Many of us are animal lovers, feeling at ease when petting a dog or playing with a cat. Connecting with an animal, a horse included, can be calming and create a sense of safety and purpose. Animals affect how we feel and teach us many lessons in treatment and recovery. Focused time and working with
Many people seek treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) or other mental health conditions after they have hit rock bottom. It can be difficult to stay positive during recovery as there can be some incredible highs and lows. However, optimism has tremendous power to impact our recovery. The process of recovery is not easy, but
We may have long periods of chaos in our life, often created by our struggle with substance abuse. The commotion of addiction can make it hard to get far from our original stomping grounds and see other parts of the world. Now that we are in recovery, it may be the perfect time for some
We may have participated in many activities while struggling with substance abuse that no longer fit or are no longer safe for our new lifestyle. Alternatively, we may not have had many hobbies we enjoyed and turned to substance use frequently out of boredom. Now that we have gone through treatment and are sober, we
You took the hard step and went to treatment. It was a challenge, but you made it through. What now? Back into “real life,” where the structure of treatment doesn’t exist. Your first year of recovery after leaving treatment can be overwhelming, and you may feel like you are living in a foreign country where
Acknowledging that we are powerless against substance use and addiction is often painful. But to get the help we need, we may have to swallow our pride. Addiction treatment itself can be a humbling experience, especially if we are not used to being vulnerable. However, even if we felt humbled during or after treatment doesn’t
During treatment, we need to work through many layers, including what led us to end up where we are today. The process can be painful as it requires us to look back on our past trauma and mistakes we have made. Often there are deep and challenging feelings that are unprocessed, and a part of
During treatment, we are usually placed with a therapist who can help us through the process of sobriety. However, recovery is a life-long journey, and it can be beneficial to continue seeing a therapist even long after we complete treatment. Even if we feel as though we have worked through the issues affecting our struggle
Humans are creatures of habit; we tend to drive the same way to work every day and drink the same brand of milk. Habits are our brain’s efforts to make things easier. When things become habitual, it takes less pre-frontal cortex effort to make decisions and thus is less energy demanding. This can be a
Once in recovery, we may feel as though we have been disconnected from ourselves, friends, and family. We might have a heightened desire to feel more involved with our loved ones and our local community. By leaning into these feelings, we can reacclimatize ourselves to society. What Can Community Mean to Us? The word community
