pity makes you your own worst enemy. It turns your focus inward in all the unhealthiest ways. It reinforces the idea that life is perpetually unfair and everything is hopeless.
Fear of saying “no” is behind many a case of addiction enablement—and many a case of addiction. If your first reaction to most requests is, “I don’t want to, but
If you’ve ever been prescribed a substitute opiate to treat heroin addiction, you were probably warned that the treatment would generate its own form of dependence and must be taken
Even with addiction detox successfully completed, convincing people to trust you again is no overnight task. It’s worst if you have to make a fresh start after being convicted of
In case you haven’t been in a store lately, Valentine’s Day decorations went up in mid-January: this is the season for expressing love. While you seek the perfect gift for
It’s a cute acronym, but a problem no one enjoys having: Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. About 20% of the U.S. population is prone to some level of “winter blues,”
For all the progress made against bigotry, many prejudices are hard to root out. Among those who still feel they suffer constantly from stigma are people with mental illness. Whenever
It’s estimated that 40% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions each year—and just 8% of them keep those resolutions. If you’re newly sober in December–January (or at any other time
If “celebrate my first year of sobriety” is one of your New Year’s resolutions, you may be looking uneasily toward the actual turn of the year. Will your family understand
When Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935, the question “What’s your religion?” meant, “Are you Catholic or Protestant?” The only other alternative was Jewish—Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists lived somewhere in
When someone develops a substance addiction, well-meaning family members often become “enablers”—out of denial, pride or fear, they begin “helping” in ways that make it easier for the addiction to
The word “stress” carries so many negative connotations, many people are unaware that medical science recognizes negative and positive forms of stress. We’ve all heard of “distress,” mostly in the
If you try to live by proverbs, you soon learn that life is full of paradoxes. Many hands make light work, but too many cooks spoil the broth. Out of
When you’ve finally gotten comfortable with the “new normal” of consistent sober living, that’s among the worst times to be hit with a major shock. Nonetheless, no one is guaranteed
If you lived through any of the major hurricanes of August–September 2017, you probably had thoughts like “I never knew what stress was before this!” Sometimes, the stress is worst
The world is full of people who sabotage their own happiness by complaining when little things go wrong and taking for granted all the little things that go right. It’s
Trivia snippet: Nearly a decade before Richard Carlson made “Don’t sweat the small stuff” a household phrase, Michael R. Mantell published the first self-help book with that title. Carlson didn’t
It’s September, and education is on everyone’s mind. Just because you’re no longer in school doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take every opportunity to increase your knowledge—especially about topics related to
It’s September, and education is on everyone’s mind. Just because you’re no longer in school doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take every opportunity to increase your knowledge—especially about topics related to
It’s September, and education is on everyone’s mind. Just because you’re no longer in school doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take every opportunity to increase your knowledge—especially about topics related to
It’s September, and education is on everyone’s mind. Just because you’re no longer in school doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take every opportunity to increase your knowledge—especially about topics related to
Addiction is commonly compared to slavery. Look at the portrait of a human-trafficking victim and you see many parallels to the life of an addict: Constantly anxious or depressed In
People with substance use disorders are six times more likely than nonusers to commit suicide—and one in three suicides involve someone who was “high.” With or without addiction connections, the
Despite increased public sympathy for the problems facing addicts and their loved ones, misconceptions about drug abuse still abound. Here’s the truth about seven popular beliefs. Misconception #1: Alcohol is
Many substance-addiction problems begin in high school: the majority of teenagers either use chemical substances at least occasionally, or know someone who does. In fact, many parents breathe a sigh
“No one understands how hard it is for me!” How many times have you said that—before addiction, during addiction, and after detox? Often, it’s too close to the truth. The
The U.S. is notorious for allowing minimal vacation time, but even so, it’s a rare person whose routine doesn’t see some changes when summer arrives. Routine being an important factor
Addiction is not a one-person problem. It’s a family problem—and not just because its side effects cause trouble for everybody. Often, the addiction is only the most obvious of many
The trouble with most self-help writing is it minimizes the journey from “I saw what I was doing wrong and committed myself to developing new habits” to “now I’m a
Many cases of substance addiction are rooted in perfectionism: unhealthy stress thrives on feelings that you’re never good enough, that everyone is judging you, that life owes you cooperation in
The mockingbird is the state bird of Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. One reason he’s so popular is he can singlehandedly bring the music of a dozen birds to
If you violate your post-addiction abstinence—you’ve got plenty of company. The National Institute on Alcohol Use and Alcoholism, for example, reports that chances of making it through the first four
While working through the steps of recovery, you’re bound to come across painful reminders of things you wish you’d done differently. Especially if you spent years in addiction, there will
Broken any New Year’s resolutions yet? Even people who regularly moan “But I just can’t change” get caught up in the turn-of-the-year spirit and spend the last week of December
The same “quick fix” attitude that leads people into addiction can make addiction treatment less effective. Every behavioral-health professional has stories of patients who demanded quick cure-all programs, complained that
All of recovery, of course, is about starting over. But to start over means even more than giving up drugs, rediscovering a sense of responsibility and making amends to those
The majority of substance abusers retain some elements of “normal” life up to the time of entering rehab. Chances are that, treatment completed, you have a family, home and job
Regular exercise reduces stress and depression as well as improving overall health—and emotional and physical strength are powerful defenses against relapse. But if you have a full-time office job plus
If every criticism cuts you to the heart, you may have a TTP (Taking Things Personally) problem. If you assume that everyone who fails to answer your messages is laughing
Relapse is always a danger for recovering addicts, especially in the first 6–12 months after treatment. Complete avoidance, though the best defense against relapse triggers, isn’t always an option, so
During the holidays, most people think about giving to charities as well as to loved ones. Since the best holiday charities help people help themselves, you may be able to
Fans of early-twentieth-century American literature often choose this time of year to reread “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. In that story, a poor housewife sells her only
Did you survive Black Friday? Officially, the “black” in the name refers to “being in the black” economically, because it’s among the biggest business days for retailers and among the
In the post-treatment period, you likely feel better than you have in years. Your cravings for the next fix have dissipated. Your personal energy is renewed. And the days ahead
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
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
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
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,
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
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
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