Posts Tagged ‘recovery’
Does a Loved One Have to Hit Bottom?
Does a loved one have to “hit bottom” before they can successfully treat their alcoholism or other drug addiction? The short answer, “NO!” But before I continue, please know language to describe alcoholism or drug addiction has changed greatly in recent years, falling under the umbrella term, “substance use disorder.” Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are…
Read MoreCourage to Change for Recovery’s Sake
Courage to change for recovery’s sake. “What do you mean?,” you might ask. Followed by, “I have courage, and I’ve tried just about everything I know to do to change things. How in the heck do you think I’ve lasted this long in a marriage with an alcoholic?” (or some similar close relationship: parent, brother,…
Read MoreFirst Things First — When Recovery From Addiction Feels Overwhelmingly Difficult, Keep It Simple
Recovery from addiction. Just three words — Keep It Simple. Such a big meaning, such a confusing concept – especially for those living with the family disease of addiction. Questions swirl: What does a person do? How is it done? Can it possibly work? Where do I start? If it’s not me but my family…
Read MoreEnd Stigma | Shame Surrounding Addiction
Not until we end the stigma | shame surrounding addiction can we take the first steps to effectively treat it. Why? It is the stigma and shame that causes the people who suffer with this chronic, often relapsing brain disease (and those who love them) to believe they just don’t want recovery badly enough. And…
Read MoreHow to Stay Sober at Work While Remaining Social | Guest Author Ken Seeley
How to stay sober at work — whether it is after a period of time in a residential treatment center or while navigating your own recovery path — can be difficult enough. But when you add the “pressure” to join in social activities with co-workers or participate in conferences or work-related meetings and events where…
Read MoreGetting Sober While Also Grieving
It’s difficult to imagine trying to get sober from substance use disorder while also grieving the loss of a beloved parent. Grief, in and of itself, can be overwhelming and difficult to move through. But to also be treating a sever substance order at the same — having to turn away from the “thing” that…
Read MoreHow to Best Manage Stress in Addiction Recovery
Managing stress in addiction recovery can be one of the keys to relapse prevention. That feeling of “stress” is triggered by the fight-or-flight stress response kicking into gear without thought when triggered by emotions, sounds, sights, touches, smells, and the like. Often stress and substance use disorders go hand-in-hand because the chemicals in the alcohol…
Read MoreOvercoming Addiction | Linda Dahl
Overcoming addiction, which is now understood to be a chronic, often relapsing brain disease, can be gut-wrenchingly hard. And that’s so often because of the secrecy, misinformation and shame that surrounds this particular disease as a result of common beliefs that it’s a choice or moral failing or as simple as “just stop.” It’s not.…
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