There are many destructive emotions we cling to when in recovery from addiction and mental illness, and among the most destructive are our guilt and shame. We carry the memories of our mistakes, regrets and wrongdoings with us for many years, unable to forgive ourselves. We feel unable to let them go, in part becauseRead More
One of the greatest things we can do for ourselves and our mental health as we’re recovering from addiction and mental illness is learn how to be at peace no matter what difficult conditions or circumstances present themselves. We don’t always realize that inner peace can be a choice we make. It is not somethingRead More
As recovering addicts, there are many mental and emotional patterns that we fall into that can threaten our sobriety and lead us back to relapse and self-destruction. Negativity, worry, self-doubt, pessimism and cynicism can all hurt our recovery by convincing us that our efforts are futile, that we’re not strong enough to recover, and thatRead More
When we’re in recovery, we sometimes have a tendency to stop taking our sobriety as seriously as we once did, and to grow complacent when we see just how far we’ve come in our journey. Even though we’ve overcome huge obstacles and made great strides in our recovery, we want to stay committed to makingRead More
Our struggles with addiction and mental illness have a way of overtaking our entire lives, robbing us of our joy and our sense of self. We feel lost, confused and disconnected from ourselves. Our mental and emotional pain cause us to feel empty, distraught and inconsolable. When we are in this place of suffering, itRead More
Our struggles with addiction can cause us to feel totally disheartened, defeated and down on ourselves. We feel self-hating, self-rejecting and insecure. We carry deep shame about our mistakes, shortcoming and wrongdoings. We wonder if we’ll ever be able to regain our confidence and repair our self-esteem. Our self-worth has been so depleted we worryRead More
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Some of the most important work we do in recovery is not with the intention of helping ourselves but instead of serving others. An unforeseen positive effect of our service to help others, however, is that we’re actuallyRead More
Our lived experiences and the stories we have to tell are reflections of who we are and how far we’ve come in our recovery. When we tell our stories, we benefit our own healing and that of the people around us, other recovering addicts who can be comforted and uplifted by our words. Oftentimes whileRead More
Sometimes we think that our need for support ends when we finish treatment, where we’ve received resources, help, guidance and inspiration while we laid the foundation for our recovery and started the long process of healing ourselves. Upon leaving treatment, though, we will still need support to help us cope with the ongoing challenges thatRead More
When we are in recovery, we realize that there are many ways in which we’ve been self-identifying that have been holding us back and working against us. We’ve been subconsciously self-destructive, and one of the ways this is most apparent is in how we think about ourselves. We don’t believe in ourselves. We lose faithRead More