“Triggers are social, environmental, or emotional situations that remind people in recovery of their past drug or alcohol use. These cues bring about urges that […] Read More
Tag: resilience
We are now in the world that is quite different from what it was a year ago. It is safe to say that a lot […] Read More
One of the assumptions people make about someone quitting drugs or alcohol is that they are now sober. According to one definition, sober means “not […] Read More
Today I celebrate an anniversary of 15 years of sobriety from alcohol. I cannot state any revelations at this milestone, except to say that I’ve […] Read More
One of the most painful aspects of trauma and/or addiction is that becoming personally acquainted with it often shows us just how separate we are […] Read More
It’s my birthday today, and a significant one at that – I’ve turned 60, which is a nice round number and one that I get […] Read More
If you’re new to recovery, you might be under the impression that the only way to it is via a 12-step program. Whether you search […] Read More
I got physically sober in a hospital setting, which was followed by a residential treatment stay. There, I was introduced to a 12-step program, which […] Read More
Consider these statistics from the recent AddictionPolicy.org COVID-19 survey: Twenty percent of respondents reported increased substance use since the COVID-19 pandemic began. One in three […] Read More
In the past few months, many of us have been forced to really slow down. Whether we’ve lost our jobs, had them suspended, were told […] Read More
Recently, there has been some upheaval in the recovery circles—especially the traditional ones, such as AA—about the article “The Patriarchy of Alcoholics Anonymous” by Holly […] Read More
There are certain emotions that are more damaging to our well-being than others. Those emotions are guilt, fear, and shame. Yet many of us inexplicitly […] Read More
It’s a given that the stories of people with trauma are tragic. It’s how we deal with those tragedies that decide on how successfully we […] Read More
I’ve noticed something on social media that’s reminded me of something that used to happen in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous: people boasting about the […] Read More
Does relinquishment and/or adoption make one more susceptible to addiction? Are they froms of trauma? What should relinquishees in recovery avoid, and what should they […] Read More
Like an addiction, recovery too is stigmatized. Not a lot of people share with the world that they’re in recovery from addiction or trauma. Unlike […] Read More
As the world slowly starts to loosen some of the restrictions with stores and public spaces opening, people are worried about safety. It seems that […] Read More
As the world is cautiously discussing easing down some of the restrictions and reopening businesses and institutions, people in recovery have an interesting dilemma to […] Read More
I’ve seen a lot of entrepreneurial and non-for-profit initiatives happening ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, and the lockdown. People are helping each other with […] Read More
One of the most difficult aspects of shelter-in-place orders is boredom. Anyone on social media can attest to that—people are posting funny memes that talk […] Read More