Take It to Heart “Keep an attitude of gratitude.” “You can’t be grateful and angry at the same time.” “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” I’m sure every one of you reading this has heard at least one of these clichés no less than a hundred times. I’m also sure that a good number…
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Some Experience, Strength, and Hope “They are being fulfilled among us – sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.” As a part of what are colloquially known as “the Promises,” anyone who has been to an AA meeting has heard this passage from the Big Book. When you’re still in your active addiction to alcohol, though, it can…
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The Power of the Ocean In a blog posted a few weeks ago, we mentioned the sublime power of the ocean. We also talked about the meditative state that the ocean seems to bring. While this may sound like some new-age mumbo jumbo to some of you, it turns out that there is some science…
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Dehydration: A Dangerous Possibility Eating disorders wreak a world of havoc on our bodies. In fact, anorexia nervosa is the most fatal of all mental health issues with an estimated mortality rate of 10%. Given the way that many of those suffering from eating disorders either restrict or purge their bodies from essential nutrients, this…
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Destruction at the Molecular Level As we’ve mentioned in earlier blogs, when we’re out running amok and drinking or drugging, most of us aren’t getting proper nutrition. A lot of that comes down to neglecting our daily responsibilities. We’re often too loaded to remember to eat or just don’t have the stomach for it. However,…
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Nutritional Counseling and Mental Health While the brain makes up about 2% of a person’s weight, it uses around 20% of the body’s energy. And the body, of course, gets its energy from food. It stands to reason that the higher quality of energy, or food, that the body receives, the better the brain will…
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Single and Sober Valentine’s Day can be a difficult time for those in recovery. For those with some time under their belts and significant others, it should be easy enough. Let your partner know that you love them and keep doing what you’re doing. But what about those in early recovery? Or those who are…
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Traveling While Sober You’ve put in the work and now you’ve got some sober time under your belt. You’ve saved up some cash and you’re ready to take that vacation that you’ve always wanted. However, you’re feeling a little skittish about stepping out into a strange place on your own. And that feeling multiplies when…
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Getting Back into the Swing of Things Early recovery is a time of complete chaos, or at least, it was for me. The impenetrable brain fog, the almost complete lack of sleep, and the previously suppressed or numbed feelings returning to sharp focus can make those first weeks of sobriety almost unbearable. This is why…
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Getting to the Bottom of Things One of the most difficult conditions, or more accurately, complex of conditions, for mental health professionals to treat is a dual diagnosis. For those who don’t know, dual diagnosis is a pair of co-occurring conditions. This is usually some type of addiction along with a mental health disorder. For…
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