recovery
Continuing 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 MoreHow Creativity Can Help With Recovery
People often labor under the delusion that using or abusing substances like drugs or alcohol help them “open their mind” or help them be “more creative”. Unfortunately, this is not true. For instance, the quote “write drunk, edit sober”, erroneously attributed to Ernest Hemingway, is not actually at all what the famous writer even said.…
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 MoreRecent Study finds AA Might Be the Most Effective Way to Abstinence
CNN published an article on March 11 about a recent study concluding that those who go through Alcoholics Anonymous may have the best chance at abstaining from alcohol after completion of the program. Over 10,000 participants were evaluated and 145 scientists conducted research in 35 studies to find out how effective AA was on alcohol…
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 MoreGiving Thanks
The dictionary defines gratitude as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”, and this is definitely the season to practice gratitude in our daily lives. There is no argument that gratitude is an integral part of every recovery program. While it may not be written into AA’s twelve…
Read MoreWhat To Do When Your Friends Still Drink
It’s no secret that most alcoholics and addicts burn a lot of bridges in their journey towards their bottom. Believe it or not, a lot of us do emerge from the wreckage with a few friends and family members still by our side. The question then becomes, what do you do when those friends ask…
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 MoreDealing With a Loved One in Addiction
It’s Saturday evening and I’m on the couch with the dog watching something insignificant on TV when the phone rings. A few minutes later I hear “She’s been drinking again and is on her way over.” So, I get up and go to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. Maybe this time…
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 MoreSelf-Care Is Critical, No Matter How Long You’ve Been in Recovery
Self-care is all about nurturing a loving, kind, respectful relationship with ourselves, and it’s takes work – just as other meaningful relationships in our lives do. As an ongoing, lifelong process, we have to remind ourselves to continue building upon that relationship – but if we get too comfortable in our recovery, we may find…
Read MoreYour Guide to Going on Summer Vacation in Recovery
Summer vacations – they used to mean airport drinking, tropical getaways and sipping cocktails on the beach or by the pool. Nowadays, they can be anxiety ridden affairs that are full of opportunities to relapse. Going on your first vacation in recovery is a big milestone and a treat you definitely deserve but it is…
Read MoreWhat is Humility and How Does That Relate to Recovery?
“I find I am at my best when I can let the flow of my experience carry me…” – Carl Rogers The dictionary defines humility as: “a modest or low view of one’s own importance; humbleness”. As human beings, it’s pretty natural for us to feel an inflated sense of importance. We are so focused…
Read MoreHow Creativity Helps Recovery
A common misconception amongst many creative addicts is the idea that substances such as alcohol or heroin can stimulate creativity. They cite that many creative geniuses have also been alcoholics or addicts. However in a recent study, Roger Beaty, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience at Harvard University, found that creativity comes from using different…
Read MoreGuide to Life After Rehab
Leaving treatment can be a scary prospect for many recovering addicts. Addiction is a life-long disease that you need to work on continuously, even when you leave your treatment center. In fact, in some ways – you have to work at it harder when you are back in the “real world”. At High Watch, we…
Read MoreNavigating Summer Parties and Picnics in Recovery from Substance Abuse
As summer arrives, so do the invitations to parties, BBQ’s, after-work drinks outside and picnics on the beach or in the park. It is not unusual to associate these events with drinking and using. Navigating the challenges summer brings to us in early recovery can be a difficult and sometimes it’s best to avoid these…
Read MoreHow Men and Women Differ When It Comes to Spirituality and Long-Term Recovery
Men and women are hardwired differently, so it’s natural that they experience addiction, recovery, and the associations that go along with them differently. As DrugFree.org states, biological differences in women means that they can become much more easily dependent on substances; they are also at higher risk of developing health-related issues, such as breast cancer,…
Read MoreHow to Avoid 5 of the Most Common Relapse Triggers
1: Stress Stress may be the number one cause of relapse. Many people in recovery turn back to their substance of choice when they are feeling overwhelmed with life issues. For many addicts, drinking and drugging was a maladaptive way of coping with various stressful experiences. Being Hungry, Angry, Tired or Lonely (HALT) can exacerbate…
Read MoreFinal Exams in Recovery
Exam season is fast approaching. Exams at any time in someone’s life can raise stress and anxiety levels. For people in recovery, stress and anxiety are often triggers for using and drinking. We want to help you navigate the difficulties of a stressful exam period and provide tools to stop you reaching for a substance…
Read MoreHow to Achieve an “Attitude of Gratitude” in Recovery
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” These wise words were from John F Kennedy and got us thinking about how to actually live in continued expressed gratitude. We therefore devised a little guide to help us all live…
Read MoreAn Attitude of Gratitude in Recovery
Practicing daily gratitude has benefits that can help you maintain your recovery. It helps to reduce stress and illness and improves sleep and social connection. When you are focused on what you are grateful for you start to appreciate what is good about your life, instead of what is bad. By being grateful, you can…
Read MoreEmpathy in Recovery
According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, Empathy is “the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation”. This means you are able to identify and understand another individual’s feelings and motives without having to actually share their experience. An empathetic person is…
Read MoreIn What Ways Can I Find Freedom Through Sobriety?
The journey to recovery is different for everyone. We’re all made up of unique thought processes, personalities, histories, relationships, painful experiences, accomplishments, health conditions and so much more – it’s only fitting that these elements that make up who we are will go onto influence the way we perceive ourselves and our recovery. As the…
Read MoreHow Can You Get An Addict Into Rehab?
Have you ever seen a wounded wild animal? Perhaps you’ve seen something caught in a trap or in a fence, thrashing wildly to get free, but lashing out at anyone who comes near to try and help it? This analogy is easily relatable to the stories of many whose loved one is trapped in the…
Read MoreWhat Happens When You Stop Drinking Alcohol?
Consuming large quantities of alcohol can have horrible effects on your body as well as your social life. You could be feeling very sluggish, sick, develop cancers such as towards your liver and colon, and you will not be the best you can be. When you stop drinking alcohol, you will get back everything you…
Read MoreWhat Gifts Do I Give Someone in Recovery?
It may be hard to shop for someone who is in recovery from substance abuse. If you ask them what kind of present they would want during a holiday, they may ask for money which leaves them the opportunity to buy more drugs. It is important to be mindful about what present you give to…
Read MoreDealing with Embarrassment after Relapse in Long-Term Sobriety
Relapse is one of the most commonly feared topics of addiction recovery, mostly because nobody likes to think of themselves as “starting over” or “going back to Day 1”. The reality is the relapse is a normal part of recovery; we’re naturally going to slip back into old addictive patterns of behavior from time to…
Read MoreCouples Rehab- Healing Together
It has been known to happen where couples are both suffering with addiction and can cause serious problems in their home in regards to their children, health, and finances. If one person in the relationship goes to rehab, there is a big chance of relapsing if your partner refuses to quit. If both people in…
Read MoreRelapse Prevention: How Can I Discover What Triggers Me Personally?
We’re all made up of different thoughts, feelings and life experiences. Just as a person entering a new relationship will need to learn more about what they can/cannot say to their new beau because of past experiences, you’ll need to learn about yourself in recovery to discover what triggers you. Not one of us are…
Read MoreMaintaining Recovery Long After Treatment: Key Elements to a Lifestyle of Sobriety
Living a life of sobriety is easily one of the most rewarding paths you could take. You’ve spent so much time working on bettering yourself, and you can probably list many of the steps that you’ve taken over the past year (or years) that have lifted you up in recovery. A lifestyle of sobriety is…
Read MoreAcceptance, Gratitude and Strength: Positive Messages Received in Recovery
When we’re in the throes of addiction, we often lose sight of what’s real. We become confused about our sense of purpose in life, sometimes with the belief that substances are all we’re meant to seek out. We may lose aspects of our lives that were once near and dear to our hearts – such…
Read MoreCoping With Time Change When You’re In Recovery
For people in the US, daylight saving time begins on March 10. That means we set our clocks forward and lose an hour of the day. For most people, the beginning of daylight saving is harder than the end. Most people’s circadian rhythms are slightly longer than 24 hours, so losing an hour feels like…
Read MoreFinding Our Purpose
A universal part of the human experience, whether or not we’re living with addiction and mental illness, is the existential crisis of not knowing our purpose in life. When we’re recovering from addiction, we often feel an acute sense of overwhelm and pressure when we experience this kind of crisis. We already feel like failures…
Read MoreHow Do You Overcome Fear of Change in Addiction Recovery?
Change can be scary for anyone. You don’t quite know what to expect. You may face new problems you don’t know how to deal with. Your life might get worse. Fear of change is especially scary for someone considering getting treatment for addiction. Addiction is often characterized by set patterns and rigid behavior. People with…
Read MoreDo Your Habits Sabotage Happiness in Your Recovery?
Finding happiness is challenging for anyone, and it may be especially challenging for someone recovering from addiction. Maintaining a positive attitude in recovery requires learning new skills and ways of thinking. On top of that, you have to learn to manage cravings and deal with life’s stress without resorting to old destructive coping mechanisms. Many…
Read MoreThe Journey of Recovery
After years of living with painful addictions and mental health issues, we’re inclined to think that our recovery will be straightforward and simple, based on a foundation of sobriety, committed abstinence from our addictive substance or behavior. While sobriety is a large part of recovery, it is only one part. Our recovery is not a…
Read MoreCould Impostor Syndrome Threaten My Recovery?
Impostor syndrome is the feeling that your successes in life are merely the result of luck or deception and that you don’t really deserve to be where you are. People with impostor syndrome often feel like frauds. Whenever someone compliments them on having done something well, they feel inwardly guilty, like they’ve managed to pull…
Read MoreBenefits of Pets During Addiction Recovery
Loneliness is one major challenge people often face early in recovery. It’s usually a good idea to distance yourself from old friends who drink or use drugs since they can be a major trigger of cravings. However, you may not yet have any friends to replace them. People typically find loneliness stressful and depressing. Chronic…
Read MoreGratitude in Recovery
Being grateful in life, and in recovery specifically, is a gift in and of itself. Gratitude allows you to find beauty in everything you see and experience. Gratitude turns painful experiences into lessons that we can appreciate and apply directly to our healing progress. Being grateful helps us to see the good in everything. Having…
Read More8 Tips for Living with Someone in Addiction Recovery
Finishing inpatient treatment for addiction is a great beginning to recovery. It creates a solid foundation to build on. If you have a loved one who struggles with addiction, you will play a role in building on that foundation if you want your loved one to succeed. Recovery is challenging for both the person in…
Read MoreResilience in Recovery
The process of recovering from our addictions challenges us mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Recovery shows us just how strong we truly are. It puts us to the ultimate test. Recovery from any addiction or mental health issue requires certain skills– willpower, resilience and resolve being some of the most important. Resilience is our ability…
Read MoreApplying the 12-Step Program to Your Recovery in the Upcoming Year
With the New Year having just taken a turn, many people are looking to change their lives for the better. If you’re currently in recovery, you may plan to become stronger in using the coping skills you’ve learned, or to continue to remain diligent in your sobriety. It’s quite an accomplishment to have sought treatment,…
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