Category: Alumni

When we’re doing the emotional work of recovery, one of the hardest emotions to shed is our shame. Many of us were conditioned from early childhood to carry guilt and shame within us, not only for our mistakes and wrongdoings, but also for our shortcomings, flaws and imperfections. We constantly felt inadequate, sometimes because our […]

Part of the important work we do in recovery is finding ourselves, rebuilding our sense of self and discovering our purpose. We can find that throughout our struggles with addiction, our sense of purpose eluded us. We didn’t know what we were meant to do with our lives. We were confused about our mission. We […]

When we finish a treatment program, we’ve begun to build the foundation for our recovery work, but we will need to keep up with it consistently if we want to have lasting results. One of the most important elements of that foundation is the emotional work we do to restore our faith in ourselves and […]

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). As we’re working to recover, we learn that the challenges we face in our recovery journey don’t just pertain to maintaining our sobriety. They are mental and emotional in nature, and they actually determine how well we will […]

When we are ready to recover, how successful we are in our recovery all depends on how willing we are to do the work to develop healthy habits for ourselves. We want to eliminate all of the destructive habits that were limiting us and holding us back, contributing to our self-destruction and self-sabotage. We want […]

When we’re in recovery and reintegrating back into our former lives, there are some emotional challenges we confront that can act as blocks to our healing. Part of our recovery work, along with our abstinence, is facing these blocks and doing our best to heal the parts of ourselves that are limited and restricted by […]

As alumnae in recovery, we often are looking for ways to give back to our communities after how much we feel we’ve been helped, by our family and friends, by the staff of our treatment centers, by our sponsors, therapists, recovery coaches, doctors and mentors. Many of us feel we wouldn’t have been as successful […]

A hugely important part of the recovery process is taking the time to reflect on our treatment. We want to give some thought to how effective our program was for us, whether we feel we benefited from it, whether or not we were able to take full advantage of it. It can help us in […]

When we’re working to recover from our addictions, it’s so important that we dedicate time and energy to self-care to help us prevent ourselves from relapsing. Addiction recovery is an especially strenuous and challenging time in our lives. When we’re first recovering, we’re particularly susceptible to the temptation that naturally occurs, and we can very […]

When we’re in recovery, there are some shifts in perspective that can help us make our healing work as effective and as meaningful as possible. One of those mindset shifts happens when we start to see our recovery not as a fixed destination that we’re trying to reach, but instead as a journey that we […]