This is an exciting time–your loved one is coming home from treatment! But how should you prepare to help them? How will help them in this new recovery stage? What should you say to support them? What do you do if they falter? And what about all the practical questions–like job, hobbies, and events on the social calendar?
While addiction in itself is not a habit, there is a strong correlation between the cycle of addiction and the subconscious pattern of a habit. After all, addiction is kind of like a habit on steroids—a regular practice or manner of behavior that is really, really hard to give up. How long does it take … Read More
The Story If you’ve watched the news lately, you may have heard about Diana Nyad. At 64, she just accomplished her life-long dream of becoming the first person to swim the 110 miles from Cuba to the US—without a shark cage. A grandmother, she persevered through excruciating jellyfish stings, vomiting and swelling to accomplish something … Read More
There is no rule about how long you have to attend your Alcoholic’s Anonymous meetings. It is completely up to you and how you feel. However, in most cases, the longer the better. Attending A.A. Meetings Longer Increases Your Chance of Sobriety Studies show that individuals who commit to attending A.A. meetings have better sobriety … Read More
Some exciting things are happening in the addiction research world. The Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at UC San Francisco recently published a study in which they were able to target and deactivate a brain pathway that makes a person, or rats, in this case, crave alcohol. The study suggests that preventing relapse could … Read More
Bringing your loved one home after rehab is a bit like bringing home your newborn baby from the hospital—you’re making sure the room is just right, you’re getting congratulations from friends, and you’re preparing for a completely different schedule. Here are some steps you should take to help your loved one integrat back into life … Read More
Living out the 12th Step The twelfth step in Alcoholics Anonymous says, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” From the beginning, Gene Duffy, our founder, embraced this twelfth step, sharing his story of … Read More
Valentine’s day is a great day for those of us in recovery to remember those around us. Have you shown your love to someone today? Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the romance of Valentine’s day, we simply forget the human desire to be loved. You don’t have to be in a relationship to … Read More
If you’ve been careful to take time for yourelf and your personal growth after your initial treatment in recovery, then when the right person comes along, you’ll be able to more successfully enter into a long-lasting, fulfilling relationships. But remember. . . Serious Relationships Take Serious Work As the relationship progresses, you should open up … Read More
It is generally not a good idea to enter into a dating relationship if you’ve just started your recovery. . . but knowing how to handle a breakup in recovery is a good thing to know too. The reality is that at some point you will probably start dating someone in recovery and knowing how … Read More
Focus on Fixing Your Life, Not on Finding Love People with a healthy view of relationships are not obsessed with finding love. When you’re spending all your time looking for someone to date, you aren’t spending the necessary time working on your own life to become a better person to date. Maintaining a healthy relationship requires … Read More
