Early Recovery Demands There are a few “suggestions” for people in early recovery. I say suggestions in the same way that it’s a suggestion to pull the cord on a parachute when you jump out of a plane. The first thing to realise is that recovery has to come first. Recovery, recovery and more recovery. So, the question is how we keep recovery at the forefront of our lives when […]
As we fast approach the season of holidays and Christmas time, many people in recovery start to feel the anxiety. A lot of spare time, family reunions, alcohol is usually involved and financial pressure are a few of the stresses that come with this time of year. So the question is: How do we survive silly season? There are a few key points we can look at. Being accountable / […]
Many people come into treatment and think this is recovery, if I could just stop using/drinking/acting out my life would be fine, it would go back to “normal”. Here’s the thing, what’s normal? Is normal that life you had before you started using/drinking? Is normal the way your life was as a child? Here are the facts, if you walk into our treatment centre it tells us several things. Your […]
Expiry Dates during recovery: Many people come through our treatment centre and believe that the work they put in here is enough and that the work they put in here is going to carry them for the rest of their lives. This is a dangerous myth and one that could lead many to relapse. Like the title states, Actions in recovery have expiry dates and what we mean by this […]
If you want to maintain recovery and keep running strong, you need to take the same approach a mechanic would take when tuning up a car. But what should you do in order to maintain your recovery successfully? How can you react to the little signs of risk when they appear, and prevent larger damage? How can you cope with life after getting sober? In this article, we explain what […]
Here’s the dilemma; chemically problematic men and women don’t do well in ‘relationships’. An extremely high percentage of people who try to get clean and sober but then repeatedly find themselves relapsing, relapse because of relationship break-down and the subsequently overwhelming feelings of hurt, loss, and failure. For too many people, conflict in a relationships spells the end of the relationship. That’s one of the reasons why many counsellors and […]
For those recovering from alcohol and drug addictions, the urge to find a fix seems to be never-ending. To replace their drug of choice, the recovering addict will find other means to soothe their minds and souls. A replacement “high” that has become common among recovering people is the use of energy drinks. Energy drinks’ combination of caffeine, vitamins, and herbs can provide the kick they need, and, it’s legal […]
When someone you care about hurts you, you can hold on to anger, resentment and thoughts of revenge — or embrace forgiveness and move forward. By Mayo Clinic staff Nearly everyone has been hurt by the actions or words of another. Perhaps your mother criticized your parenting skills, your colleague sabotaged a project or your partner had an affair. These wounds can leave you with lasting feelings of anger, bitterness […]
It appears to be internationally accepted counsel for new-comers into recovery out of an addiction, not to get involved in emotional and romantic relationships for a period of up to two years. The reasoning behind this suggested discipline lies in the hope that as you come into recovery you will start to change as a person, so in two years’ time, if you have joined a programme of change, you […]
Are you dependent on exercising (in an unhealthy way)? Regular Exercise Or Compulsion? Regular physical activity plays a crucial role in health maintenance and disease prevention. However, excessive exercise has the potential to have adverse effects on both physical and mental health. While the scholastic and empirical discussion of excessive physical activity focuses on obsessive and compulsive exercising…how can we everyday people recognize the symptoms of an exercise addiction? And […]
What is complacency? Complacency sounds like this, now that everything is better I can stop doing the things that made my life better in the first place. Like a person that suffers from depression, once they start taking anti-depressants they start feeling better. The depression lifts and they start thinking, well I’m not depressed anymore so do I still need to take these pills every day? What makes no sense […]
From Colin’s Office: Coming out of an addiction and into a new normal happens in phases. We do not simply put the chemicals down and then find ourselves as a central figure in our perception of what normal really looks like. We come out of the fog of war and into a therapeutic environment, but at that point we are not in recovery, we are in treatment. Recovery can only […]