The fact of the matter is that 21.5 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2014. The reality is that our nation is struggling with addiction and alcohol abuse. Of those 21.5 million American adults struggling with a substance abuse disorder, 80% of them also have a problem with…
When I first attempted to get sober, I thought I had an issue with faith, but I was wrong. I always associated faith with religion and thought that’s all it could be paired with. Over the years, I have found out that I had faith all along. I had always worshiped things such as money,…
Honesty to me was for a very long time a foreign concept. The best I could or would practice honesty would be in the form of white lies. I figured if I just didn’t omit all the facts, then it wasn’t quiet considered lying or dishonest. These old patterns and behaviors went on for a…
Many people first come into treatment solely seeking relief from the consequences caused by their addiction. However, through the course of treatment, it often comes to light that there are other factors that lead to the using behaviors in the first place. Recovery becomes so much more than just the ability to put down the…
At the end of a year long relapse I found myself sitting in a jail cell not knowing how long I would be there. Worst case I would do 5-7 years, best case 1 year. More than 3,000 miles from home and feeling all the guilt and despair that comes along with a relapse I…
My last day of using was riddled with thoughts of wanting my life to end. To not feel any pain. To seize the suffering and this overwhelming feeling that I needed something to be okay, when in fact every time I used those substances I was not. I picked up my phone and scrolled through…
Countless times I have tried getting sober and tried holding onto my broken past and have had bad results. Things like old friends, old places, old habbits, broken relationships and old ideas. These idea of the importance of these things had to be smashed. The willingness to let this all go came through my struggles…
When we were children most of us like to play. We would run around for hours on end. We ran because it gave us happiness and excitement. Along the way relationships, responsibilities and other life stuff got in the way and exercising was a happy memory of our childhood. When we first started drinking and…
How can I have a fun Halloween without putting my sobriety in jeopardy? Bring a sober friend along to a party for support and have an exit strategy if you feel uncomfortable. Throw your own party, that way you have control over who comes, and what beverages are served. Have a spooky movie marathon with…
A University of Michigan study shows that nearly half of active alcoholics or those who were active in the past are divorced. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism concurs, saying that marriages in which one spouse drinks heavily end in divorce 50 percent of the time. It’s easy to see why. Alcoholism, and…