addiction recovery

What to Do When You Feel the Urge to Self-Harm and Relapse

It’s possible to plan ahead to decrease the chances of relapse after you leave treatment. Therapist and author Lisa Ferentz, speaking at The Meadows’ recent conference on trauma and addiction, discussed this challenging part of treatment — and offered a realistic and proactive process that helps patients avoid relapse. Read More

The Triggering Effect: How to Manage Yours

If you’re in recovery from addiction, you know it takes much more than just willpower to prevent relapse. Recovery is a lifelong journey of learning and discovery about yourself that requires deep healing, as well as an arsenal of coping mechanisms to get you through the daily struggles of sobriety. Read More

Addiction’s Impact on You

By Beau Black How does addiction affect you? Substance use disorder impacts all of us, directly or indirectly; the effects of addiction may be physical, relational, financial, societal. The effects of addiction on those around us like family, friends, and co-workers are wide-ranging, but what about its… Read More

A Portrait of Forgiveness

After seeing a preview of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Dr. Claudia Black shares her expertise on the art of forgiveness as Lloyd Vogel, a young journalist, begins to heal from his childhood trauma with the help of Mister Rogers. Read More

Growing Up With An Addicted Parent

I remember, as a twelve-year-old, sitting alone in our living room after one of our then-typical family meltdowns…trying to make sense of the pain and general devastation of our once very happy family…trying to understand how kind, decent and loving people could cause each other such unrelenting pain, how we… Read More

U.S. Surgeon General Issues a Call to Action on Addiction

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s release of Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health at yesterday’s Facing Addiction Summit was an unprecedented moment in our country’s fight against addiction and substance misuse. It is the first time in history that a U.S. surgeon general has issued a report focused on drug and alcohol addiction. The report comes at a time when more and more Americans are struggling with the effects of addiction to opioids and heroin. One person dies every 19 minutes from an opioid or heroin overdose. And, the statistics related to other addictions are no less grim. One in seven people in the United States will face a substance misuse disorder, and only 10 percent will get the treatment they need to overcome it. Read More

Becoming Fearless with the Help of Al-Anon

By the Mother of a Past Claudia Black Young Adult Center Patient As my daughter does her recovery work from drug and alcohol addiction and anxiety, I too work my recovery through Al-Anon. I won’t go into details of how my daughter and I both came to this point because I’m guessing many of you are already familiar with the scenario— failing grades, arrests, court appearances, isolation, detachment, and on and on. Read More

Sobriety in the New Year

The New Year symbolizes a time for fresh starts. Everyone is making resolutions to better themselves in the coming year, so it’s no surprise that many people decide to pursue sobriety. Starting a new year with the decision to find sobriety and heal lifelong wounds is a very courageous decision. Usually, though, simply making a resolution is not enough. This is true even with non-addicts. But the good news is, there are steps to take that can significantly aid in reaching and maintaining sobriety. Read More