It probably is not a surprise that substance use disorders and mental health disorders often go hand in hand. In fact, they can be so entangled that it can be difficult to determine which arose first. Did you start using drugs or alcohol as a way to self-medicate against the symptoms of a mental health...Read More

Just about every group you can think of has some jargon—words or phrases—that only make sense in the context of that group. If you are a basketball fan, for example, you likely know what a “logo three” is. If you are a Star Trek fan, you know the difference between TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, and...Read More

It is one of the most famous scenes from one of the most famous motion pictures of all time (and certainly a classic for anyone who calls Kansas home). In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow (and, of course, Toto!) are headed into a forest along the Yellow Brick Road...Read More

Take a moment to think about your favorite place. It is possible that the moment you called your “happy place” to mind, you felt a little surge of well-being. Maybe your shoulders relaxed a bit. Maybe you found yourself smiling. Maybe you closed your eyes so you could bring the space more fully to mind.Now think...Read More

‘The weather started getting rough…’Have you ever watched the sitcom “Gilligan’s Island”? The show ran for three seasons in the mid-1960s and then had a long afterlife as a staple of afternoon reruns. There were even a couple of animated series and various made-for-TV movies related to the show—all of which were pretty odd.The premise...Read More

We know you are here to read about substance use disorders and the recovery journey. But bear with us for a few paragraphs, because we are going to start by talking about advertising. We promise it will all come together!We are confident you are familiar with the advertising technique that centers on testimonials. A testimonial...Read More

Regular readers of this blog know that we turn to a wide range of ideas and examples to explain concepts related to substance use disorders and the recovery journey. You can, for example, find a countdown of our favorite pop culture references here and here.This time, we are headed out of this world for inspiration....Read More

In a previous blog post, we provided some daytime tips for getting better sleep at night.  This time out, we are going to focus on some tips for nighttime. Getting quality sleep is an important way to support your sobriety as well as your mental and physical health, so taking your sleep routine seriously is...Read More

There are plenty of people who will tell you they love the last couple of months on each year’s calendar. Indeed, they might even lean into the idea that this is “the most wonderful time of the year.” And they might be baffled if you seem to disagree. But for many other people, the end of...Read More

Thanksgiving and Christmas might be called the “big food holidays.” The word “big” applies to both “food” and “holidays.” Those two holidays are certainly among the biggest on the calendar in terms of prep time and the pressure we tend to put on ourselves and others to make them perfect. And the food that goes...Read More