Tag recovery planning
Someone recently asked me, “Do you get frustrated with patients that relapse over and over again and then try to re-enter treatment?” My initial thought was that the patients who use treatment as a tool for to either appease a… Continue Reading →
We all tend to believe in our own concept of who we are that we almost always find our own arguments about something the most compelling. I think it’s a fact of human nature, really. But an addict really thinks… Continue Reading →
A recent study found that cognitive behavioral therapy is more successful in treating Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) than spirituality-based programs (study can be found here). In the years I’ve been studying and treating SUDs; however, I’ve learned that when a… Continue Reading →
Spirituality will lead to understanding that reality does not progress as a series of discreet moments that are separated from the flow of time. Rather, moments occur as part of a continuous process in which the infinite is connected with… Continue Reading →
One of the more common ideas in recovery is that 75% of addicts will relapse within the first 90 days of their recovery. But, this idea has no weight within any single person’s path towards health. As a matter of… Continue Reading →
Fighting substance abuse isn’t easy; many people have opinions both towards substances and towards addicts, but few offer any real solutions. One thing that I really don’t think helps is solely looking at substances. While I do think that we… Continue Reading →
The other night, I was talking with someone about her struggles with anxiety. She was telling me that there are days that she can’t sit still for even a minute; her mind races and she has no control over her… Continue Reading →
I had been teaching at an in-patient treatment facility for over ten (10) months when one day, out of the clear blue sky, I was unceremoniously relieved of my duties. Without warning, the Director called me and said that, from… Continue Reading →
Recovery isn’t about flipping a switch or waving a magic wand. There are certain elements that must either be in place or be developed before recovery can happen. As much as we want addicts to just simply stop using whatever… Continue Reading →
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been wrestling with meaningless deadlines. Again, if there is an actual dependency associated with a deadline, or if the consequences of missing a deadline are enforced, then I think deadlines are quite useful and… Continue Reading →
