Grieving the Addiction
An overdose occurs when you take more of a drug than your body can safely process. Overdoses can be accidental or intentional, and they can be life-threatening.
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The Healing Power of Nature in Recovery
“The greener the setting, the more the relief.” Richard Louv Let’s face it. Recovering from substance use disorders isn’t easy. There’s so much more to it than simply giving up chemicals. The habits that we’ve developed around using and at least some of the habits we’ve developed in other areas of our lives, need [...]Humans Are Social Animals
Here’s a big bite of truth. Humans are social animals. Even the lone wolves among us, the introverts, and the rebels with and without causes are, at the core, social animals. The reason is simple - human beings, while carrying around one of the biggest mammalian brains, are not the strongest, fastest, or (stripped of [...]Big and Small “T” Trauma
Trauma can be a tricky thing to talk about. It’s a confusing topic and one that has received lots of attention in the mental health field. The definitions of what kinds of events are traumatic and the ways that we talk about trauma reactions, both acute and post-acute, have changed several times over the years. […]
A Short Take on the Long History of Cocaine
The white powder that we know as Cocaine goes by many slang names, and its highly addictive offspring, Crack has many more. Call it blow, or rail, grit or hard candy. These potent drugs stem from the coca plant, a powerful stimulant that has been in use by humans for thousands of years. Let’s have […]
Treatment Corner: What the Heck is CBT and Why You Should Care
You may have seen the letters, C, B, and T tossed around on social media by friends and acquaintances in treatment and therapy. If you’ve ever wondered what those letters mean and why you should care, read on. CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, an evidence-based, therapeutic approach for treating substance use disorders and other […]
The Negative Impact of Short- and Long-term Alcohol Use on the Body
Gray-area drinking is a new catch phrase that you might find as you search the internet. The term describes that space between very casual, periodic drinking, and heavy binge or daily drinking. Essentially, it was coined to provide a category for those folks whose drinking may not look outwardly problematic (i.e. they haven’t gotten into […]
Creative Connection During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Community and Connection are critical in early recovery from addictions of all kinds. Getting clean and staying clean can be difficult for several reasons; it can also feel lonely when the people that are closest to us – in the environment and in our hearts – may not completely understand what we’re going through. Worse, […]
Value-Based Action: Transformation Step 3
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” The Tao te Ching Finally! Step 3. I won’t say this is the most important part of Transformation. It’s not. Walking forward without Awareness and Acceptance just doesn’t work very well when what we’re looking for is deep change — Step 1 and Step 2 […]
Acceptance: Transformation Step 2
“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” Nathaniel Brandon “And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today” (The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. “Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is…” Michael J. Fox It took me a long time to get right […]
