When we’re working to rejoin society and return to our former lives, there are some specific challenges we’re often confronted with. These can threaten to derail our progress and take us off course. Our goal in recovery is to stay clean and avoid relapse, and these challenges can test...
When we are in recovery, especially after we’ve finished a treatment program, returning to our former lives can be a huge challenge for us. We’re confronted with all kinds of things that threaten our sobriety. We’re faced with addictive urges and compulsions. We have to interact with people who...
Addiction is so pervasive and all-consuming that it dominates our thoughts, emotions and behaviors until our lives are totally overtaken. One of the most destructive effects it can have is eradicating our sense of compassion and empathy. We become so consumed, obsessed even, with the subject of our addictions...
When we’re struggling with our addictions, many of us find ourselves in the most vulnerable place we’ll ever experience in our lives. We tend to fear this vulnerability as a sign of weakness, and when we’re feeling weak, we’re inclined to reject the love and support other people are...
Addiction takes over not only our lives but the lives of everyone who cares about us. It causes our loved ones to be consumed with worry and fear about our safety and wellbeing. They might stage an intervention, give an ultimatum, or distance themselves altogether. We tend to think...
Even though addiction is destructive and debilitating for many of us, and one would think we’d want to be free of it as soon as possible, we nonetheless can have a very hard time getting help. Many of us who most need help with our recovery never get the...
Recovering from our addictions is a lifelong process that for many of us takes daily work to maintain. Our sobriety can take many years to take root and have a strong foundation, in much the same way it can take our addictions time to develop and overtake our lives....
Addiction recovery is about more than abstaining from our addictive substances and behaviors. It’s also about rediscovering ourselves, recreating our lives, and finding our purpose. Exploring our gifts and strengths can help us discover the unique things we have to offer the world. Focusing on these positive things can...
Watching our loved ones struggle with the pain of addiction can be one of the hardest things we’ll ever have to do. We often try different things in the hopes that we’ll be able to make them quit. We throw out their drugs and alcohol. We punish them in...
The work we do in recovery – completing a treatment program, attending therapy, working with a sponsor – are all even more beneficial when we combine them with regular support group meetings. It is a misconception that meetings are for people to sit around whining about their problems. For...
If you’ve been struggling with addiction, chances are you’ve tried to quit and haven’t been able to. It’s a reality for many of us. As much as we want to stop, we can’t seem to make ourselves. Some of us will try to convince ourselves that our problem isn’t...
Part of the recovery process is learning more about the emotions that can contribute to our unhappiness and stress, to our depression and anxiety, and to our addictive patterns. Anger is one of these challenging emotions, and learning how to deal with it is an important part of emotional...
Anger is one of the emotions we seem to have a particularly tough time letting go of. We stay attached to our anger – sometimes for years, sometimes for our entire lives. We hold grudges. We feel like we can’t forgive, and we allow our anger to destroy relationships...
When we are struggling with addictions and mental health issues, it is extremely common for us to become consumed by our negative thought patterns. We tend to think in worst case scenarios, we tend to jump to negative conclusions, and we catastrophize. We focus on the bad elements of...
Journaling is powerful and effective tool that we can use in our healing and recovery. Writing about our difficult thoughts, emotions and experiences helps us to process, organize and manage them for ourselves. The writing process serves as a sort of release. When we write, everything we have buried...
Self-forgiveness is something many of us struggle with. When we are living with addictions and mental health issues, we are often consumed with guilt about our mistakes and regrets, along with a pervasive sense of shame. We become convinced that we are bad people. These emotions actually make it...
Vista Taos is a nationally-accredited, family-owned substance abuse treatment center that offers individuals, who are suffering from addiction, a clear path to recovery by providing a comprehensive Medical, Psychological and Spiritual approach.
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