Podcasts about addiction and recovery are useful for people in any stage of sobriety or anyone who wants to learn about addiction. They teach about recovery, and give insight into other people’s experiences. We’ve previously shared some podcasts about these topics; below are some additional suggestions: Brutal Vulnerability: This podcast is not solely about addiction or mental health, but the two hosts are in recovery and frequently come back to these topics. One of the hosts, Lauren McQ, runs a recovery meme page on Instagram, @brutalrecovery. Examples of episode topics are borderline persona ..read more

I spoke with journalist and author David Adam over Zoom about the hurdles to OCD treatment, depictions of the disorder in the media, and how people experiencing it can feel less alone. David Adam is an award-winning freelance journalist and author of the best-selling book about OCD, The Man Who Couldn’t Stop. I’ve had OCD since I was 7 or 8, but I didn’t get diagnosed until I was 29 and haven’t really talked about it openly until this year, at 35. It seems from your book that that’s common—it typically takes about a decade or more for people to get a diagnosis. What do you think are some barri ..read more

I spoke with journalist and author David Adam over Zoom about the hurdles to OCD treatment, depictions of the disorder in the media, and how people experiencing it can feel less alone. David Adam is an award-winning freelance journalist and author of the best-selling book about OCD, The Man Who Couldn’t Stop. I’ve had OCD since I was 7 or 8, but I didn’t get diagnosed until I was 29 and haven’t really talked about it openly until this year, at 35. It seems from your book that that’s common—it typically takes about a decade or more for people to get a diagnosis. What do you think are some barri ..read more

Getting and then staying sober is really hard. It’s something to be celebrated. I always do something for my soberversary (or what some people call “sober birthday”); my view is that those of us in recovery should take any chance to honor this accomplishment. It doesn’t have to mean throwing a huge party if that’s not your thing, just doing something to mark the occasion. Soberversaries are a Niche Event Most people expect to be invited to birthday, baby shower, and other traditional celebrations. 22.3 million Americans—close to 1 in 10—are in recovery[1], but the same isn’t true for sobervers ..read more

On Friday, a few TruHealing employees will attend the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association (GPPA) Summer Meeting. This conference includes talks—many of which focus on Georgia—about contemporary psychiatry by experts in the field. Some examples of panels are “Positive Psychiatry: What Is It and What Is the Evidence?”, “Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Disabilities: What It Is, What It Does, and Where Are the Beds?”, and “2022 Mental Health Victories: New Laws.” As TruHealing has centers in both Atlanta and Peachtree city, we look forward to learning more about practicing in ..read more

Learning to cope with challenging emotions without drinking or using is a big part of recovery. During active addiction, many of us get used to numbing our feelings with drugs or alcohol. This is called “self-medication”—when people use substances to regulate emotions and co-occurring mental health disorders. I’ve found that a big part of the work in recovery is learning to identify, sit with, and healthily manage feelings. Emotional regulation is the ability to respond constructively to feelings, especially the big ones. This doesn’t mean avoiding emotions; it’s really the opposite. Feelings ..read more

In my experience, recovery shows you strengths you either didn’t know you had, or weren’t able to carry through on. While becoming more self-aware when you’re sober can show you where you might need to grow, that doesn’t mean fixating on your perceived flaws. Playing to your strengths—and the strengths you’d like to have—can be empowering. I’ve found that my self-esteem and confidence have improved significantly in recovery. This doesn’t mean I don’t acknowledge when I have work to do; in fact, I’m always looking to learn and grow. But I’ve found it much more helpful to lead with my strengths ..read more

Tomorrow, TruHealing staff members will be attending the Lowcountry Mental Health Conference! This is an annual conference that began in 2012 with 180 people and has since expanded to over 1,600 attendees. At the Lowcountry Mental Health Conference, prominent healthcare professionals give educational talks to help people working in the mental health field grow and be the best at what they do. Dr. Gabor Maté, a renowned addiction and trauma expert and author of the book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, has a three-part series exploring how to confront unconscious ..read more

Addiction is a complex condition wherein chronically using substances changes the brain. But even before we start using substances, there are almost always underlying issues. The core reasons we are drawn to drugs or alcohol in the first place are complex; they vary by person, and when we do the work in recovery, we often find that it’s more than one thing. Addiction tends to be a symptom of something deeper. People may use drugs or alcohol to cope with things like trauma, shame, anxiety, depression, stress, loss, attachment issues, and any number of other painful experiences. Addressing the c ..read more

I’ve heard people say that recovery has useful lessons even for people who don’t have a substance use disorder. Coming up on seven years sober, I truly feel lucky I’ve gotten to experience recovery—and excited about what else I’ll learn. Coping With Whatever Life Brings It’s taught me emotional resilience. During active addiction, I was constantly anxious about bad things happening, because I didn’t trust my capacity to deal with them. The coping mechanisms I relied on always caused more destruction. Now, I feel confident that I can handle whatever occurs. That doesn’t mean it won’t be hard, o ..read more