library

Family Addiction Education – It Takes a Lifetime!

  We ended our last article with a comment on learning. We said, โ€œThe more you learn, the more you want to know and understand.โ€ย  Thatโ€™s a great lead into our next element of discussion for your recovery plan – family education.ย  The requirements for family recovery all go together. They include EDUCATION, SUPPORT and […]

Signs of Depression and How to Cope

Depressionย is more than just sadness. People with depression may experience a lack of interest and pleasure in daily activities, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or excessive sleeping, lack of energy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. American Psychological Association   ย Signs of Depression Depression […]

signs of depression foggy field

Self-Care and Support: The Family Recovery Plan

  In a recent article, we looked at the Dynamics Impacting Families in early recovery. In this article, we will look at what these dynamics mean to your recovery plan. We will address the family’s “stages of change” and focus on the “preparation” and “action” stages.ย    Self-Care and Support Simply stated, we will focus […]

self-care and support people walking under big tree

Dynamics of Early Recovery – Family Education Series

โ€œAhh, finally they agreed to some treatment. What a relief! Weโ€™re finally going to end this chaos and disruption our family has been living through…โ€   Not so fast, my friends. Yes, treatment works and opens the path to recovery for those with substance use disorders (SUD) by establishing a foundation, or plan, to follow. […]

family sepia

Prioritizing Nutrition in Recovery

  When an individual begins treatment for a substance use disorder, prioritizing nutrition is not at the top of their list. The importance of nutrition often gets lost in the process of attending counseling sessions, finding local meetings, adjusting to new environments, and doing the exhausting work of forming better habits in every area of […]

prioritizing nutrition food pics

Why Do I Need a Recovery Tool Kit?

  At the start of my recovery, years of people pleasing had dulled down who I really was. I developed an ability to respond to any situation in the way I thought I should rather than the way I actually felt. On top of that, years of drinking dulled the pain of living a life […]

recovery tool kit

Olympic Gold? The Conversation About Mental Health!

  On the final day of artistic gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Simone Biles won a bronze medal on the balance beam. This, after bowing out of all but one individual final. Her decision to withdraw was because of what she called “the twisties,” the sensation of losing her position while in the air. […]

olympic sign

Eating Disorders and OCD – Why They Co-Occur

  People with eating disorders (ED) have a nine times greater risk of developing lifetime obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In a recent Journal of Psychiatric Research article, a study by Drakes, Fawsett, Rose, et al. also found that those with EDs were at eight times greater risk for current OCD.   Eating Disorders and OCD Both […]

two walking rain

Warning Signs of Relapse: Early Recovery and Beyond

  In my most recent article, Understanding Relapse – A Family Guide, we reviewed some of the realities of addiction relapse. We also looked at individual recovery plans designed to provide support and accountability towards family recovery.ย  Now we will look at the bigger picture of relapse in addictive disease and the warning signs in […]

warning signs of relapse sign on beach

Hiking Michigan – 12 Reasons It’s Good For Your Health!

  Everyone knows walking is good for you. But did you knowย how good? And walking and hiking provide additional benefits to those recovering from substance use disorders (SUD). Especially those who are attempting to rebuild a healthy lifestyle and reverse the ill effects of long-term drug or alcohol use. The best news about taking a […]

Onaway State Park