Mindfulness is the concept of being fully and intentionally aware and non-judgmental of the present moment. It involves observing from a distance, helping a person identify how he feels, what thoughts he is having and what is happening in his surroundings. A person who practices mindfulness regularly will begin to notice patterns of thinking that […]

Meditation is the practice of focusing one’s attention on one thing at a time. The actual object of one’s attention is not important and varies from one form of meditation to another. Some meditation styles involve the use of a mantra, which is a word or phrase that is repeated over and over by the […]

Distress tolerance skills help a person deal with overwhelming emotions or pain. A person who experiences overwhelming emotions on a regular basis must have strong distress tolerance skills in order to avoid letting the emotions control the person. If a person does not know how to manage their emotions they will resort to unhealthy, unsuccessful […]

Anger management in recovery is a life skill. It is one of many ways of coping with difficult life events and people. Anger is a natural emotion. It is perfectly okay to feel anger. However, a person in recovery from drugs or alcohol might have difficulty handling his anger. He might be angry that he […]

Reducing stress in recovery is one of the most important aspects of sobriety. Having too much stress and/or not discharging stress properly will negatively affect a person’s well-being. Sobriety will not last long if a person’s well-being is compromised. Using drugs or alcohol to deal with stress is no longer an option. Reducing stress in […]

Self care in recovery from drugs or alcohol must be a consistent daily practice for a person who has decided to stop using drugs or alcohol. When a person is actively using, all aspects of the person’s life are neglected. Self care in recovery is about putting all the pieces of one’s well-being back in […]

Forming healthy relationships in recovery is an important component of sobriety. All areas of a person’s life are influenced by his relationships with other people. Replacing unhealthy relationships with healthy ones is a necessary task for a person wishing to recover from drug or alcohol addiction. When a person has strong, healthy relationships in recovery, […]

Spirituality in recovery is the key to long-term success from an addiction. But many people do not know exactly what “spirituality” means. Some people are just plain uncomfortable with the word, much less the actual concept of spirituality. So what is spirituality, why is spirituality in recovery important and how does a person find it? […]

Recovery from a mental health disorder, including addiction, is a process that occurs over time. The process of recovery is deeply personal and is often referred to as a “journey”.  As a person adopts various elements of recovery into his life, he develops an overall attitude or philosophy of recovery. Hope Hope is one of […]

Recovery from drug or alcohol addiction is an ongoing process of incorporating positive changes into one’s life. Positive thinking, emotions and behaviors help keep a person’s recovery strong. They also bring value and joy to life. Recovery from drug or alcohol addiction involves honesty, motivation, commitment and learning responsible behaviors. Long-term recovery involves building solid […]