Addiction Recovery Blog

If you love Halloween festivities, and are newly sober, you may be worried that sobriety will cause you to miss out on the Halloween fun.

However, there are plenty of ways you can still have a great Halloween while being sober, you will just want to be more mindful of your triggers so that you can manage them effectively. 

What is the best way to show support to an addicted loved one? Some believe that tough love is the only way to get addicts “back on track,” while others enable their loved one in hopes that this will help them curb their addiction.

Fortunately, there are other ways to support your loved one that will not only be beneficial for them, but also for you. 

October is here, and it's a time when people from all across the world participate in the Sober October challenge. 

The first step to recovery is acknowledging that you need to help. Substance use disorders are complex and it requires time and commitment in order to attain sobriety. While going to treatment may seem intimidating, it doesn’t have to be that way. September is National Recovery Month, and it’s important to be aware of the types of treatment that are available across the country so that you can decide which one is best for you.

When the pandemic first hit, many turned to alcohol as a way of coping with the initial isolation, boredom, and financial stress. Zoom happy hours and “quarantinis” quickly became all the rage, and no one questioned it because everyone had a “good reason” to be drinking.

However, some individuals found that the pandemic and the stay-at-home orders helped them recognize that they had a drinking problem. As a result, many decided that this was the perfect time to try out sobriety.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, where we strive to break the stigma surrounding mental illness, so we want to share how alcohol affects your mental health. 

It’s probably no surprise that one-third of people with major depression also drink. Millions of people also struggle with mental health, and it’s killing about 3 million people per year according to the World Health Organization.

Mental health is about more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities though, it’s also about looking after ongoing wellness and happiness. Alcohol can make it even more difficult, and here’s why: 

Alcohol awareness is all about being aware of our own alcohol consumption and how alcohol can affect us. Drinking alcoholic beverages is so normalized in our culture, that many will dismiss any negative effects it may cause. However, it’s important to remember that alcohol contributes to 95,000 deaths in the US every year. The reality is, alcohol is a drug that has the potential to ruin lives if we aren’t careful. 

It’s no secret that addiction does not only affect the person with a substance use disorder, but their loved ones as well.

If someone you love is struggling with a substance use disorder, you may find yourself wanting to help, but unsure of how to go about it. In some cases, when a loved one tries to help, they end up becoming codependent, which can lead to self-destructive behavior. 

However, it’s possible to take care of your loved one without becoming codependent and without condoning their addictive behavior. Aquila also offers a number of addiction treatment programs for families and addiction recovery resources to help someone struggling with the mental and physical effects of substance abuse.

As humans, it’s natural for us to have a competitive nature. However, this is not always healthy, especially in the case of recovery. When you are healing from an addiction and the pain of the past, you may be feeling less confident which leads you to start comparing yourself and your recovery to that of others. However, it is vital for your recovery that you break this habit of comparison, and here’s why.

If you participated in Dry January, you may have noticed some significant differences when it comes to your physical and mental health. Your health can begin to improve after just one week of going alcohol-free. It’s no secret that alcohol isn’t exactly good for you, but what are the actual benefits of going without alcohol?