The holiday season can be a time of pumpkin spice, rosy cheeks, and light-hearted spirits. But for people in recovery, the stress associated with the holidays can be trigger inducing. What Is a Trigger? A trigger in reference to addiction refers to any person, place, thought, or event that incites a memory or flashback surrounding...Read More

Saying ‘no’ can be a difficult skill to learn, especially in cases where a person is in recovery and attempting to remedy relationships. While it’s with good intentions to desire to be peaceable, not setting healthy boundaries can add up to a lot of unnecessary stress and discomfort. Obviously, saying ‘no’ should never be done...Read More

Finding the balance between giving too much of yourself and not enough can be a frustrating dance when your loved one is suffering from a substance use disorder. It’s almost impossible not to get sucked into the downward spiral. This is because addiction not only affects the person abusing drugs or alcohol, it affects friends...Read More

While it may seem that substance abuse is isolated to a younger crowd, dependence is prevalent in all communities. In fact, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), more than one million people 65 and older were reported to have a substance use disorder in 2014. The majority of those, some...Read More

As one of the offerings of Fair Oaks Recovery Center, dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is a type of therapy that deals with emotional regulation and stress management. DBT offers individuals skill sets that allow them to more effectively deal with painful emotions and decrease conflict in relationships. Originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder,...Read More

Understanding the importance of relapse prevention following completion of treatment is vital to the success of long-term sobriety. According to a 2017 US News & World Report study, deaths from alcohol, drugs, and suicide are projected to increase by 60 percent within the next decade. While treatment techniques continue to improve, 60 to 90 percent...Read More

Children are especially vulnerable to the secondary effects of addiction. Without the psychological or emotional maturity to fully understand the nature of substance abuse, growing up with a parent as an addict can lead a child to feel responsible for a parent’s drinking or drug use. Along with other issues children of addicts face, problems...Read More

Something feels wrong.Until now, you’ve never suspected your teen son or daughter to be abusing drugs or alcohol because they’ve never given you a reason. They come home when they are supposed to, they excel in school—aren’t teens involved in drugs and alcohol reckless and absent?Herein lies the standard misconception that people who suffer from...Read More

While quitting a substance stood as a significant step toward rehabilitation, it was learning how to creatively funnel the cyclone of racing thoughts that truly unlocked a doorway within me to achieve sustainable sobriety. While there are many channels of release such as yoga, running, and meditation, journaling for emotional awareness can provide an exceptional...Read More

Recovery can sometimes feel like a lonely pursuit. While nothing can quite replace the kind of community that comes with face to face contact, engaging with an online recovery community can be an exceptional resource for sustaining sobriety. A study published by the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment found that online recovery communities achieved positive...Read More