Anxiety is an unavoidable part of our lives. But for most people, anxiety is felt in specific and limited situations. We feel a little anxious when we are going to meet someone new, for example. Or maybe we get the anxious jitters before a speech, a test, or visit to the doctor. Nervous energy and...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...Read More

Spirituality and the Holidays December 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...Read More

Nutrition’s Role in Overall Health Good nutritional choices are seldom a priority for someone wrestling with a substance abuse disorder such as opioid or alcohol addiction. But once the journey toward lasting sobriety has begun, nutrition can play a key role in helping to limit the risk of relapse and in reversing some of the...Read More

Family Whether you are close or estranged or somewhere in between, your family may loom large in the early days of your recovery. There may come a moment when you have to decide how much you want to share with your immediate and extended family members about your recovery journey. On the one hand, the...Read More

Sound Advice Flight attendants always give passengers an important piece of advice when sharing emergency procedures: make sure you are wearing your own oxygen mask before you try to help others. After all, you’ll be no help to anyone if you collapse from a lack of oxygen, right? The same thing is true when you’re...Read More

Alcohol Use Disorder Addiction to alcohol can be difficult to face—and it can be easier to reframe your drinking as simply something you do socially or that you happen to enjoy rather than as a problem. But alcoholism, which is known in the medical community as an alcohol use disorder (AUD), is not about good...Read More

Almost no one has a perfect childhood. Even those with loving parents, financial security, and other positive factors in their lives are likely to experience a variety of negative situations, ranging from the minor to the truly traumatic. For some, a traumatic experience or combination of traumas can have a lasting negative impact on their...Read More

It’s Bound to Happen When you have made the decision to become sober and are in recovery from your alcohol addiction, it is inevitable that there will be a situation or occasion where you will find yourself being offered a drink. Whether it is a wedding, a neighborhood gathering, a work-related function, or any of...Read More

Men seeking addiction treatment still outnumber women, although the gender gap is slowly closing. In 2014, the last year for which statistics are available from the federal government, approximately 68 percent of people entering treatment were male and 32 percent were female. That translates into roughly double the number of men battling a substance abuse...Read More