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…
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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…
How to Develop Loving Relationships
Rebuilding relationships in addiction recovery In the past, we had our loving relationships without addictive substances or thoughts rather than with people. We became increasingly isolated from those around us. We may…
Shame as a Weapon
Resolving uncomfortable emotions in addiction recovery Shame and inadequacy become part of an addict’s personality. It also affects the family members of a dysfunctional family. Recovery means recognising such emotions and…
Feeling Inadequate?
Inadequacy in addiction recovery Thoughts, feeling, and fears about inadequacy present a paradox of particular importance to recovering people. To achieve emotional growth, we must distinguish between feelings of inadequacy…
Connecting with Others in Addiction Recovery
The Process of Going Beyond Self n recovery, alcoholics and addicts discover that they are not the self-sufficient creatures they once thought. For most of them, relearning how to establish satisfying relationships with others…
The Secret of Staying Sober
Some underlying facts about preventing relapse As soon as an alcoholic gets sober, they experience Post-acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS). This phase is marked by memory lapses, difficulties in thinking, sensory…
Miracles
There are no coincidences in addiction recovery Addicts, sometimes during recovery, mention “incredible coincidences” behind finding the recovery program or facility that worked magical abstinence and subsequent fruitful way of…
What is Alcohol?
Friend or foe? We know alcohol as spirit, as a party lubricant, as a beverage for relaxing, as scotch, bourbon, beer, wine, cognac—so many varieties. So many tales, legends and…
Accepting Criticism
How it helps the alcoholic grow in recovery The inability to accept criticism ranks high on the typical characteristics of alcoholics and addicts. They will explode with anger and resentment…
Staying Sober in the Festive Season
How to remain abstinent maintain during the holidays It’s the end of the year and the beginning of the holiday season – a time for celebration with friends and family! However, for persons in…
Serenity
The hallmark of addiction recovery If you look at a recovering person who for many years made a career out of drinking, overeating or caretaking, and noticed how relaxed and…
Forgiveness
A part of addiction recovery Addicts and alcoholics in early recovery experience the healing and freedom of forgiveness. During active addiction, alcoholics may have heard about forgiveness, and they thought…
Rejection in Addiction
How to deal with it in recovery Rejection is not easy under any circumstances. For the alcoholic or addict who may be feeling rejected or dishing rejection, rejection is a…
Tolerance to Alcohol
One of the first warning signs of alcoholism The word tolerance has many meanings. To most people, tolerance denotes a capacity to consume large amounts of alcohol without passing or…
Honesty
Why is honesty important in addiction recovery? Recovery from addiction starts with detox, a medically supervised process for getting the body rid of toxins. After that, recovery is a life-long…
Humility
The path to a healthy, happy recovery from addiction Humility is a frequently talked about topic in Twelve Step meetings. Through understanding humility, recovering persons learn to live and cope…
ADHD and Substance Abuse
Is there a link? A recent survey found that about 15 per cent of adults who have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had abused alcohol or drugs in the past year….
Identifying Alcoholism
How to look through the barriers of denial and arbitrary scales Most often, rigid, arbitrary standards are not so helpful in defining alcoholism. Then what? Obliviously, a large number of…
The Abnormal Metabolism
The factor that makes some people vulnerable to alcoholism Acetaldehyde, the intermediate byproduct of alcohol metabolism, appears to be one of the major villains in the onset of alcoholic drinking….
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…