How Do You Feel Your Emotions?
At over six years sober, I’ve found that one of the most challenging—and rewarding—parts of recovery is learning to sit with feelings sober. So many of us with addictions get used to numbing or distorting our feelings. During active addiction, we used drugs or alcohol to do this, but even in sobriety we can rely […]
3 Tips To Manage Seasonal Depression
Seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is a type of depression associated with changes in the seasons. SAD often affects people in the fall or winter months and fades in spring. SAD can have a significant effect on your mood and energy levels. During this time, you may experience symptoms such as […]
What is Self-Medicating?
In recent decades, there’s been more of a consensus that addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders should be treated together. This is in part because people who have an untreated mental health disorder may self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. Self-medicating is using substances to cope with the symptoms of a mental health disorder. For instance, […]
How To Enjoy Sober Holidays
The holidays can be a difficult time if you are new to recovery. You will definitely encounter several challenges from family gatherings, emotional triggers like stress, and parties with plenty of alcohol. As difficult as it may sound, it is possible to enjoy sober holidays. You can resist your relapse triggers by creating a plan […]
It’s Never Too Late to Change
Sometimes our brains lie to us. We can be at a low point and think we’re stuck there forever or change is impossible. This is far from true. No matter where you are in life, there is always hope for growth. I’ve seen this mode of thinking keep people in a relapse; they believe that […]
9 Tips to Surviving the Holidays Sober
Whether you are considering entering recovery, newly sober or have been sober for quite some time, the holidays are, without a doubt, a stressful time of the year. Sobriety during the holidays may even seem completely impossible to some. How do you possibly not drink on the obligatory night out before Thanksgiving? Who doesn’t like [...] Addiction and Wanting to Be Elsewhere
I’ve heard addiction described as (in part) the desire to be somewhere else—whether that’s literally a different place or a different emotional state. This passage from the book Boundaries and Protection by Pixie Lighthouse really stuck with me: “The desire to be somewhere else is the phenomenon of craving that addicts report feeling beholden to…Perhaps […]
Staying Sober on Thanksgiving
As Thanksgiving approaches, anxiety can build, especially if you’re new to recovery. The holidays can be stressful. They tend to involve both lots of booze and old—sometimes triggering—relationships. In my experience at over six years sober, the best you can do is prepare. Reach out to your support system beforehand and let them know you […]
Coping With Stress in Recovery
Intense stress can cause people to seek drugs or alcohol as ways to self-soothe. A big part of recovery is learning to manage stress and other difficult emotions sober. This can take time and practice, and that’s okay. First, remember that using drugs or alcohol does nothing good for stress levels. When your emotions are […]
Comparing Addiction and Obsession
Obsession and addiction share a lot of similarities, but they are not the same thing. Obsessions are intrusive and persistent thoughts. In addiction, the brain learns to crave the addictive substance or behavior. The two are closely linked, because in substance use disorders, drugs or alcohol become like an obsession. It starts to feel difficult […]
