The Fourth of July is nearly upon us once again. Independence Day is, of course, a remembrance of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence—the founding document that declared the United States independent of Great Britain in 1776. You know the one: “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” The day is marked by celebrations all across the country. Parades, cookouts, and fireworks are regular parts of the national celebration. After all, independence is no small thing. It deserves a big blowout of a party. Independence Day happens to fall right about the midpoint of the calendar year ..read more

If you are old enough (or just have a taste for classic television programs), you are probably familiar with Arthur Fonzarelli—known to most as Fonzie or the Fonz.  The Happy Days character, portrayed by Henry Winkler, was the coolest guy around with his leather jacket, his motorcycle, and his ability to make the jukebox play just by striking it with his fist. The girls loved him, and the guys wanted to be him. There didn’t seem to be much the Fonz couldn’t brazen his way through, but every once in a while, he would struggle with something. For example, Fonzie simply could not bring himse ..read more

Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, knows the importance of not overdoing it when it comes to his popular product. He puts it succinctly: Ben & Jerry’s is an indulgent dessert that should be eaten in moderation. You should not be replacing more than one meal a day with ice cream. We do not consider a pint or a tub of ice cream to be a single serving. At the heart of that quote is the notion of moderation—the idea that too much of a good thing can turn out to be a bad thing. Keeping that idea in mind is of particular importance if you are a person in recovery from a substance ..read more

When the concept of gratitude comes up in conversations about recovery, it is generally considered in terms of how the person who has regained their sobriety can express gratitude. People in recovery are advised to express gratitude in a variety of ways, such as by keeping a journal devoted to tracking moments for which we are thankful, or by making sure we fully acknowledge the kindness and support of others. Sometimes gratitude looks like volunteering for or donating to a cause that is important to you. Sometimes it looks like paying forward a favor when the opportunity arises. A spirit of g ..read more

If you spend any time at all on the internet, you have almost certainly seen a headline that starts “One Weird Trick…” The internet ad or article might be suggesting one weird trick for losing weight or for stopping hair loss or for regulating your blood sugar. As a rule, these sorts of posts are clickbait and sketchy at best. As early as 2011, the Federal Trade Commission took legal action against those who posted this sort of thing and convinced people to send them money for dubious (or nonexistent) cures for various ailments. But when it comes to supporting your recovery from a substance u ..read more

When you discover a musician or band that you really like several years after their career began, you might be looking for a quick way to get a sense of their music to date. One way to do that is to listen to a greatest hits record. These compilation albums won’t give you a full sense of someone’s musical history, but they will give you representative songs lots of other people have enjoyed. After listening to a greatest hits collection, you might find yourself inspired to take a deeper dive into the artist’s back catalog.  In that spirit, we offer a collection of “greatest hits” from th ..read more

How often are you hanging out? According to a new book by Sheila Liming titled Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time, most of us are not hanging out with friends or family nearly enough.  In a feature in the online publication Slate, Dan Kois writes of the book:   Hanging Out is meant to be not only diagnostic but instructive. Liming offers some practical tips to encourage readers to hang out more: separating from devices, carving out time in your life that is unscheduled and unproductive. Most of all, she writes, it’s important to “take heart”—to remember that we are always ..read more

If you have read a few of our blog entries, you have likely encountered the phrase “co-occurring mental health disorder.” The idea is that it is possible—indeed, it is common—to be struggling with a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder at the same time as co-occurring disorders. Sometimes, the mental health disorder might be a contributing factor in the development of a substance use disorder. In other cases, the substance use disorder might contribute to the development or worsening of a mental health disorder. In plenty of cases, it is difficult to determine which came first ..read more

In a recent blog, we wrote about the importance of finding a sponsor to support you on your recovery journey. We talked about the ways in which a sponsor—a person who is farther along in their recovery than you are in yours—can provide support, advice, and accountability. And we provided a list of tips for finding a sponsor who will be a good match for you. In a perfect world, you could make use of those tips, find the perfect sponsor, and form a strong and lasting bond that will serve to support your sobriety for years to come. We probably don’t have to tell you that this is not a perfect wor ..read more

We have devoted a couple of recent blog entries to sponsors. We considered what a person in recovery from a substance use disorder should look for in a sponsor, and we made some suggestions for ending a relationship with a sponsor when things don’t seem to be working out. In this entry, we’d like to focus on recovery mentors. A recovery mentor is like a sponsor in some ways but is quite different in others. In fact, there are enough differences that some people may find it useful to seek support from both a recovery mentor and a sponsor. Committed to Ongoing Training and Education Training and ..read more