We can’t overemphasize the potentially catastrophic danger of overdoses. Let us be perfectly clear from the beginning: overdoses require immediate medical intervention. Without that intervention, death is a very real possibility. Even if you survive the overdose, you may suffer severe organ damage or other significant health impacts.Life and DeathAn overdose is easily one of...Read More

When someone you love is struggling with a substance use disorder, it is natural to want to help. But sometimes—more often than anyone would like—these efforts to help might seem ineffectual. And exhausting. Addressing Your Feelings and Needs In these cases, you will find yourself feeling frustrated or angry or sad. If those feelings aren’t...Read More

Have you ever had a mentor?Maybe your mentor was a teacher or a coach who always supported you and helped you consistently improve your academic or athletic performance. Maybe you had an internship in college, and your supervisor served as a mentor to show you the ropes. Or maybe you learned an artistic practice like...Read More

Relationships and RecoveryWhen we think about important steps to take to support recovery, we often think about making amends to people we have hurt as a result of a substance use disorder. That process is one of the 12 Steps, but even if you aren’t participating in a program like Alcoholics Anonymous, you may still...Read More

Winter WeatherThe winter months can be challenging for everyone, especially when weather conditions force us to spend more time indoors, and everything from driving to work to getting the kids bundled up to catch the school bus can feel more difficult. Add the significant stress of the holiday season to those feelings of cabin fever...Read More

Spirituality and the HolidaysDecember brings holidays connected with various religions to the fore, making it a time during which many people are thinking about spiritual matters of all kinds. The holiday season is also a fine time to consider what role spirituality might play in your recovery story.Before we go too far down that path,...Read More

The holiday is called Thanksgiving.Seems straightforward enough. It is a day for giving thanks for all of the blessings in our lives.But for many people, the holiday hardly brings up feelings of thankfulness. Our gratitude can get blocked out by the stress of family gatherings, a huge meal to prepare and clean up, and a...Read More

Narratives Do you have some favorite stories about your life that you like to tell? Maybe you like to relive a moment of athletic triumph from high school. Perhaps you like to recount the time you met a celebrity in an elevator and got to talk to her for 12 floors. Or maybe you love...Read More

Think about a brand new computer. It comes from the factory set up to accomplish certain tasks. The user can adjust how the machine approaches those tasks (and even change the tasks themselves) by changing something about the computer. You could, for example, add new software—the programs of instructions that allow computers to provide everything...Read More

Forging a PathImagine that you are standing on one side of an enormous field. You need to get all the way across to reach your destination—and later, you will need to return to where you are now. There are no sidewalks in sight. So you just start walking across.Now imagine that you walk across this...Read More