Why stopping and staying stopped is difficult for alcoholics “I need a drink.” Every alcoholic understands the overbearing demand of that statement. And we have heard that statement so often….
Author: Addictions UK
Fears In Addiction Recovery
How to deal with common fears in recovery When we were drinking or chasing any other high during our active addiction, fears were an intrinsic part of our lives. We…
Alcohol and Your Central Nervous System
Apart from other areas, alcoholism negatively impacts the CNS Alcohol is toxic and overdrinking damages all parts of the alcoholic’s life. Their brain, liver, gastrointestinal system and heart are affected…
Alcoholism and Suicide
The risk factors increase dramatically for alcoholics Suicide is often described as “a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” For chronic alcoholics, whose brain cells cry out day and night…
Alcohol- A Matter Of The Heart
An emotional, social and physical connection between alcohol and your heart Drinking alcohol is associated with aggressive behaviour, accidents and several health problems. Yet many people choose to drink socially…
Alcohol And Loss Of Control
Can alcoholics achieve “controlled drinking”? “One drink from a drunk,” the AA saying goes. The adage is not meant to be taken literally, for alcoholics can and often exercise amazing…
How to Cope with Loss in Recovery
Pain and loss often accompany addiction recovery At first, recovery from addiction may promise that all trials are behind us. The gift of recovery appears to bring all the things…
Keeping it Simple and Learning to Wait
How perspective and patience help us stay sober Albert Einstein developed great mathematical theories long before the days of computers. However, he was given a special room compromised almost entirely…
Are you not enjoying your work?
Find a purpose! Have you heard of the dabbawalas of Mumbai? These are about 5,000 men and women, primarily illiterate, who deliver over 200,000 lunch boxes to office-goers in the…
Alcohol Advertising as Insidious as Alcohol
How alcohol companies are targeting us and our children via digital media For nearly decades now, alcohol marketers have been aggressively using digital and social media platforms to promote and…
Are more clinical psychologists needed in GP practices?
The mind-body connection The link between mental and physical health is well known and well documented. Our ancestors were aware of this. As the old saying goes, “You can die…
Are You Rejecting and Tolerating Your Loved One’s Addiction?
How enabling make things worse The universal response to the chemically dependent person is first to reject and then to tolerate their objectionable behaviour, which enables their illness, furthering its…
Is There a Link Between Marijuana Use and Psychosis?
Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds Whiles browsing the internet, you are likely to see thousands of sites claiming that cannabis is harmless and…
Failure is part of the process
How to use the Steps in overcoming setbacks in addiction recovery Just as it was necessary to accept our disease of addiction before recovery could begin, we must accept setbacks…
When Doors Close
Addiction recovery opens another There is a saying that when one door closes, another always opens. This adage recognises that life seems to put obstacles in our paths when all…
Spiritual Growth
The magic of Higher Power in addiction recovery When we accepted our powerlessness over alcohol and drugs, we turned toward a Power greater than ourselves. Each time we take this…
What is Prayer?
The significance of prayer in addiction recovery The eleventh Step of the Twelve Step Program for recovery from addiction says, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact…
Prayer and Meditation
Spiritual growth in addiction recovery Prayer and meditation are natural processes. They are responses to our relationship with our Higher Power. That relationship has deepened throughout our recoveries. For many…
Autism and Addiction
The Risky Relationship Persons affected by addictions (substance use disorder or SUD) often have a co-occurring disorder. Such individuals use alcohol or drugs to cope with their pre-existing condition, one…
Forgiving Others in Addiction Recovery
Setting ourselves free from the prison of resentments Early in recovery, the Twelve Step meetings we attended helped us develop an attitude of forgiveness in our relationships. We listened without…
Reaching Out to Others
From loneliness to togetherness in addiction recovery Each morning of the week, many members of Twelve Step groups regularly attend meetings at 7:00 AM called “Attitude Adjustment Hours.” These people…
Letting Go
Surrendering in addiction recovery A wealth of wisdom and experience lies behind the simple Alcoholics Slogan (AA) – “let go.” The following story illustrates how we hinder our spiritual progress…
UK’s ‘Second Pandemic’
There’s an urgent need to tackle the rise in mental health issues since Covid hit NHS leaders are urging the government to address a massive rise in depression, anxiety, psychosis…
Humility in Twelve Step Programs
How it leads to a fuller life Humility is a characteristic of the Twelve Step program and touches on each of the twelve steps. However, if we look at the Twelve Steps as a…
Living the Principles
How 12 Steps principles help us stay on the sober road Alcoholics Anonymous, the Big Book, tells us, on page 60, “No one among us has been able to maintain…
Home Detox Programme
Many people would prefer to be treated at home for any illness and we know that this is particularly true of people…