September 28, 2015 - Supermom--running around like a basket case with an endless to-do list trying to please everyone and ending up frazzled and exhausted. Before recovery, this was my life. I have witnessed many mothers (including myself) fly around in the Supermom cape at speeds faster than lightning so we don't have to stop and feel the feelings of not being enough. We often don't stop to realize the impact our Supermom role has on our children.
Tags: 7938,Mother,Children,Families,Recovery,Sobriety,Self-care,Moms in Recovery,Single Moms in Recovery,Mom,Kids,Child,Family,Women

September 23, 2015 - Let's face it, codependents aren't generally known for our silly, carefree, personalities. Known as the hall monitors of the recovery community, we have a reputation for taking the fun out of the party and popping all the balloons afterward. Thankfully, humor has been scientifically proven to improve relationships, especially those of the codependent.
Tags: 4828,Codependent,Codependency,CODA,Al-Anon,Meditation,Humor

September 23, 2015 - Consider the possibility that your estranged parent is in recovery and that, just like you, he or she is on a journey of self-reflection and personal growth. In this case, continued resentment over the painful past serves no useful purpose, keeping apart a family that really longs to be together. This brokenness sets the stage for more of the same in future generations. Opening your heart to the possibility of reconciliation can allow healing and a healthy family life.
Tags: Woititz,ACoAs,ACoA,Adult Children of Alcoholics,Al-Anon,Family,Forgiveness

August 20, 2015 - Pssssst! Did you know that it's actually okay to enjoy a good day? Stay with me because, if you're anything like I was before Al-Anon, good days weren't really good days, they were the calm before the storm--the tremor before the massive earthquake that destroyed everything. Happiness was not something I was accustomed to. I used to feel there was something virtuous about suffering.
Tags: 4828,Codependent,Codependency,CODA,Al-Anon,Humor,Meditation

August 20, 2015 - Anyone who has ever attended a Twelve Step meeting knows that detachment looms large in the toolkit of suggestions for coping with an addicted loved one. "Detach with love", we are told,"if you want to preserve your sanity."Detachment is neither unloving nor unkind. It is simply accepting the fact that we can not live our loved ones' lives for them.
Tags: Conyers,Family,Recovery,Addiction,Hope,Healing,Survival

August 19, 2015 - Are you a chronic goal setter? Do you find yourself thinking you will finally or only be happy when you reach a certain salary, weight, drive an expensive car, or earn an advanced degree? Many times, shame is often at the root of many desires. This can cause you to chase a goal even when it is not realistic or it becomes a detrimental factor in your life. When shame is the driving force, your current happiness takes a backseat and so does living a full life in the here and now.
Tags: Cleantis,Happiness,Shame,Goals,Letting Go,Moving On

August 18, 2015 - Sometimes the past can foreclose the future, with no option but to start again. So a quiet part of me cradled the dream and my broken self and carried us through the hours. I knew my life with God was safe, even if this mad adventure killed me. I had a growing allergy to everything commonplace, and I was determined to do something marvelous, something men only talk about and then regret not doing. What could go wrong? The short answer is: anything.
Tags: Navigating Grace,Jeff Jay,Higher Power,Grace,Memoir

July 17, 2015 - I knew on an intellectual level that relapse is part of the process of recovery. Yet the emotional punch of relapse always caused me heartache and pain.
Tags: Family,Recovery,Sobriety,Al-anon,Addicted,Relapse,Consequences

July 17, 2015 - Countless religions teach us that helping others is not only a worthy pursuit but a moral obligation. But donating either your time (the best) or your money (also great, especially if given willingly and not just as a tax break) is like a boomerang of positivity.
Tags: Natural Euphoria,The Next Happy,High,Choosing a Good Life,Service,Exercise,Happiness,Meditation,Pleasure

July 17, 2015 - No one can avoid stress, yet we can help ourselves out of it by not getting stuck going round and round inside it and feeling victimized by being stuck.
Tags: Sexual Abuse,Abuse Survivors,Women,Recovery,Meditation

June 15, 2015 - It is not our smooth passages that reveal new understandings, but the strenuous, uphill battles that benefit us with the knowledge we need to grow.
Tags: Meditations,Mindfulness,Recovery,Daily Meditations

June 15, 2015 - Studies have shown that feeling a part of a family, circle of friends, and community throughout our lifetime helps stave off depression and, of course, loneliness, while keeping our minds vibrant. There is also some evidence that spending time with others can even increase our longevity.
Tags: Jodie Gould,Happiness,Mindfulness,Family,Connection,Meditation,Recovery,Natural Euphoria

June 3, 2015 - Many of us who have alcoholism or other addictions in our families suffer from depression to some degree. We've gone to self-help groups and therapists for a number of years, hoping that if we can uncover hidden emotional issues that the feeling of hopelessness will disappear.
Tags: Woititz,ACOA,Adult Children of Alcoholics,Depression,Mental Health,Behavioral Health,Family,Recovery

May 11, 2015 - When we ACoAs look at the tapestry that is our family history, we discover that there's so much more than meets the eye. While we cannot change that history, the good news is that we can obtain skills and learn new ways of behaving and thinking that can change things for the better when it comes to ourselves and our children and their children.
Tags: Woititz,ACoA,Adult Children of Alcoholics,Recovery,Family,Codependency,Addictive Thinking,Twelve Step support group

May 6, 2015 - Without even trying, you and your partner will both naturally rock the boat of your relationship. Sometimes this will be uncomfortable or painful. Sometimes it will seem almost unbearable. Yet this is exactly what is supposed to happen.
Tags: Resmaa Menakem,Relationships,Spouse,Family,Conflict,Healthy relationship

May 6, 2015 - With states making decisions about medical marijuana and the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana, most of us have strong opinions about the relative harms of the drug and what policies should look like. Unfortunately, marijuana remains misunderstood, in part due to the following three reasons.
Tags: Marijuana,Addiction,Drug Misuse,Drug Abuse,Weed,Truth about weed,Is Marijuana Addictive

May 6, 2015 - Imagine that today represents the starting line to a race. Behind you are the months of training that infused your mind, body, and spirit with great strength and stamina. Ahead of you lies the finish line, at a point you cannot yet see.
Tags: Meditation,Meditation Books,Amy Dean,Recovery,Strength,Determination

April 24, 2015 - While the self-help section of your bookshelf may be screaming, you can do anything, a little dose of reality may help you to decide whether it is time to dump a goal or dream, revamp your vision, and find some happiness in the here and now.
Tags: Tracey Cleantis,The Next Happy,Happiness,Goals,Dreams,Letting Go,Moving On

April 21, 2015 - There are a lot of myths about ACoAs and what recovery looks like for us. To keep from getting stuck in a pivotal phase in your healing process, it is important to understand the facts.
Tags: Woititz,ACoA,Adult Children of Alcoholics,Family,Recovery

April 17, 2015 - By understanding that the search for pleasure and escape is a universal drive, we can acknowledge these urges while pursuing healthier forms of recreation and better ways to relieve pain, depression, or hardship. Avoiding mood-altering chemicals does not mean we are doomed to a life of mirthless deprivation.
Tags: Natural Euphoria,Recovery,Exercise,Meditation,Relationships,Pleasure

April 15, 2015 - Adult children are all too familiar with keeping quiet and laying low. We knew it was our job, though it was never stated, to keep the blanket of secrecy tucked in tight. "They" our friends, teachers, neighbors--must never know. So we said nothing. Ever.
Tags: Unwelcome Inheritance,ACoAs,Adult Children of Alcoholics,Family,Recovery,Meditations

March 25, 2015 - Most of us think that the success or failure of a committed partnership largely depends on personalities, backgrounds, politics, religion, likes and dislikes, interests, senses of humor, quirks, and so on. But these elements only speak to compatibility.
Tags: Resmaa Menakem,Relationships,Spouse,Partner,Family

March 24, 2015 - Our failures will be fewer and far less devastating when they occur within the context of a life rich with loving human contact.
Tags: Love,Family,Friends,Meditations

March 23, 2015 - I see a whole lot of cognitive distortions when people are imagining what it will be like when their ship comes in (no one ever imagines the port tax or the sea sickness that might be a part of ship ownership). People are sure of how they will feel if X happens. However, when X happens, very often, people feel differently.
Tags: Tracey Cleantis,The Gifts of Imperfection,Happiness,Dreams,Goals,Moving On

March 20, 2015 - A recovering addict probably said it best, and I'm paraphrasing here: "We get high because it makes us feel better than when we are not." This is why many of us have succumbed at some time or another to the siren call for mood-boosting substances.
Tags: Fun,Pleasure,Recovery,Natural,Mood-altering

March 18, 2015 - With the right support, looking back at our difficult past experiences can help us to understand where our ongoing pain and struggles come from. However, focusing too much on the past can prevent us from moving forward, which is exactly what we need to do to feel whole and create positive change.
Tags: Woititz,ACoAs,Adult Children of Alcoholics,Family,Recovery

March 10, 2015 - In A.A. we forget about the future. We know from experience that as time goes on, the future takes care of itself. Everything works out as long as we stay sober.
Tags: Meditation books,Meditation,24 Hours A Day,Alcoholics Anonymous,A.A.,Recovery

February 25, 2015 - When you and your lover were dating, before you made a long-term commitment to each other, you probably had an unspoken agreement that either of you could end the relationship. It would hurt, but each of you would be all right. Both of you had the option to leave.
Tags: Resmaa Menakem,Relationships,Spouse,Family,Rock the Boat

February 17, 2015 - These emotions are your companions in grief. They are totally normal and necessary reactions, and they're here to stay at least until you have worked through them. Trust me, things will only get worse if you try to repress these feelings and kick them out of your psyche.
Tags: The Next Happy,Happiness,Grief,Shame,Moving On,Letting Go

February 16, 2015 - We will not regret the past, nor fear the future. Neither the past nor the future should control what we're thinking and doing today. After all, if our Higher Power is everything, no person or action can be outside of this supreme control.
Tags: Mediation,Acceptance,Recovery,Twelve-Steps

February 11, 2015 - Perfectionism is addictive because when we invariably do experience shame, judgment, and blame, we often believe it's because we weren't perfect enough. So rather than questioning the faulty logic of perfectionism, we become even more entrenched in our quest to live, look, and do everything just right.
Tags: The Next Happy,The Gifts of Imperfection,Acceptance,Shame,Imperfection

February 9, 2015 - Because people usually don't think of marijuana in the same way that they think of "hard drugs", they often make the leap to thinking that marijuana is not harmful at all. The science, however, suggests that marijuana, considered a "soft drug" by many, shares much in common with hard drugs known for their addictive qualities.
Tags: Marijuana,Drugs,Addiction,Research,Teens,Young Adults,Parents

January 29, 2015 - I know that when you are grieving that you likely you aren't wanting to see any value in the experience, and I am not a big fan of prematurely turning lemons into lemonade. That said, even though it doesn't make the grief worth it grief teaches you some things that you might not learn otherwise.
Tags: The Next Happy,Grief,Moving On,Loss,Family,Change

January 28, 2015 - If you're like almost everyone else with a partner, you have a mental and emotional image of who they are and that image is not 100 percent accurate. When your partner acts in a way that doesn't match your mental image, this can drive you crazy.
Tags: Resmaa Menakem,Relationships,Family,Conflict,Love,Couples,Spouse,Rock the Boat

January 6, 2015 - When you think about your dream it is likely you know what you wanted. You wanted it. It's not complicated. Well, I would like you to suggest that you actually wanted something entirely different.
Tags: The Next Happy,Happy,Dreams,Tracey Cleantis,Letting Go,Lessons in Happiness,Moving Forward

January 5, 2015 - "There's a good trick that people in dysfunctional relationships use," said one recovering woman. "The other person does something inappropriate or wrong, then stands there until you feel guilty and end up apologizing." It's imperative that we stop feeling so guilty.
Tags: Letting Go,Codependency,CODA,Melody Beattie,Meditations,Guilt,Relationships

January 5, 2015 - Have you ever given up on a dream and then decided that you didn't really want it anyways? Did it really not matter, or were you trying to save face and save yourself from feeling shame? Read more about recognizing, accepting and allowing yourself to be human.
Tags: The Next Happy,Letting Go,Dreams,Goals,Moving On,Tracey Cleantis

January 2, 2015 - There's a lot of controversy around the science of twelve-step recovery programs. This excerpt examines studies that help uncover whether or not going to AA increases your odds at staying sober.
Tags: Joseph Nowinski,Twelve Steps,Science Behind the Twelve Steps,AA,NA,Long-term Sobriety,Recovery,Treatment Outcomes,Support Groups

December 23, 2014 - Learn how Tracey Cleantis, author of The Next Happy, learned how to let go, move on and find unexpected happiness.
Tags: The Next Happy,Letting go,Moving on,Dream,Happiness,Grieving,Higher Power

December 18, 2014 - Watch Hazelden author, Jennifer Storm's TED Talk about resiliency and recovery from Muncy State Correctional Institution.
Tags: Blackout Girl,Women,Teens,Addiction,Redemption,Sexual Abuse,TedX

December 11, 2014 - Sometimes it doesn't take much for the disease of alcoholism to raise its ugly head, especially when you're only three months sober. He yelled at his wife that he had had enough turn-downs for one day and maybe he was better off drunk. As he put the can of beer to his lips, the telephone rang.
Tags: Miracles,Recovery,Relapse,Higher Power

December 11, 2014 - We can change our lives dramatically by attending carefully to what goes on inside and outside us. As our inner observer practices paying attention, our fantasies lose their power and our reactivity subsides. As our awareness grows, we also begin noticing some wonderful and unsettling things about life. Life is not random or meaningless.
Tags: A Gentle Path Through The Twelve Steps,Patrick Carnes,Twelve Steps,Recovery Guide,Recovery

December 11, 2014 - Addiction is an ugly, painful disease. The worst part of addiction is how it doesn't let us see beauty in the world. But recovery is beautiful. Our stories are beautiful.
Tags: Keep it Simple,Meditation,Higher Power,Recovery

November 25, 2014 - Fifty to 90 percent of alcoholics and addicts relapse in the first year after treatment. It's easy to toss around blame. Relapse is caused by underestimating what it takes to stay sober.
Tags: Family,Recovery,Treatment,Accountability

November 13, 2014 - When parents start to talk about their child's personality, they suddenly become interested in how it came to be. Why is a discussion about nature versus nurture so important? Because of our need for attribution.
Tags: Youth,Family,Recovery,Addiction

November 3, 2014 - Through rich illustration and narrative, Sobriety: A Graphic Novel offers an inside look to recovery from the perspectives of five Twelve Step group members, each with a unique set of addictions, philosophies, struggles, and successes while working the Steps.
Tags: Sobriety A Graphic Novel,addiction,recovery,Twelve Steps,youth

November 3, 2014 - A meditation from, The 12 Step Prayer Book about focusing on the present and accepting things as they are.
Tags: The 12 Step Prayer Book,Meditation,Twelve Steps,Recovery,Prayer

October 31, 2014 - Author of The Recovering Body, Jennifer Matesa, provides five tips for strengthening your mind and body in addiction recovery.
Tags: The Recovering Body,Mindfulness and the 12 Steps,Recovery,Sleep,Exercise,Sexual Health,Relapse Prevention

October 30, 2014 - It is often said that recovery is not a spectator sport. We can no longer afford to squander one of the best resources in the lives of most addicts, family.
Tags: Recovery,Family,Relapse,Trust,Relapse Prevention,Sobriety,Treatment,Intervention

October 29, 2014 - After I relapsed at the beginning of 2010 that I realized Jen would have to Get Her Body Moving. Turns out, for me, and for a lot of others in recovery, it is hard to recover your feelings and spirit without also recovering the body. And it is easier to do that alongside other bodies. So that was my second mistake: I had tried to recover by myself.
Tags: Recovery,Exercise,Spirituality,Physical Health,Sexual Health,Spiritual Health,Relapse,Relapse Prevention,Addiction,Meditation

October 28, 2014 - Excerpted from Choosing a Good Life, by Ali Berman, learn how one man chose optimism and gratitude in the face of adversity and illness.
Tags: gratitude,happiness,Choosing a Good Life,Mindful living,Lessons in happiness