Recovering from addiction is an ongoing process. Initially, physical recovery is the main focus. However, in order to navigate life clean and sober, mental and emotional recovery must become the focus. Living a life of addiction creates negative mental and emotional patterns that replay long after chemicals have been removed. There are specific warning signs….
5 Ideas for the Spouse of a Recovering Addict
Living with an addict is no walk in the park. With addiction, everything is placed in “plus one mode”. Sometimes this can be part of the attraction. Usually, addicts are funny, witty and charming. They are generally seekers. The magnitude of these qualities may be part of the reason you fell in love with your….
Sex after Addiction Recovery? The Top 3 Things to Consider
Many addicts get loaded to avoid feelings. While there may be other attributing factors as to why addicts use, ultimately it comes down to not liking the feelings that life brings unless chemical enhancers are available to mask the situation. For people who have conditioned themselves to live life by dulling or embellishing normal human….
7 Top Recommended Books for Addicts in Recovery
In recovery from substance use disorders, reading and studying books related to recovery is recommended. Educating oneself about any health challenge is important. Addiction is no different in this respect. However, beyond simply gaining knowledge about the condition, real recovery means embracing a new, healthier way of life. Recovery from addiction requires self-discovery, motivation and….
Top 5 Recommended Websites for 12-Step Recovery Enhancers
Follow-up recovery efforts after rehab require reading, work and ongoing discussion. Getting clean and sober is not a simple task. Fortunately, unlike people combatting alcoholism and addiction in the 1930’s, there are numerous resources to help. Contacting a counselor or therapist specializing in addiction rehabilitation at is critical to beginning the journey to a better….
My Family Doesn’t Think I Have a Problem: 5 Reasons to Seek Help Anyway
Alcoholism and addiction deeply impacts the entire family. Covering up the addiction is at the root of the sickness. Lying, omissions and innuendo are woven into every fiber of an addict’s life. Thus, when it is time for help, sometimes family members can be resistant. Often, addicts are so good at hiding, the family is….
I Don’t Believe in God: 3 Options for Secular Addiction Recovery
Imagine the sinking feeling some addicts and alcoholics get when they look on the wall of the meeting room to discover God or a Higher Power referenced again and again in the 12 steps. While 12-step programs generally encourage those new in recovery to develop his/her own conception of a Higher Power, some die-hard atheists….
Road Map to Relapse: 4 Dangerous Thought Patterns for Addicts
Why do addicts relapse? The same reason people with diabetes have blood sugar spikes, or asthmatics have episodes of wheezing. Addiction is a disease that requires ongoing treatment and consistent monitoring. Returning to drug use after a period of abstinence is not uncommon and need not be viewed as a failure. Simply put, if an….
5 Warning Signs for Drug Addiction in Teens
“Something is not quite right.” “I don’t know this person my child has become.” “This seems like something besides normal teenaged rebellion.” These are some of the things you might be saying to yourself if your teenager is abusing drugs. Your teen might even be fully addicted to a variety of drugs, having hidden the….
5 Warning Signs Indicating Drug Addiction in a Spouse
All relationships ebb and flow with varying levels of intimacy and closeness. Life activities can get in the way of really spending time together. Little changes gradually may not seem like a big deal until one day, you wake up feeling like you don’t even know the person you married. Addiction may be the hidden….