Setting New Year’s resolutions is more than just a fun tradition. If you take the time to create actionable goals for yourself, your New Year’s resolutions can be an important tool in promoting a lasting recovery. Using the SMART Goals Framework Most New Year’s resolutions fail because they are...
Blog
Why the Holidays Are Hard for Recovery
The holiday season is meant to be a joyous occasion that brings family and friends together. But even in the midst of all the excitement, there are often moments of stress and anxiety. If you are recovering from alcohol addiction, this broad spectrum of holiday emotions can challenge even...
New Diversions: 9 Unique Hobbies for Recovering Addicts
When you’re first getting sober it may seem like you have a lot of free time on your hands. Since boredom is a trigger for recovering addicts, it’s important that you find new hobbies that are fun and distracting to fill all those empty hours. Luckily, we’ve got some great suggestions for hobbies...
7 Tips To Hosting A Sober Party When You’re In Recovery
Attending a party while you’re in addiction recovery can be a challenge, let alone hosting your own party. The great thing about throwing a party is that you have more control over the presence of alcohol and other substances, but you may worry about whether your guests will still have a good...
Stages Of Grief When A Loved One Is Addicted
When you find out that someone you love is addicted to prescription pills, heroin, alcohol or any other drug, it can be absolutely overwhelming. In some ways, it can feel like the person you know has died, and the person who replaces him or her is a stranger. Whether you’re...
Lifestyle Changes in Recovery: Rebuilding Family Relationships
Addiction Hurt My Family. What Do I Do? In times of distress, family members typically band together to overcome hardships. Therefore, when addiction tries to abduct a loved one, it can take a village to keep them safe. This article discusses addiction, its effect on family members, and how...
Shane Johnson’s Bike Across Canada to Raise Awareness
Shane Johnson’s plan to ride across Canada started just over a year ago. “My life leading up to this journey has been full of depression, anxiety, a loss of purpose, pain both physical and mental” Shane says. Before COVID happened, Shane was feeling lost. He hated his job, was working too much...
Managing Holiday Expectations with a Loved One in Active Addiction.
As we approach the holiday season, now is a great time to remind ourselves that family members and loved ones of those that are in active alcohol and/or drug addiction or someone in addiction recovery may need our extra support. We need to help make the holiday celebrations less stressful...
Real Life Recovery Stories: Meet Kelton
My story starts pretty “normal” in the context of my upbringing and home life. I grew up in a small town outside of Calgary living with my Mom, Dad, Sister, and eventually my grandma (after the passing of my Grandad). I played elite hockey (Bantam AAA and Midget AAA)...
Grief: When Someone you Love Dies in Recovery
In my early days of sobriety, the friendships I made were my lifeline. Standing outside 12-step meetings or hovering over huge platters of fries at diners, we laughed, cried and spilled our darkest secrets. For me, the first time I sat at a diner with a bunch of sober...