by Devon Berkheiser, Psy.D. No matter how motivated you are to make changes in your life, you are likely to experience periods of time when you feel like giving up. This is certainly true in recovery. Perhaps you aren’t seeing the progress that you had hoped for, or you’ve had a few unanticipated setbacks. Or maybe you’re just having the kind of day when nothing seems to be going right. Whatever the reason for your lagging motivation, there are some steps that you can take to get through such a time. Remember it’s Temporary First of all, remember that the way you’re feeling now is only temporary. While you may not be able to make this feeling of frustration or hopelessness go away, you can learn to tolerate it. Try distracting yourself with an enjoyable or comforting activity, or u...

As I reflect over the 30 years since Practical Recovery’s beginning, I realize it has been quite a journey! What started as one man (me) in private practice, working to provide quality addiction treatment, has become an entire team of passionate and caring individuals who are seeking to lead a movement to change the country’s perspective on addiction treatment. The Early Years My journey started in 1985 when I began specializing in addiction treatment. I realized then that if I ever personally had addiction problems, the 12 steps and the disease model would not help me. They did not make sense to me. I had worked a rotation at an inpatient addiction facility and had spent three years as a Navy psychologist seeing sailors with alcohol problems. These experiences convinced me that the s...

Adapted from the SMART Recovery Handbook, 3rd edition, pages 36-37 In Changing Habits: Learning to Cope, we covered the 14 basic strategies recommended by SMART Recovery for coping with urges. Here, we cover 4 advanced strategies for overcoming urges to drink/use/act out. 1. Move Beyond Avoidance Being exposed to triggers can help you strengthen your coping skills to resist acting upon them. Intentional exposure under controlled conditions can help solidify your coping strategy and increase your confidence. Try the following strategy (it may help to bring along a trusted companion for support and guidance): Put yourself in a situation that may trigger an urge, such as the liquor aisle in a grocery store. Use any of the strategies discussed in Changing Habits: Learning to Cope...

Adapted from Pages 32 and 34 of the SMART Recovery Handbook, 3rd Edition With so many people on day two of their 2015 New Year’s resolutions, it seems appropriate to offer some basic strategies for coping with urges that tempt us to give into habits. Whether you’re trying to stop drinking, quit smoking, eat better, spend less, or change any other unwanted behavior, here are 14 basic strategies designed to help you cope with the urges in the days, weeks, months (and sometimes even years) ahead! Avoid – Learn what triggers your desire to act on your habit, and avoid the triggers that lead to urges. Escape – If you are presented with a trigger, escape immediately. Distract Yourself – Try not to focus on the urge. Remember that urges are time-limited, and if you can find something to d...

Have you ever wondered what non 12 step means? This video will walk you through Arthur's discovery of a self-empowering, non 12 step addiction treatment option! Want to be empowered? Call us today!

Craving a better high in 2015? Take the Dryuary challenge! At the start of each new year, tens of thousands of American consumers typically make resolutions to improve their health and fitness, better manage stress, and increase their sense of well-being by trying to drink less alcohol.” - Marc F. Kern Ph.D. Join thousands of individuals, nationwide, as they take the challenge to put down the drink for 31 days. Tried it before? This year is different as Dryuary 2015 is a nationally-promoted event, sponsored by Moderation Management. Sign up to receive support, motivation, tools and gain a new perspective on alcohol. Whether you're looking to counterbalance a December full of alcohol-laden parties, quit drinking for good, lose weight, save money, or give yourself a health makeove...

by Dr. Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP Holiday gatherings can be high-risk times if alcohol is involved—as it usually is. Most of us in the moment will attempt to ignore excessive drinking. It’s not a good time for a rational discussion; there's a good chance the discussion will lead to an angry argument instead. Yet, while it may not be the time for a discussion, it is important not to ignore the excessive drinking entirely. Make sure to take care of the excessive drinker: no driving, a trip to the ER or whatever else might be needed. Alcohol related injury and death will be all too frequent over the holiday season. Once the drinker has sobered up, you may find yourself deciding between saying something and just hoping he/she will be better next time. As for the latter option, how many times...

by Devon Berkhesier, Psy.D. Stress goes hand in hand with change; when we have to adapt to some type of change, we experience stress. Although we typically think of stress as harmful, it can, in fact, be beneficial by providing the motivation that we need to succeed. But when stress becomes chronic or overwhelming, it can cause significant health problems. Stress can affect virtually every system in the body, causing a wide range of physical ailments such as tension headaches, hypertension, stomach pain, and insomnia. Sometimes the effects of chronic stress are less immediate. For example, did you know that stress can suspend tissue repair, potentially resulting in osteoporosis and susceptibility to fractures? Stress can also worsen pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, chroni...

Originally written By Richard Juman for theFix.com 12/11/14 A master therapist discusses the things that can keep him up at night in his work with clients who are still using substances. This week Professional Voices features an interview with Dr. Tom Horvath, a leader in the progressive treatment of addictive disorders and a contributor to The Fix. Horvath is the president of Practical Recovery, and the volunteer president of SMART Recovery. The interview highlights some of the challenges faced by clinicians who don't demand abstinence as a prerequisite, or even a goal, of treatment. I think that nearly everyone in the addiction treatment field practices harm reduction, but they may not describe what they do that way. Richard Juman:  In thinking about taking a harm reduction ...

by Reya Ingle, Psy.D. Providing a Safe Place for Women to Heal Practical Recovery’s newest residential treatment home, The Restoration Inn, opened in late September this year to provide substance misuse treatment for women in a safe and supportive environment. The Inn maintains Practical Recovery’s signature non 12 step approach and commitment to individualized, self-empowering treatment for substance misuse and co-occurring disorders including relationship issues and trauma. The Restoration Inn is purposefully small with only four beds to allow for a true homelike environment. The small size of the home and the individualized focus remove the possibility of unobserved lack of true engagement in treatment as might occur in a large facility. At The Restoration Inn, client motivatio...