In one sense, the idea of sobriety is pretty easy to wrap your head around. If you are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you are sober. By extension, if you have given up drugs and alcohol entirely, you can also be described as sober. Seems fairly cut and dried.  But the truth is...Read More

Routine in Recovery As a general rule, we are believers in the power of routine in recovery. A good slate of routines can go a long way toward helping you maintain your sobriety. For example, it is a good idea to have a set of routines around things like attending 12-Step (or other) recovery meetings,...Read More

You have probably heard the old song that opens: “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” It is a nice thought, isn’t it? As the summer arrives in full force, it is nice to think that perhaps the living will, in fact, be easy. Turns out, however, that the season of the year has very little...Read More

Emotions have a way of sneaking up on a person. One moment, you are feeling perfectly fine, but then a stray memory makes you feel sad. Or you are working steadily on a project, but then a series of small setbacks add up to mounting feelings of frustration. Or you are feeling down in the...Read More

Habits can be powerful. Sometimes the power of a habit is good for us. Other times, the power of a habit is a problem. Take, for example, a habit like brushing your teeth in the morning and before bed. The odds are good that you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about brushing your...Read More

You’re sitting at home one night watching your favorite show or reading a new book or helping your kids with their homework when all of a sudden the lights go out. It’s a blackout. After you find a couple of flashlights or light a few candles, you will turn your attention to the source of...Read More

The modern world—and social media in particular—has changed the way we think about the word “friend.” Heck, in current usage, the steadfast noun can even be used as a verb, as is: “Hey, I friended you. Why haven’t you accepted my friend request?” Friends vs Acquaintances But let’s face it, the vast majority of people...Read More

When a person is in the grip of a substance use disorder, odds are their daily routine centers around just one thing: drugs or alcohol. Serving the addiction becomes the number one priority. Eventually, the substance use disorder will dictate the routines—upending a person’s job, relationships, education, and more. Routine in Recovery On the flip...Read More

Sometimes you need a break from the city environment. Sure, Wichita is by no means New York City or Los Angeles. But it is a city just the same—with traffic and construction and crowds at the store and busy schedules and all the things that go with living in an urban environment. Nature Reduces Stress...Read More

Recent Changes During this lengthy period when many of us have been staying home to slow the spread of COVID-19, our usual sources of exercise have been harder to come by. We’ve had to stay home from the gym. Our friendly pick-up games haven’t happened. Pools have been closed. Heck, many of us haven’t even...Read More