If you’re committed to staying sober, it’s best to avoid non-alcoholic beer and anything that smells or tastes like beer. Although the choice to drink (or not to drink) near beer is a personal one that everyone in recovery must make for themselves, there are plenty of great reasons not to drink it. Instead of relying on non-alcoholic beer to make you feel good, it’s important to develop healthy tools for living sober and to establish a fulfilling sober life for yourself.
Tag: Recovery
What is the Best Way to Get Sober?
If you’re open to it, you may want to explore other treatment options outside of your immediate location. Some people find that getting a fresh start someplace new can be highly motivating. If you’re ready to start treatment now, Nova Recovery Center offers individualized, comprehensive programs for drug and alcohol addiction. Call (512) 605-2955 to […]
5 Types of People in Recovery
Have you ever thought to yourself, “What is recovery?” Is it simply abstaining from drugs and alcohol or is it something more? Many people would argue the latter. In fact, one study found that most people who self-identify as being “in recovery” define it as a continuous process that never ends.1 Instead of pinpointing it […]
How to Celebrate National Recovery Month
September of 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of National Recovery Month, a month-long observance designed to increase awareness about addiction, celebrate the successful recovery of millions of Americans, and improve access to addiction treatment programs. Even if you’re not in recovery, you can still participate in this annual observance and help others get the help […]
12 Useful Alexa Skills for Addiction Recovery
If you own an Amazon Echo smart speaker, you have access to dozens of great sobriety maintenance tools you may not even know about. Whether you’re new to recovery or you’ve been sober for several months or years, these skills can add an extra layer of support to your sobriety journey. Here are some of […]
10 Habits of Highly Successful Sober College Students
This podcast is all about sharing positive advice and wisdom for daily life in recovery. In this episode, we’re going to talk about 10 habits of highly successful sober college students.
It’s already that time of year again: school is back in session and college students are heading back to campus to reunite with friends for another year of academics. However, for many students, studying is likely to take a backseat to partying and substance abuse.
If you’re a sober student heading back to college for the first time, it’s important that you set yourself up for success with habits that will protect your sobriety. Being immersed in a culture where students’ goals are to party every weekend can be rough, especially for students in recovery. However, having the tools to stay sober will make all the difference.
Here are 10 habits of highly successful college students that you can implement in your own life.
#1. They surround themselves with other successful, sober students.
#2. They anticipate relapse and prepare for it.
#3. They keep their sobriety in perspective.
#4. They avoid high-risk situations.
#5. They find creative and healthy ways to manage stress.
#6. They prioritize a clean, safe, and sober living environment for themselves.
#7. They maintain a sense of balance in everyday life.
#8. They take advantage of recovery support resources for sober students.
#9. They plan for an alternative spring break.
#10. They get involved with the local community.
9 Practical Ways to Have More Gratitude in Recovery
This podcast is all about sharing positive advice and wisdom for daily life in recovery, and in this episode, I’m going to provide 9 practical tips to help you have more gratitude in recovery.
But first, what is gratitude?
The definition of the word gratitude is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness” Practicing gratitude in your everyday life is more than just saying “thank you” or being internally thankful for a life that is free from addiction. Practicing gratitude is using your behavior to be an example of a person whose actions are guided by the principles of the 12 steps and then sharing that goodness with other people in your life.
Gratitude isn’t just a nice thing to practice — it’s essential for long-term recovery. Being grateful reminds us that even when things go wrong, there are still plenty of things to be thankful for. Being grateful allows us to take on challenges with a positive mindset and instead of seeing relapse as a failure, we can see it as an opportunity to improve. Practicing gratitude also teaches us how to love and respect ourselves, which in turn, enables us to love and respect others.
If you’re in recovery and you’d like to establish behaviors and a mindset that reflects gratitude, here are nine practical ways to practice gratitude in recovery.
1. Focus on what you have, rather than what you don’t have.
2. Ponder a recent life lesson you’ve learned.
3. Make it a goal to give to others daily.
4. Focus on the best in others instead of the worst.
5. Take an inventory of your life.
6. Start viewing challenges as opportunities.
7. Be kind to others.
8. Take time to think about the things you’re thankful for.
9. Consider something or someone you have now that you didn’t have in your addiction.
4 Tips for Social Anxiety in Recovery
This podcast is all about sharing positive advice and wisdom for daily life in recovery, and today we’re going to talk about social anxiety.
If you’re here with me right now, you’re probably in recovery and you have either been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder or you struggle with feelings of anxiousness in social situations.
First of all, I want you to know that you’re not alone. Social anxiety is a very common challenge for people in recovery. Maybe, like a lot of other people, you used alcohol as a tool to deal with things, but when it was removed, you were left with nothing but raw emotions and nerves.
Social anxiety is hard, but it doesn’t have to hinder your sobriety or your social life. You can learn how to develop a healthy and thriving social life in recovery. In this episode, I’m going to share four simple tips that you can start using today to learn how to cope with social anxiety and improve your daily life in recovery.
If you’re here with me right now, you’re probably in recovery and you have either been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder or you struggle with feelings of anxiousness in social situations.
1. Consider going to therapy.
2. Practice relaxing with deep breathing exercises and meditation.
3. Avoid social situations that revolve around alcohol.
4. Accept your personal imperfections.
Why Detox? The Importance of Medical Detox in Recovery
When you make the choice to stop using drugs or alcohol, a complete detox is the first step toward recovery. The extensive physical and mental effects of addiction require time and care to overcome, and without an initial detox, you won’t be able to move beyond your drug or alcohol use.
Finding Purpose in Life
Megan Minasi grew up in Houston, Texas, in a broken home full of secrets and substance abuse. By the time she was four years old, her parents had already divorced. She saw her dad every other weekend as a child and her mother remarried when she was eight. Although Megan and her older brother were […]