In treatment and in a practice of recovery, we are able to heal from our substance use disorder; but our bodies and minds are still subject to other issues. While the medical and psychiatric worlds grow more informed about the nature of substance use and how it relates to other illnesses, it can still be […]
treatment
Trust the Process
Sitting in a room of strangers and discussing depression, grief, trauma, or familial problems can sound like an absolute nightmare, particularly for those with substance use disorder, who often feel separate from their fellows. If you look at the structure of a 12-Step program, you’ll see that while working individually with a sponsor is touted […]
Is it Apathy or Something More?
Apathy is a word we hear a lot around recovery, however, it might be something that we don’t entirely understand. There is an inherent idea that compares it to depression or casts it as only a symptom of another mental health diagnosis. Apathy is a challenge all on its own and it can be difficult […]
Hitting the Wall Sober
In regards to our ability to practice what we learn in recovery, the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says, “No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. We claim spiritual progress […]
Incomprehensible Demoralization Looks Different for Each of Us
Incomprehensible: not able to be understood; not intelligible. Demoralization: to undermine the confidence or morale of; dishearten. What this means for the person with substance use disorder: the place that is reached that is so painful, shameful, or far from their hopes for themselves that they cannot make sense of how they got there. For […]
The Odd Man Out
We leave treatment and the world around us is exactly the same, even though we have profoundly changed. Leaving treatment and entering back into daily life can feel like leaving the nest, a scary yet freeing experience. The world around us still uses substances at social events and gatherings and it can be hard to […]