Even when we’re wholeheartedly committed to our sobriety and invested in our recovery, we can find that there are persistent impeding factors that can threaten to derail our progress. Some of these impediments might be unavoidable. Others we can be mindful of and prevent as we’re doing the work to recover. Sometimes these impediments jeopardizeRead More
The idea of implementing boundaries in our relationships can bring to mind negative associations and connotations. We think of having boundaries as being inflexible, strict, unyielding, and even unfair with the people closest to us. We think we’re being overly harsh, selfish, and self-centered when we establish boundaries in our relationships. Having healthy boundaries, though,Read More
Many of us struggling with addiction find that we’re also coping with serious physical health challenges. We use our drugs of choice not only to escape our psychological and emotional difficulties but also to cope with our physical pain. We might have painful physical health symptoms that we’re desperate to relieve ourselves of. We mightRead More
The stress we feel in our daily lives takes a toll on our health and can play a major role in our addictive patterns. We use our drugs of choice as a way of coping with our stress and all of the difficult emotions we have a hard time managing. Our stress can manifest asRead More
For some of us, the longer we’re in recovery, the harder it is to hold ourselves accountable to the sobriety we’ve committed ourselves to. We can feel ourselves slipping on the intentions we’ve set for ourselves. We can feel as though we’re losing faith in the goals we’ve implemented for our recovery. This can happenRead More
Many of us struggling with addiction also struggle with unhealthy relationships full of conflict, misunderstanding, and miscommunication. We’re dealing with intense emotional issues that keep us from having healthy relationships with ourselves, let alone with other people. Many of our relationship challenges come from the fact that we’re lacking in communication and conflict resolution skills.Read More
One of the things we find ourselves trying to work out for ourselves in recovery is why we used our drugs of choice so excessively and in such dangerous amounts, risking overdose and serious harm, and putting our lives at risk. We’ve mixed different drugs in huge quantities, not knowing what the potential drug interactionsRead More
It’s not uncommon for us to experience feelings of resistance and complacency as we’re working to recover. We get tired of doing the intense work required of us. We feel as though we need a break. We can feel devoid of hope, optimism, and motivation. We want to stay energized as much as possible inRead More
It is a practice to cultivate forgiveness for something that has had a deep and significant impact on us, and it’s often an ongoing process that requires time and energy. It’s far from easy, and it requires a great deal of courage. We need to make the commitment to working toward forgiveness, which can beRead More
Sometimes in recovery, we feel enthusiastic about our sobriety. We look forward to all the promising developments in store for us. We’re excited about all the changes we’re making. We feel energized and motivated. Sometimes, though, we can become complacent in our recovery. We lose steam. We feel burned out. We lose inspiration and passion.Read More