Blog

Navigating the Holiday Season in Substance Abuse Recovery

For most people, the holidays can be a time of emotional highs and lows. Happiness and joy may abound, but so might loneliness, anxiety, and what’s known as the holiday blues. The latter can be a serious trigger for those in substance abuse recovery. What’s important is to be prepared. Planning ahead of time can help you navigate the holiday season and keep your recovery on track.

The memory is a powerful force, and the holidays can have some of the strongest associations of both good and bad times in the past. This is why the holiday blues can appear during such an otherwise festive time. When developing your holiday plan to keep your recovery strong, it should include the following: Read more →

Well into fall and nearing the holiday season, is a good time to think about what it means to cultivate gratitude in addiction recovery. Practicing gratitude can be a powerful force in our daily life. It’s more than just saying thank you to someone, it’s a commitment to let go of hostile and bitter thoughts about people or events in your life, and to invite appreciation into your heart and mind for all of the things you do have in your life. 

Gratitude in addiction recovery is about finding the important things in your life to be thankful for. And it can help you to release negative thoughts or emotions that may be holding you back in your recovery. Gratitude invokes positive thinking, which can improve your physical and mental well-being. It also gives you more energy and the type of outlook necessary to do things that will make your life better. People who cultivate gratitude in their life tend to experience more joy than others. Read more →

National Recovery Month is a time to celebrate those who have embarked on their journey into sobriety. It is also a time to reflect on what makes a recovery strong. There are many things you can do on a daily basis to help keep your recovery strong, whether you’ve been in recovery for weeks or years. 

One of the most important things that we like to emphasize during National Recovery Month is stress management. Stress can be a quick saboteur to recovery, regardless of how long you’ve been in recovery or how confident you might be. It’s always a good idea to take this time to check in with your self and see how you are managing. And remember, stress isn’t always about major life events, it can also be daily hassles that add up over time!

If you notice this National Recovery Month that your stress levels are inching their way up there, here are some ways to help you manage it: Read more →