Tag Archives: recovery

Celebrate Recovery During National Recovery Month

September is National Recovery Month. During this month, the success stories of people who are in recovery from addiction or mental health issues are celebrated, along with treatment centers and those who work in the field of recovery. The U.S. Department of Health and SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) have been sponsoring […]

Elements Behavioral Health Launches Free Cassava℠ Recovery App

The Cassava app℠ makes it easier for people to take the steps required each day to build a strong foundation in recovery. Users can easily locate nearby support group meetings from a comprehensive database with over 140,000 12-step and non-12-step listings, monitor their moods and activities, and track their daily progress. 

A Recovering Addict’s Guide to Finding Balance

For a recovering alcoholic or addict, learning to find balance can be particularly challenging. Leading a balanced life means avoiding extreme highs or lows. It also means paying attention to tendencies that many addicts have to focus or obsess too much on one activity, such as exercise or work. When the scales are tipped too […]

Words to Avoid When Talking About Addiction

There are some common words that we all associate with addiction. Whether you have a connection to addiction or not, you probably recognize words like junkie, clean, dirty, sober, abuse and addict. Words like junkie and dirty carry obviously derogatory connotations and can be stigmatizing, but experts say that even some of the other common […]

Will Robin Williams’ Tragic Death Save the Lives of Others?

The late Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams was among the most effective public figures at de-stigmatizing mental illness and addiction by baring his own lifelong struggles with both. Williams, whose confessional brand of stand-up comedy was a form of “sharing his story” by coating anguish with humor, was found dead at his home Aug. […]

Meditation for Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Recovery

Alcoholism and drug addiction are complex conditions that plague millions of people.  Recovering from them requires a comprehensive treatment plan. For many recovering addicts and alcoholics, that plan typically includes talk therapy, support groups, and, if warranted, medication. However, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices, particularly meditation, can provide a vital source of additional support […]

Ex-NBA Guard Chris Herren Shares Rise From Depths of Addiction at Event Co-Hosted by Elements Behavioral Health

On May 7, former NBA star Chris Herren will share his personal story of substance abuse and recovery at “Chris Herren Unguarded – It’s Never too Late to Follow Your Dreams,” an educational and inspiring event organized by Child, Adolescent and Family Recovery Center, Elements Behavioral Health, local high school districts 125 and 128, and […]

Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ ‘Dracula’ Salary Delayed Due to Addiction

Celebrity status and addiction appear to be natural bedfellows, and in many cases the problem is allowed to continue unchecked until the individual reaches a breaking point. In some cases, the one “rock bottom” moment is enough to shock the star into making a concerted effort to get better. In the case of Jonathan Rhys […]

Decoding Research Claims: How Do We Know What Works?

Whether we’re talking about a new medication or a different psychotherapy technique, at some point you’ll hear the phrase “studies show” that it works. Or you may have read that “research indicates” that a particular intervention (for example, practicing yoga to help improve mood) is effective. Perhaps you’ve wondered about this: what kind of studies? […]

A Primer on Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome

There are two stages of withdrawal that every addict in recovery will have to go through before they can truly move beyond their dependency on drugs or alcohol. First comes the acute stage, which will begin as soon as an addict stops using and will continue for several weeks after that. During this period of […]

Expert Parenting Tips for Parents in Recovery

As addicts, we like to believe that our behaviors only damage ourselves. What we do is nobody else’s business. But this is a delusion crafted by the disease of addiction. In reality, our behaviors affect friends, relatives, co-workers and everyone we come into contact with. And no one suffers more than those we most want […]

Writers In Treatment Hosts Second Annual Reel Recovery Film Festival

The Los Angeles-based nonprofit recovery organization for writers affected by alcoholism or substance abuse, Writers In Treatment (WIT), will be hosting its second annual Reel Recovery Film Festival from October 27–30 in Hollywood, California, and November 11–14 in Nashville, Tennessee. After its successful debut in 2009, the Reel Recovery Film Festival is continuing to celebrate […]

Alcoholics: Are You Too Good for AA?

Maybe you know you have a problem with alcohol. Or, maybe you haven’t had the guts to admit it yet. But you are slowly becoming aware that things are deteriorating around you at a fairly rapid rate. You just can’t seem to put your finger on the cause – or you don’t want to. Perhaps […]

Methods and Tips to Reduce Cravings for Drugs and Alcohol

Recovery from alcohol and drug abuse or addiction is a long and often difficult process. One of the hardest things to overcome is the almost unbearable craving you have to take a drink, use a drug, just to get over or get back to feeling good again. Cravings are incredibly hard to resist and are […]