mental health
Keeping It Green On St. Patty’s Day
In AA we hear the phrase “keep it green” quite often. It is an important concept to maintain a beginners mind and remember where we came from no matter how long we’ve been sober for. The great thing is there are a lot of ways that you can keep it green on a daily basis…
Read MoreContinuing Care for Mental Health in Sobriety
Sobriety is an amazing journey, but the journey does not end when you put down the substance. One of the very first things I learned during my time at High Watch was during a Living Sober group. The group leader exclaimed “life is not all cupcakes and rainbows just because I got sober.” It wasn’t…
Read MoreCan Sad Music Help with Depression?
You might be asking, why would someone who is struggling with depression want to listen to sad music? Most of us would suggest listening to something upbeat and cheerful! It’s not exactly the first thing we recommend when our friends are feeling down. But there’s actually some science behind this suggestion. And it’s related to…
Read MoreHow to Avoid Feeling Isolated in Recovery
These are difficult times for all of us, and in recovery it can seem like things are spiraling backwards. Addiction is a disease of isolation, and being forced to physically isolate can have us stuck in our own heads again which can be dangerous. There are, however, certain steps we can take to prevent ourselves…
Read MoreBattling the Winter Blues: Recovery During the Winter Months
The winter months are hard. The weather can be unbearable and there are minimal hours of daylight. Really, who wants to leave the house when it’s 10 degrees and your house is warm and cozy? All in all, it’s really no surprise that a seasonal funk can set in. But we can’t let the season…
Read MoreChristmas
The holiday season is a wonderful time of year, but it can also be incredibly stressful, especially for those of us in early recovery. Holidays are filled with family, parties, and shopping centers that are all but serene. These are a few of the suggestions that I picked up along the way that have helped…
Read MoreOutreach
When you come to High Watch, you become an immediate part of our family. When you leave, that doesn’t end and we want to be with our alumni offering support throughout their entire lives. Just over a year ago, we developed a system to do just that by following up with alumni after they leave…
Read MoreMeeting Disenchantment
Leaving treatment and entering the real world is a big transition and it is very important to have support through this process. But what happens when you’ve been out on your own or living in a sober house for a while, and going to a meeting every day starts to become tedious and repetitive? Meeting…
Read MoreEnjoying your first SOBER Fourth of July
It’s no secret that the Fourth of July is a big drinking holiday, but did any of us really need an excuse to drink and partake in dangerous activities i.e. fireworks?? Just because we are sober now doesn’t mean that we have to give up having fun and celebrating our country’s independence. There are plenty…
Read MorePTSD and Addiction Recovery: A Process of Healing
“Every day I wake up to a different version of me. Will I be happy or sad, will I feel safe or scared? The things I feel because of my post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) aren’t invisible to others. I like to think of myself as a warrior in my own right, because I face invisible…
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