Twelve-step meetings such as AA can be a valuable asset for anyone who wants to recover from addiction. If you’re still in active addiction, attending a nearby AA meeting is a great first step towards sobriety. If you’ve been through … Read More
When in Doubt, Just Get Started
When starting something new, especially something ambitious or difficult, it’s a good idea to start with a bit of research. What do experts recommend? How have other people succeeded? Is there one approach that clearly works better than another? Is … Read More
The North Wind Made the Vikings
“The north wind made the Vikings” is a Scandanavian proverb that reminds us that challenging circumstances can be a blessing rather than a curse. The Vikings were known throughout medieval Europe as fierce warriors and ruthless raiders but they were … Read More
What if Exercise Makes You Feel Worse?
There are loads of studies supporting the numerous mental and physical health benefits of exercise. For example, one study of more than a million Americans found that regular exercise reduced the burden of mental health issues by at least 20 … Read More
Designing Your Life
In the popular TEDx talk called “Designing Your Life,” Stanford design professor Bill Burnett explains how to use design principles to get unstuck in your life. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SemHh0n19LA] Not only do these principles help you get unstuck, they are principles for … Read More
Push Yourself
All good things are available to you in recovery, but only if you learn to push yourself. When you get into a pattern of substance use, you get into the bad habit of doing things the easy way. For example, … Read More
Don’t Build Your Own Roadblocks
Recovering from addiction is hard enough without sabotaging yourself. Most people sabotage themselves in some way but no one does it on purpose. They often internalize behaviors they learned from their parents and friends or they develop unhealthy coping mechanisms. … Read More
Keep Your Beginner’s Mind
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” — Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice1 For better or worse, those who have walked the path of … Read More
Build Your Physical Foundation
Before an old-timer from “the rooms” talks about how recovery used to entail sitting around in smoky church basements with endless Styrofoam cups of coffee, or how the only exercise they got was “running from the bust to make my … Read More
The Impermanence of Everything
Throughout your sober journey, you will undoubtedly hear about “the higher power” and to “let go and let God.” That may resonate with you, and it might not. But whatever spiritual practice you adhere to—even if, in essence, it’s that … Read More