No matter what stage you are in your recovery, you may have questions associated with aftercare and what to do after completing treatment. You may have even been out of treatment for some time. However, after leaving treatment, you may find yourself “missing” something. Connections are a vital part of recovery in and out ofRead More
Art therapy is an alternative therapy frequently used along with talk therapy to treat substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health disorders. People have used art to communicate since the beginning of time. Art was the primary way people left behind a record of their lives for thousands of years. Formal art therapy has onlyRead More
Leaving treatment can be scary as you face new and old challenges. There will be people who may judge you for having to be in treatment and some who will believe you have not changed. These challenges will feel especially burdensome as you attempt to navigate your life beyond treatment. Some things to remember areRead More
“Resilience is the extent to which we can bounce back from adverse events, cope with stress, or succeed in the face of adversity,” says Dr. Cindy Bergeman, a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame, in an article on resilience from the National Institute of Health (NIH). A key factor in surviving trauma isRead More
Recovery from substance abuse will often involve an individual making significant changes to improve the quality of their life and their overall happiness. The health and wellness benefits that come along with substance abuse recovery are heightened, especially when balance in your life is attained by being substance-free. The Journey and the Changes As youRead More
How does anyone keep a secret in a world of social media, texts, and apps? Thanks to the internet and technology, people’s lives are shared or discussed without their permission. The lack of privacy or fear of exposure may decrease a person’s willingness to seek the mental health or substance abuse help they may need.Read More
Technology is distracting. Subconsciously you wait for an alert to let you know that someone sent you a text, email, or message. Once you receive that alert, you may not be able to focus on what is going on around you. The pull to respond or engage in a text or social media conversation canRead More
Everyone journeys through recovery differently. What you may need on your journey will look different than what someone else may need. Some people take more steps, while others do not need to. The beauty of recovery is that it is uniquely yours. You get to learn what you need and then do exactly that. OneRead More
Following on from your treatment at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, you may realize it is necessary to drop former relationships in favor of making positive and lasting changes in your personal and social life. Rebuilding your life following your treatment plan’s initial stages, as your therapist or case manager may have told you,Read More
Trauma affects our lives in so many ways. Our thoughts and emotions can feel controlled by our trauma, causing us to feel stuck in the past. As desperate as we are to move forward and live peacefully, the flashbacks and memories of painful events seep into our lives involuntarily and we find it increasingly difficultRead More