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. 

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. 

If you're looking for a special non-alcoholic drink these holidays, I have you covered!
These mocktail recipes are easy to make, healthy and taste delicious.

For more recipes and alcohol-free inspiration like this, visit The Mindful Mocktail.

It is so common nowadays to ask someone “What they do for a living” as a means of small talk. For 6 years my answer to this question was “I’m an addiction counselor” and as a response I would receive some variation of “Bless you, that must be so hard to work with them”. It took me a long time to realize that people did not know how to respond because of the stigma attached to addiction and mental illness in general.

Cancer is terrifying. It’s indiscriminate and will present itself in the young and old, rich and poor, all skin colors, and all religions. However, that doesn’t mean that you cannot act to reduce your risks of cancer.

Has anyone ever accused you have having an drinking problem? Perhaps it was a well-intentioned friend or colleague who made a “joke” that felt like it was directed at you, or a family member who outright called you an alcoholic?