Topic: maintaining sobriety

An important step that programs often skip: the collection of baseline data. Improvements are often incremental, and if you don’t know exactly where you started, it’s easy to miss them.

In his review of long-term outcome studies involving both alcohol and heroin users, Vaillant noted the inspirational aspects of such participation.

It may seem to the individual as if it happens by itself– the result of an autopilot, set to return home.

But given the experience in other fields of healthcare, a return to the old lifestyle, however destructive, may be little more than human nature.

In other words, they may also be engaged in professional treatment, attending live support groups, seeking medical or mental health care, or some combination of the above.

Many arrive in addiction treatment with clear symptoms of pathological gambling that often go unrecognized.

Having an escape plan or a back-up excuse should you need to leave a stressful situation quickly can also be very helpful.

I’m constantly focused on acknowledging things I can’t control. I turn it over to my HP just like I used to do with the desire to drink.

It’s a form of rehab for the brain recovering from sick, negative thinking.

Maybe for some individuals, whose goal is simply to get off drugs and meet like-minded people, a 12 Step fellowship fits the bill better than, say, the local church or civic group.