The tools you learn in alcohol or drug treatment are “almost the secrets to life,” says Jen, Duffy’s clinical director. For some, that might sound like an overstatement, but to anyone who has learned the tools of recovery during residential rehab, you know how important knowing what these tools are and how to apply them is to the success of your recovery.
Today, May 9, is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, the climax of the week on mental health awareness. This year’s theme is Out of the shadows: Exposing stigma. Stigma is a mark of shame and disgrace, a negative judgment placed on someone or something. Too often, people are quick to judge and assume the worst in a person … 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
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
There’s a new drug out there called Smiles, more technically known as 2C-1. Like Bath Salts, K2 or “fake weed,” Smiles is another illegal designer drug popular among young adults. Smiles, made sometime in the early 2000s by a drug guru called Alexander Shulgin, was first popular in Europe before it made its way to the … Read More
What are the warning signs of drug abuse? How can I tell if my loved one is addicted? I think my friend is addicted, but how do I know? Although it seems difficult to prove a drug addiction, there are many warning signs that strongly point to an addiction. Below are seven common signs of … Read More
In our previous post, we talked about how important it is to have a positive attitude for recovery. Sure we know we should be positive. But how? What can we do every day to be positive? Below are five simple tips for a positive attitude. 1. Be enthusiastic! (!!!!) There are so many things in life … Read More
We all have pictures in our heads of what an addict looks like. We’ve seen movies with grown men beating their families while drunk, junkies passed out in bathrooms or streets, coach potato voyeurs stalking on the internet. Sometimes the extremity of these visuals keeps us from recognizing the signs of addiction in our own … Read More
Question: What does proof mean when referring to alcoholic beverages? Answer: Proof is defined as twice the alcohol (ethanol) content by volume. For example, a whisky with 50% alcohol is 100-proof whiskey. Anything 120-proof would contain 60% alcohol, and 80-proof means 40% of the liquid is alcohol. What’s the History of Proof in Alcohol? The word proof came about … Read More
We just made it through trying to stay sober during the holidays. Whether we passed with flying colors or struggled, it’s a new year and we can stay sober, no matter how difficult, day by day. Here are 12 ways we can enjoy, rather than endure, sobriety every day in 2012. 1. Plan for Success … Read More
Being addicted to something isn’t always bad. In fact, sometimes addiction to a noble goal or cause can push us to accomplish what we never thought was possible before. The other day, someone sent me this YouTube video about Todd Crandell who spent 13 years in a drug and alcohol addiction spiral. But in 1993, Todd chose … Read More
