addiction recovery Archives

5 ways to stop hating the holidays

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and winter. This is the time of year we feel obligated to be around people we don’t like, have an adversarial relationship with the environment, spend too much time on the couch, experience copious amounts of stress and put ourselves in financial straits. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Overcoming self-centeredness in recovery

There’s a form of self-centeredness that isn’t intentionally selfish at all. The adage that applies is, “I’m not much, but I’m all I can think about.”

Taking compliments & why it matters

We are people who desperately want praise, recognition, affirmation and validation. Sadly, we are also uncomfortable receiving them and so we often reject (minimize, water down) kind words.

Adulting in Recovery

The hardest part of “adulting” is balance. We tend to approach our lives categorically: work, home, family, friends, our recovery, and other ongoing undertakings/investments. Very often we find that parts of our lives have fallen out of sync.

Gratitude is key to recovery

Gratitude and attitude have a reciprocal relationship that promotes our recovery when we’re willing to receive.

How to grow spiritually

My friends in AA got me started in the right direction with the adage, “Religion is for people who are afraid to go to hell and spirituality is for those who have already been there.”

Getting used to “being okay” in recovery

Serenity is a foreign feeling. We’re likely to distrust it and rail against it. Many of us create “drama” simply to get back to what we’re accustomed to. If we can tolerate the discomfort of things going well, we come to recognize the feeling as the gateway to further growth and healing.