Category: Recovery

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RECOVERY MYTH: ADDICTION IS A CHOICE

How many times have you heard that addiction is a choice? Well, it’s not. In the beginning, you make a choice to use alcohol or drugs to alter the way you feel. Soon this becomes a habit. The habit grows and gets out of control. By the time loss of control occurs your mind and body have been chemically altered and the substance of choice becomes as necessary as oxygen. If you believe that addiction is a choice then you must subscribe to the notion that other brain disorders or...Read More

SPONSORSHIP IN THE 12-STEP COMMUNITY DEMYSTIFIED

There are a lot of misconceptions about sponsorship in 12-step programs. There will be brochures that outline a lot of the common questions posed by newcomers. There is a period of adjustment as you learn the intricacies of the steps, traditions, and rituals of meetings.It is advisable to get a sponsor as soon as possible. The sooner you have a lifeline the better. Having a guide during your very early recovery is going to take a lot of the guesswork out of it, and give you something to focus on.WHAT...Read More

EXCUSES ADDICTS EMPLOY TO RESIST REHAB: PLAY THEIR GAME AND WIN

Addicts are extremely clever, devious even, and experts in the game of denial. When faced with rehab or bust, they will fight the good fight to hold onto their addiction. Be prepared to counter their attempt to grasp at straws. Don’t work harder, work smarter. Bust through all the excuses all the way to the intake office. Just watch a few episodes of intervention and you will get the gist of how dedicated an addict is to avoiding treatment at all costs. According to addicts, the world revolves around them....Read More

6 RECOVERY MYTHS YOU SHOULD NOT BELIEVE

SIX RECOVERY MYTHS YOU SHOULD NOT BELIEVERecovery myths and horror stories abound. These misconceptions can lead to the death of an alcoholic or addict in a heartbeat. Getting into treatment as early as possible is imperative. There are many, many myths surrounding addiction and treatment. Here you will find a compilation from this website of six common myths and the actual truth of the subject at hand. MYTH 1: YOU CAN’T FORCE SOMEONE INTO TREATMENTNo doubt you have seen reruns of Intervention on t.v. The family gathers together and leverages...Read More

LOOK FOR SIMILARITIES NOT DIFFERENCES IN RECOVERY CIRCLES

When starting your recovery journey, identify the similarities, not the differences in the people and situations you encounter to develop a sense of belonging and community. There is proven psychology behind seeking the things that connect you to another person that will strengthen your support network and recovery foundation.When you enter a room full of people for the first time in treatment you have nothing in common with them, or so you think. Your mind will instantly plant rebuttal statements so you can remain aloof. You will be laser-focused on...Read More

CREATE A CARE PACKAGE FOR REHAB: HIT ALL THE PAIN POINTS – AIM TO MOTIVATE, INSPIRE AND COMFORT

Being thoughtful and creative, you can gather items to create a care package for rehab that is personalized, will motivate, inspire and comfort your loved one. Small items can really boost spirits when you are in residential rehab. Showing support and care is extremely important when you are separated from your usual environment and placed with strangers.Receiving care packages from ‘the outside’ helps you feel connected, loved, supported and boosts self-esteem. The little things in rehab make a lot of difference. Keeping self-pity and depression at bay is important. Little...Read More

ROMANTICIZING YOUR DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE: THE TOP OF THE SLIPPERY SLOPE TO RELAPSE

In recovery, romanticizing your drug and alcohol use is a precursor to relapse. Romanticizing is a triggering behavior. It can occur days, weeks or months ahead of the actual use of mind-altering substances. You need to refocus as soon as you start participating in the euphoric recall of your use. There is nothing in that life that you should be thinking back on fondly.Society and media both romanticize and vilify addiction. Movies depict drugs almost as social status, a plaything of the rich and famous. Alternatively, the drug addict is...Read More

7 TIPS TO GET THROUGH REHAB. YOUR CHOICES LANDED YOU IN THE HOT SEAT.

No matter how you ended up in treatment or how resistant and resentful you are, there is great benefit once you start participating. The short time you are in residential or intensive outpatient treatment is going to be the foundation of your recovery. Follow these tips to get through rehab and make the journey to recovery easier. What you learn in treatment is going to save your life. Pay attention!UNDERSTAND HOW YOU GOT HEREYou did not end up in rehab because you had a few too many at a family...Read More

RECOVERY MYTH: ADDICTS WILL SEE THE LIGHT WHEN CONSEQUENCES GET BAD ENOUGH

The unfortunate truth is that by the time you are heavily into substance abuse, nothing else will matter. Addicts and alcoholics will continue using until the age-old AA warning comes into effect; jails, institutions, and death. By the time the consequences get bad enough, you simply won’t care, nor will you have the where-with-all to recognize danger.Initially, the choice to use alcohol or drugs is just that, a choice. It remains a choice until tolerance builds up, dependence occurs, compulsions drive use, and withdrawal symptoms appear. The end result is...Read More

YOU ARE NOT POWERLESS IN RECOVERY. YOU ARE A WARRIOR WHO CAN OVERCOME YOUR ADDICTION.

When you attend a 12-step meeting, you will be introduced to the first step which asks you to admit you are powerless over your substance and your life is unmanageable. This statement is true while you are stuck in the cycle of addiction, immersed in the culture and consequences that long-term substance abuse attracts. When you enter treatment or choose recovery the concept of powerlessness must be struck from your vocabulary and mindset. You are not powerless in recovery.In treatment, you are given the power back. It is your actions...Read More

RECOVERY MYTH: THE MORE YOU SPEND ON REHAB, THE BETTER THE TREATMENT. THINK AGAIN! DON’T GET RIPPED OFF.

In 1956 when the AMA declared alcoholism a disease it became eligible to be treated as a medical condition. Health insurance companies jumped on the bandwagon and developed programs of treatment. Traditional inpatient rehab is based on the Minnesota Model utilizing 12-Step indoctrination. Over the past few decades, inpatient treatment for substance abuse and behavioral addictions has become a multi-billion dollar a year business. Don’t get ripped off by thinking that the more you spend on rehab the better the treatment will be.The Betty Ford center is well known as...Read More

A.A. MEETINGS, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE.

For hundreds, if not thousands of years, alcohol has been a part of society. The fledgling alcohol treatment phenomenon has taken off in the twenty-first century and is now a multi-billion dollar a year industry. Centuries ago there were treatments and groups to deal with ‘inebriates.’ Alcoholism was considered a moral issue for the longest time. The Temperance movement, Prohibition, and institutionalization have all had their day. Alcoholic Anonymous is perhaps the most well-known program for alcoholics since its inception in 1939. A.A. meetings have been the mainstay of peer...Read More