[one_half_last]Welcome to the Addiction Recovery Blog RoundUp. Happy Reading!
Embrace Change or Just Be Host?
Kyczy Hawk over on Yoga and Recovery is talking about change this week. She is talking about her view of change and how that has shifted for her over time. I agree with her idea of using the Serenity Prayer for helping to interact with change:
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference” [/one_half_last]
For me, it is a good reminder that I am not always in control….that I have to let go of things…and that change will happen around me regardless of how I feel about it (and sometimes in spite of me!).
New Year’s Resolutions For Families In Recovery
Even though we are almost to the end of January, the first month in the new year, it is not too late. Maggie Harmon over at addictionblog reminds us that we can be doing things every day to make our lives better. She says: “Regardless of what the other people in your life are doing the New Year is a great time to make a commitment to restoring yourself to happiness, serenity, and gratitude in your own life.” This is so true for family members of individuals who have substance abuse problems. My guess would be that as a family member, you spend a lot of time trying to change someone else (see above article – smile). That hasn’t and doesn’t work so well. This is a great reminder to focus on what we can change and the only thing we have control over: ourselves.
The Top 10 Misconceptions About Recreational Drug Use
Here is a good list of erroneous beliefs about drug use that Brittany Oliver over at Sober College has put together this week. She also provides some information to dispute each belief. Here is another erroneous belief that I would add to the list (although that would make 11 – smile): If you have a job and a family, you can’t be addicted. Many people in recovery today would identify themselves as a “high bottom” addict meaning: they did not lose everything to their addiction; they still maintained their job, their family, and other relationships. Now what maintaining those relationships looked like varies I am sure, and I am equally sure that it was not as pretty, well run, or graceful as happens when they are sober, but they did hang on to them. Regardless, the individual is still an addict dealing with cravings, tolerance, and changes in brain function. Their substance use spun out of control in some way and the threat of losing everything was looming somewhere in the future prior to their recovery.
Lifestyle Balance Model for Recovery
This is more of a technical article over on RecoverySI than I usually like to talk about here. However, there are some really important points in here even for the casual reader. The author, Alexandre Laudet, Ph.D, is talking about the Lifestyle Balance Model for Recovery. She uses this definition of recovery: “…refers to sobriety, plus improvement in overall functioning and quality of life.” The premise of the model is that there are six factors that interact in one’s life to influence behavior and that these factors can have a significant effect on recovery from Substance Use Disorders. In brief, the discussion is that situations, feelings, and thoughts are going to come up in recovery. The critical piece is for individuals to learn how to respond (rather than react) to various thoughts, emotions, feelings, and situations in order to maintain a healthy recovery and lifestyle balance.
7 Reasons Why It’s Good To Be Sober
Finally, a celebration of sobriety for the week. Over on SoberNation the writer is listing 7 reasons – I’m sure there could have been many more – about the good in sobriety. The one that resonated with me today is #7 – Overwhelming Gratitude. Not because I necessarily was living in that space in the moment that I read the blog post, but the minute that I was done reading it, I was reminded to get back there. And I don’t know about you, but I need those reminders. Every. Single. Day.
That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend!
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