Benefits of Yoga
In our fast-paced society, it can be easy to get caught up in running around and forgetting to de-stress. Self-care, including reducing our stress levels, is an integral part of the recovery process. Thankfully, there are some easy ways to slow down and reduce every day stress, including yoga. With several benefits in addition to […]
Addiction and Recovery: An Evolutionary Perspective
By Tom Horvath, PhD, ABPP All species aim to survive. They do so by seeking out some experiences and avoiding or escaping others. The behaviors associated with addiction and recovery can be understood in this larger context of survival, approach and avoidance. The implications of an evolutionary perspective for addiction include new definitions for commonly […]
Coping With Craving: The Timer Technique
While this technique might also be considered a distraction technique, active distraction is not used. You can use the timer technique for a craving of any strength.
Mocktail Recipes for Summer Parties
Deciding not to drink at the summer parties this year? We totally support you. That’s why we’ve scoured the Internet for some of the best mocktail recipes out there. Here are our favorites: Orange Earl Grey Iced Tea Ingredients: ¼c loose tea or 12 Earl Grey teabags Peel of one orange Instructions: Steep tea and […]
Party-Time: Enjoying the Holiday Party Season… Sober
With a little planning and strategy, the summer party season can be an enjoyable and successfully sober experience!
The Recovery Maintenance Plan: Much Bigger Than Relapse Prevention
A year or so ago Practical Recovery began using the term recovery maintenance in place of relapse prevention. Why? Because it fits our model so much better.
Home from College: Drugs, Alcohol and Parenting the Adult Child
It’s no secret: college students often develop a lifestyle and habits that fall outside the family value system in which they were raised.
Summer Vacations: Dealing with Triggers to Drink or Use
Memorial Day weekend is here! For many of us, that means vacation time is just around the corner! And with vacation comes the possibility of a trigger we don’t face on a regular basis. The following tips will help you navigate the summer travel season with success and still have fun! If you are feeling […]
The Fatigue Principle
Adapted from Sex, Drugs, Gambling & Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions by Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP In his workbook, Sex, Drugs, Gambling & Chocolate, Dr. Horvath includes an entire chapter on craving (Chapter 9). Of particular interest in this post is what Dr. Horvath calls the fatigue principle. As Dr. Horvath notes, “unless you […]
What Is Recovery, Really?
By Guest Author Lesley Wirth, Consultant for The Restoration Inn There seems to come a time in everyone’s journey where one stands at the precipice of claiming that which is rightfully theirs: a connection to his or her inherent value as a worthy and deeply lovable person. In hindsight, I see that this was where […]