Debra DiGiovanni, an award-winning Canadian comedian living in Los Angeles, is easy to love. She boasts a growing list of accomplishments, including hosting the Genie Awards alongside Sandra Oh and appearing on the 5th season of Last Comic Standing and Conan. Last year, her album Lady Jazz received a Juno Award nomination for Comedy Album of the Year, and she recently co-wrote and sold a digital series to Comedy Central. DiGiovanni is an absolute murderer on stage, whether performing at a small venue in Silverlake or a sold-out arena.
Despite her rigorous road schedule, she agreed to meet with me to discuss her sobriety. Her West Hollywood apartment smells like shampoo and feels like a hug. There is a jigsaw puzzle in progress on the coffee table.
You have been doing comedy for 20 years, and just celebrated 4 years sober. Can you tell me, just in terms of your career, what it was like, what happened, and what it is like now?
When I turned 33, I stopped drinking. The minute I quit, my marijuana just got to a [whole new] level. When I got successful enough that I didn’t have a day job anymore, it started to get really bad. Don’t get me wrong, I would smoke a joint before I went to the office, but this was like, I have nothing but a show tonight – so why not smoke all day? I gave up on relationships, friendships got really small. Only comedy brought me out of my apartment.
In 2011, I started cancelling and lying. The bullshit stories make me embarrassed to even think about right now. Just ‘cause I wanted to sit home and smoke. Giving up thousands of dollars – and I did that dozens of times. I would say I fell, I got hit by a car. I had a sling at home just in case I had to go to the store and anyone saw me. It took me five more years to quit.
I moved to L.A. in 2014. If I thought that I smoked before — it got to a level where that’s all I did. So, it was Christmas 2015 and it just started to — by the grace of God — it just started to taste bad. Like my body was starting to go we gotta stop now. I always had lung problems, I always had vocal problems, I was always sick. I would get a cold and it would turn into a lung infection.
I started looking online, asking how do I quit marijuana? I started looking at 12-step programs. I remember seeing a quote: the sneaky thing about marijuana, as opposed to heroin or coke or even alcohol – it may not kill you quick but you don’t go anywhere. [It’s like] treading water — you don’t go under, but you don’t go forward. And that really struck me. Eventually, you’re going to get tired and go under.
Then I chose a deadline. It was Christmas of 2015, and I had cancelled on my family to go home, like I did every year [because] I would realize I can’t go for a week without smoking. I bought copious amounts of pot and said: when this is done, then I’m done.
And all I did for ten days was smoke and watch TV and eat. On January 4, I woke up with two days’ worth left. I called my best friend on FaceTime and took all my stuff, all my accoutrements, and threw it all in the dumpster. [I] tore my medical card up in front of her, flushed the weed down the toilet, and said I’m done. She cried and then I cried.
Since I’ve been sober — I’m on stage all the time, [and] I have a very nice reputation. I’m on Step 8 and I look forward to The Promises. They say [when you’re through with] Step 9, they start coming true. First three months of being sober I thought were gonna kill me. People who don’t think you detox from marijuana: you’re wrong. I could feel it coming out of my body and I’d be sick. I had weeks of night terrors. You don’t really dream when you’re high all the time, you just sleep. [So there was] a lot of emotional stuff and crying.
At the beginning, I lost a lot of friends. Or people just thought I should only take a year off [from weed]. And I was worried about my creativity. [But] I can say this: I am a better comedian now. I’m sharper, I remember things, I know where I am, I’m not mumbling. Every day I wake up and thank god I’m sober.
My mother passed away in January of 2018. She and I had a very hard relationship my whole life. She got really sick in the middle of 2016. I was six months sober when all her cancers came back. I told my super Christian conservative parents I’m a drug addict and they both looked at me and said Okay. Can we help? I was able to ask my mother for forgiveness and she did the same with me and then I got to spend 18 months with her before she died. I went home for Christmas and got to spend this fantastic Christmas with Mom. I left on the 28th and on the 29th she started to slip in and out of consciousness for the next nine days and then she passed. That was all God.
Did you ever feel like there was a wall between you and the audience or you and the world when you were high?
Yeah, and I wanted it. I wanted that wall. I was there, but there wasn’t a real connection and it was sort of like looking at them through tissue paper. I’m from Canada and I had quite a bit of success there. And there was no real enjoyment of my success. Nothing mattered. I didn’t care. I was always numb. So [when I received] big accolades, [I] would be like yeah great. That’s heartbreaking to think about now. I would win an award and show up high off my ass like…thanks. And just want to get out of there to continue getting high.
Did you take time off comedy when you first got sober?
Not long, but a couple of weeks. The first two weeks I was severely debilitated. I didn’t know how to function. There was a commercial in the 90’s for quitting smoking — about relearning to live without cigarettes — the whole thing was a guy getting up in the morning to get ready for work and putting the iron on his face and the juice on his shirt; as the commercial goes along, now he’s ironing his shirt. Thankfully I’m a comedian and there were days where I didn’t need to function. I didn’t book anything, so I [could] stay home. I would go to a meeting and talk to whoever and cry. It came out a lot in tears. I would go for walks.
And I was scared to perform without marijuana. It wasn’t just the detox. I had 16 days under my belt and my best friend was like you gotta go sometime. And I was truly shocked that I was still able to tell jokes. It felt foreign. And it just kept getting better.
Was there a transition period, do you feel like your material changed?
Yeah, I don’t talk about marijuana anymore. But you know I don’t really talk about being sober yet either. I have one joke about it — you will not be surprised to hear – [that] doesn’t go over very well. If I say I don’t smoke marijuana, I get booed sometimes. I am very open about it, I will tell anyone who wants to know. Even if you don’t want to know, I will tell you. I don’t do a lot of sober stuff on stage, but a lot of my jokes were about marijuana. I kind of have those moments where I wonder if I made my personality marijuana. There’s moments when I wonder if that’s all that I was, a stoner. And I am so much more than that. There’s a chunk [of material] that’s gone. I’m also about truth. If it’s not happening, I’m not gonna talk about it onstage.
Last February was your first Conan appearance. Are you happy that it didn’t happen earlier?
It wouldn’t have happened earlier. I just know that. I’m so glad. All these things that I get to do now: I’m there, I’m experiencing them. I remember them. [Before], everything was a glazed blur. There’s footage of me at the Canadian TV awards — like the Emmys. I won one and I don’t remember a second of my acceptance speech because I was so high. Now I’m here: good, bad, or otherwise.
What is your favorite thing about being sober in comedy?
All my jokes are now being written for everybody, rather than just focusing on potheads. I love always being on time. I’ll show up and the host isn’t there yet and that’s not me – I was always late. I love not running out to get high. I love not focusing on who I’m going to smoke a joint with while I’m on stage. The whole thing was get high with these people get high with those people — that was just it, really, the only concern. When can I get this over with so I can go home and get high? It was just a little blip rather than what I wanted to do. Like, okay I’m doing comedy tonight but when can I get high? Being present is what I love. Watching other comics. I never used to do that, I was always outside.
What is the most challenging thing about being totally sober in comedy?
The camaraderie is gone. I know I miss out on bonding because [of] being sober and my age. After shows now, I chat with everyone, I hug everyone, and then I go home. I don’t find drunk and high people that stimulating to be around. Especially drunk people. I can hang around two rounds and then, when everyone’s on their third or fourth drink, that’s when I’m gonna go. They don’t even know I’m there. And I don’t even need to say goodbye – they don’t even know I’m leaving. I am way more of a lunch and coffee person. You wanna have brunch? I’m your girl. A party is not for me anymore. I have those moments where I have to accept that. That’s not who I am anymore. I was always the girl who had weed. That was my position. When that position was taken away from me, there was a little bit of — I don’t know what I bring to this anymore, I don’t know who I am in this community anymore. I’m okay now, but in the first couple of years I couldn’t be around pot smokers. Now I can. But only to a certain extent. Also, I don’t want to smell like pot anymore. But for the first year and a half the minute someone would start smoking I’d be like okay I gotta go.
What advice would you give to a comedian in their first year of sobriety?
Reach out to other comedians you know who are sober because there’s just a ton of us. It’s a good community. You are not alone. I don’t know a single sober comedian that wouldn’t have a cup of coffee with you. I’ve befriended comedians on Twitter who said “I’m sober” and then we talked — never met them in real life but we are friendly because of the bonding of sobriety. Especially alcohol — there’s a gang of comics who go to AA now together. I’ve mostly stopped going to AA now because I’m focused on another addiction, but there’s a ton.
My suggestion is: You are just as funny; you will be funnier. I know there are no guarantees but I can almost promise you that you will be funnier. It’s not the weed that’s making you funny. It’s just not. And reach out. And take time off. Take time off if you need to take time off, but if a month has gone by, reach out and get back on stage because you’re going to find out who you are now and it’s going to be glorious and you’re really gonna look back and go “I’m so glad I’m sober!”
And — we need you! We need as many sobers as we can get!
By: Rebecca Rush
Title: Debra DiGiovanni: It's Not the Weed That's Making You Funny
Sourced From: www.thefix.com/debra-digiovanni-its-not-weed-thats-making-you-funny
Published Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 05:45:34 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
Call Now: (877) 747-9974
She was in medical school. He was just out of prison.
Sarah Ziegenhorn and Andy Beeler’s romance grew out of a shared passion to do more about the country’s drug overdose crisis.
Ziegenhorn moved back to her home state of Iowa when she was 26. She had been working in Washington, D.C., where she also volunteered at a needle exchange — where drug users can get clean needles. She was ambitious and driven to help those in her community who were overdosing and dying, including people she had grown up with.
“Many people were just missing because they were dead,” said Ziegenhorn, now 31. “I couldn’t believe more wasn’t being done.”
She started doing addiction advocacy in Iowa City while in medical school — lobbying local officials and others to support drug users with social services.
Beeler had the same conviction, born from his personal experience.
“He had been a drug user for about half of his life — primarily a longtime opiate user,” Ziegenhorn said.
Beeler spent years in and out of the criminal justice system for a variety of drug-related crimes, such as burglary and possession. In early 2018, he was released from prison. He was on parole and looking for ways to help drug users in his hometown.
He found his way to advocacy work and, through that work, found Ziegenhorn. Soon they were dating.
“He was just this really sweet, no-nonsense person who was committed to justice and equity,” she said. “Even though he was suffering in many ways, he had a very calming presence.”
People close to Beeler describe him as a “blue-collar guy” who liked motorcycles and home carpentry, someone who was gentle and endlessly curious. Those qualities could sometimes hide his struggle with anxiety and depression. Over the next year, Beeler’s other struggle, with opioid addiction, would flicker around the edges of their life together.
Eventually, it killed him.
People on parole and under supervision of the corrections system can face barriers to receiving appropriate treatment for opioid addiction. Ziegenhorn said she believes Beeler’s death is linked to the many obstacles to medical care he experienced while on parole.
About 4.5 million people are on parole or probation in the U.S., and research shows that those under community supervision are much more likely to have a history of substance use disorder than the general population. Yet rules and practices guiding these agencies can preclude parolees and people on probation from getting evidence-based treatment for their addiction.
A Shared Passion For Reducing Harm
From their first meeting, Ziegenhorn said, she and Beeler were in sync, partners and passionate about their work in harm reduction — public health strategies designed to reduce risky behaviors that can hurt health.
After she moved to Iowa, Ziegenhorn founded a small nonprofit called the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition. The group distributes the opioid-overdose reversal drug naloxone and other free supplies to drug users, with the goal of keeping them safe from illness and overdose. The group also works to reduce the stigma that can dehumanize and isolate drug users. Beeler served as the group’s coordinator of harm reduction services.
“In Iowa, there was a feeling that this kind of work was really radical,” Ziegenhorn said. “Andy was just so excited to find out someone was doing it.”
Meanwhile, Ziegenhorn was busy with medical school. Beeler helped her study. She recalled how they used to take her practice tests together.
“Andy had a really sophisticated knowledge of science and medicine,” she said. “Most of the time he’d been in prison and jails, he’d spent his time reading and learning.”
Beeler was trying to stay away from opioids, but Ziegenhorn said he still used heroin sometimes. Twice she was there to save his life when he overdosed. During one episode, a bystander called the police, which led to his parole officer finding out.
“That was really a period of a lot of terror for him,” Ziegenhorn said.
Beeler was constantly afraid the next slip — another overdose or a failed drug test — would send him back to prison.
An Injury, A Search For Relief
A year into their relationship, a series of events suddenly brought Beeler’s history of opioid use into painful focus.
It began with a fall on the winter ice. Beeler dislocated his shoulder — the same one he’d had surgery on as a teenager.
“At the emergency room, they put his shoulder back into place for him,” Ziegenhorn said. “The next day it came out again.”
She said doctors wouldn’t prescribe him prescription opioids for the pain because Beeler had a history of illegal drug use. His shoulder would dislocate often, sometimes more than once a day.
“He was living with this daily, really severe constant pain — he started using heroin very regularly,” Ziegenhorn said.
Beeler knew what precautions to take when using opioids: Keep naloxone on hand, test the drugs first and never use alone. Still, his use was escalating quickly.
A Painful Dilemma
The couple discussed the future and their hope of having a baby together, and eventually Ziegenhorn and Beeler agreed: He had to stop using heroin.
They thought his best chance was to start on a Food and Drug Administration-approved medication for opioid addiction, such as methadone or buprenorphine. Methadone is an opioid, and buprenorphine engages many of the same opioid receptors in the brain; both drugs can curb opioid cravings and stabilize patients. Studies show daily maintenance therapy with such treatment reduces the risks of overdose and improves health outcomes.
But Beeler was on parole, and his parole officer drug-tested him for opioids and buprenorphine specifically. Beeler worried that if a test came back positive, the officer might see that as a signal that Beeler had been using drugs illegally.
Ziegenhorn said Beeler felt trapped: “He could go back to prison or continue trying to obtain opioids off the street and slowly detox himself.”
He worried that a failed drug test — even if it was for a medication to treat his addiction — would land him in prison. Beeler decided against the medication.
A few days later, Ziegenhorn woke up early for school. Beeler had worked late and fallen asleep in the living room. Ziegenhorn gave him a kiss and headed out the door. Later that day, she texted him. No reply.
She started to worry and asked a friend to check on him. Not long afterward, Beeler was found dead, slumped in his chair at his desk. He’d overdosed.
“He was my partner in thought, and in life and in love,” Ziegenhorn said.
It’s hard for her not to rewind what happened that day and wonder how it could have been different. But mostly she’s angry that he didn’t have better choices.
“Andy died because he was too afraid to get treatment,” she said.
Beeler was services coordinator for the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition, a group that works to help keep drug users safe. A tribute in Iowa City after his death began, “He died of an overdose, but he’ll be remembered for helping others avoid a similar fate.” (COURTESY OF SARAH ZIEGENHORN)
How Does Parole Handle Relapse? It Depends
It’s not clear that Beeler would have gone back to prison for admitting he’d relapsed and was taking treatment. His parole officer did not agree to an interview.
But Ken Kolthoff, who oversees the parole program that supervised Beeler in Iowa’s First Judicial District Department of Correctional Services, said generally he and his colleagues would not punish someone who sought out treatment because of a relapse.
“We would see that that would be an example of somebody actually taking an active role in their treatment and getting the help they needed,” said Kolthoff.
The department doesn’t have rules prohibiting any form of medication for opioid addiction, he said, as long as it’s prescribed by a doctor.
“We have people relapse every single day under our supervision. And are they being sent to prison? No. Are they being sent to jail? No,” Kolthoff said.
But Dr. Andrea Weber, an addiction psychiatrist with the University of Iowa, said Beeler’s reluctance to start treatment is not unusual.
“I think a majority of my patients would tell me they wouldn’t necessarily trust going to their [parole officer],” said Weber, assistant director of addiction medicine at the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine. “The punishment is so high. The consequences can be so great.”
Weber finds probation and parole officers have “inconsistent” attitudes toward her patients who are on medication-assisted treatment.
“Treatment providers, especially in our area, are still very much ingrained in an abstinence-only, 12-step mentality, which traditionally has meant no medications,” Weber said. “That perception then invades the entire system.”
Attitudes And Policies Vary Widely
Experts say it’s difficult to draw any comprehensive picture about the availability of medication for opioid addiction in the parole and probation system. The limited amount of research suggests that medication-assisted treatment is significantly underused.
“It’s hard to quantify because there are such a large number of individuals under community supervision in different jurisdictions,” said Michael Gordon, a senior research scientist at the Friends Research Institute, based in Baltimore.
A national survey published in 2013 found that about half of drug courts did not allow methadone or other evidence-based medications used to treat opioid use disorder.
A more recent study of probation and parole agencies in Illinois reported that about a third had regulations preventing the use of medications for opioid use disorder. Researchers found the most common barrier for those on probation or parole “was lack of experience by medical personnel.”
Faye Taxman, a criminology professor at George Mason University, said decisions about how to handle a client’s treatment often boil down to the individual officer’s judgment.
“We have a long way to go,” she said. “Given that these agencies don’t typically have access to medical care for clients, they are often fumbling in terms of trying to think of the best policies and practices.”
Increasingly, there is a push to make opioid addiction treatment available within prisons and jails. In 2016, the Rhode Island Department of Corrections started allowing all three FDA-approved medications for opioid addiction. That led to a dramatic decrease in fatal opioid overdoses among those who had been recently incarcerated.
Massachusetts has taken similar steps. Such efforts have only indirectly affected parole and probation.
“When you are incarcerated in prison or jail, the institution has a constitutional responsibility to provide medical services,” Taxman said. “In community corrections, that same standard does not exist.”
Taxman said agencies may be reluctant to offer these medications because it’s one more thing to monitor. Those under supervision are often left to figure out on their own what’s allowed.
“They don’t want to raise too many issues because their freedom and liberties are attached to the response,” she said.
Richard Hahn, a researcher at New York University’s Marron Institute of Urban Management who consults on crime and drug policy, said some agencies are shifting their approach.
“There is a lot of pressure on probation and parole agencies not to violate people just on a dirty urine or for an overdose” said Hahn, who is executive director of the institute’s Crime & Justice Program.
The federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration calls medication-assisted treatment the “gold standard” for treating opioid addiction when used alongside “other psychosocial support.”
Addiction is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Sally Friedman, vice president of legal advocacy for the Legal Action Center, a nonprofit law firm based in New York City.
She said disability protections extend to the millions of people on parole or probation. But people under community supervision, Friedman said, often don’t have an attorney who can use this legal argument to advocate for them when they need treatment.
“Prohibiting people with that disability from taking medication that can keep them alive and well violates the ADA,” she said.
This story is part of a partnership between NPR and Kaiser Health News.
By: Will Stone, Kaiser Health News
Title: They Fell In Love Helping Drug Users. But Fear Kept Him From Helping Himself.
Sourced From: www.thefix.com/they-fell-love-helping-drug-users-fear-kept-him-helping-himself
Published Date: Mon, 09 Mar 2020 06:32:53 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
Call Now: (877) 747-9974
Singing the national anthem at the NFL Championship game is considered a great honor, even if it can be rather unforgiving in terms of criticism. This year the honor was given to Demi Lovato, singer, pop-culture icon, mental health activist, and, perhaps most notably, a person in recovery for substance abuse.
Of Singing and Substance Abuse
It appears as though the media and the public have had a positive reaction to Lovato’s singing of the national anthem. Her release of a new single, “Anyone,” a few weeks earlier have marked a sort of career revival for Lovato. This is significant, considering that the musician was considering leaving her music career behind after a near-fatal overdose two years ago.
Before the overdose, Lovato had been in recovery for nearly six years. In various interviews, she admitted to abusing alcohol and cocaine, mentioning that she frequently smuggled it onto planes and into other venues. Lovato’s addiction problem became so bad that it began to affect her career and her ability to perform. Regardless, the singer’s return to the public scene provides a stark lesson regarding the nature of recovery. Relapses may be devastating, but they are not always absolute. One can come back from a relapse and still live and flourish in recovery.
A History of Substance Abuse
From the start of her career, Demi Lovato struggled with mental health challenges. She ultimately found herself in an inpatient rehab facility. Following her treatment, Lovato maintained sobriety and went on to hit several career highs. While in recovery, Lovato released some of her top-selling albums, built a loyal and energetic fanbase, and became involved with mental health activism, even going on to speak about the topic at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
In July of 2018, Lovato suffered an overdose from oxycodone laced with fentanyl. She was rushed to a hospital and revived with naloxone. The overdose occurred after six years of sobriety for Lovato. Following the overdose, Lovato thanked her fans for her support, but went on an extended hiatus. Her performance at the NFL Championship game marks her return to her music career, and is a testament to the process of recovery.
People Like us…
Demi Lovato is an example of how living in recovery can be empowering. Despite various mental health and substance abuse challenges, and a near-fatal relapse, Lovato has chosen to reclaim her career and her life in recovery. While her continuing involvement in mental health activism remains unconfirmed, Lovato’s story provides an honest snapshot of the recovery process.
Yet, Lovato is but one example of a person making their way in recovery. Everyday people face the specter of relapse, the niggling little temptations to break sobriety. It’s important to remember that recovery is a journey. Sometimes the journey gets tough. But the will to keep going, regardless of the challenges, is the key to finding peace and freedom from addiction.
By: Timothy Esteves
Title: Demi Lovato: Snapshot of Recovery
Sourced From: www.recovery.org/demi-lovato-in-recovery/
Published Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2020 19:24:24 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
Call Now: (877) 747-9974
As you probably know by now, we are in the midst of an opioid crisis. Experts have estimated 10.3 million Americans aged 12 and older misused opioids last year, including 9.9 million prescription pain reliever abusers and 808,000 heroin users. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has reported that more than 130 people died every day from opioid-related drug overdoses in 2016 and 2017.
Unfortunately, my friend’s younger brother falls into these sobering statistics. A star football player in college, he went on to be a successful engineer in his twenties and early thirties. But as the years went on, his old football injuries kept nagging him, resulting in chronic pain he dealt with on a daily basis. He turned to pain pills for relief, but soon began abusing them. It wasn’t long until his addiction got so out of control that he couldn’t hold a job and would disappear for days at a time. The last time his family lost contact with him they found him a week later, having overdosed on heroin. No one – and I mean no one – ever thought something like this could happen to someone like him.
But my friend’s brother is not an exception. Opioid addiction can happen to anyone, and many who wind up using are not your stereotypical addict often portrayed in the media. They can be doctors, stay-at-home moms or even senior citizens. What makes opioids so addictive is that they bind to receptors in the brain and spinal cord, disrupting pain signals. They also activate reward areas of the brain by releasing the hormone dopamine, creating that addictive feeling of euphoria or a “high.”
Thankfully, however, our country has opened its eyes to this real epidemic affecting society and started taking action. In 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act was passed, allocating $1 billion in opioid crisis grants to states in order to provide funding for expanded treatment and prevention programs. The following year, the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit within the Department of Justice was launched, which has aimed to prosecute individuals who commit opioid-related health care fraud. Then, in 2018, President Trump signed opioid legislation into law, called the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which aimed at promoting research to find new, non-addictive pain management drugs. The legislation also expanded access to treatment for substance use disorders for Medicaid patients. Finally, national opiate litigation has been underway, with drug makers, such as Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals and McKesson Corporation, being held accountable for their role in the opioid crisis.
By: Natalie Baker
Title: Victims of the Opioid Crisis
Sourced From: www.recovery.org/victims-of-the-opioid-crisis/
Published Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 16:07:58 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
Call Now: (877) 747-9974
Years ago, I seemed to have it all from the outside looking in: a great career, a handsome boyfriend, a large circle of friends. But, nothing I had was ever good enough for me and I constantly wanted more, making myself miserable through comparisons with friends as to what they had that I didn’t. It’s no surprise, then, that one night – when I was feeling sorry for myself – I drank too much and got behind the wheel, injuring two people on my way home.
With that one decision, my world turned upside down, and everything I had – including my freedom – disappeared. But hitting rock bottom forced me to start seeing the world in a different lens. Life wasn’t about having more than everybody else, I realized, but about being thankful for all I did have. This “attitude of gratitude” served me well throughout my prison sentence and stayed with me during all the years after my release, a habit that has led me to be happier and more at peace than I ever was as the person who supposedly “had it all” all those years ago.
Having an Attitude of Gratitude
Gratitude is a feeling of happiness that comes from appreciating what you have in your life, and it is a crucial component to being successful in recovery. When people are grateful to be sober, they will have motivation to do what is needed in order to protect their sobriety, and be less likely to develop negative “stinking thinking” and slip towards a relapse. They will also be able to face the challenges that confront them with hope and determination and see setbacks more as a chance to grow rather than as another instance where life handed them the short end of the stick. Finally, practicing gratitude in your recovery will enable you to focus on all the opportunities a clean and sober life has opened up for you, rather than dwelling on all the things your addiction has taken away.
So what can you do to increase the gratitude in your life?
Being mindful of, and taking the time to appreciate, the little things that we experience each day is a great way to start. Whether it be as simple as savoring the smell of coffee in the morning, or basking in the sunshine when you go outside, appreciating life’s small blessings will put you in the proper mindset to overcome life’s obstacles and ultimately help you maintain long-term sobriety. And with it being the beginning of 2020, there’s no better time than now to start!
By: Natalie Baker
Title: Gratitude in the New Year
Sourced From: www.recovery.org/gratitude-in-the-new-year/
Published Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 16:01:53 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
Call Now: (877) 747-9974
We are in the thick of the holiday season, and while this should be a joyful and celebratory time, it can be challenging for those of us trying to maintain our sobriety. But, dealing with an addiction doesn’t have to ruin your holiday fun. We’ve come up with seven tips to help keep you on the right track all the way through New Year’s Day.
Play the Tape All the Way Through.
More than likely, alcohol will be present in some form if you attend any holiday parties. So, in the event you’re hit with an unexpected craving, pause for a second and play the scenario out in your head. Remember all the destruction your addiction caused in the past and focus on all you’ve got going for you now. Sometimes taking a moment to think – rather than react – is all we need to get through a tempting situation.
Keep Your Hands Full.
If you’re out at a holiday gathering or New Year’s Eve party, make sure to always have a non-alcoholic drink in hand. This not only prevents others from handing you a cocktail, but it gives you something to sip on just in case temptation strikes. It also spares you from having to answer the “why aren’t you drinking?” question from others, which can get old real fast.
Give Back.
Serving others always has a way of shifting the focus off yourself. It helps zap those feelings of negativity, like resentment, sadness and shame, while also giving you a different kind of “high.” So, if you’re feeling a little low, volunteer at the local food bank or help gift wrap for a local charitable organization. Giving back is guaranteed to help you get into the spirit of the season and remind you of all you have to be thankful for.
Stay Connected.
Holidays have a way of bringing out the loneliness sometimes, especially if we’re away from family or not in a relationship. So, it’s natural for us to resort to old habits and isolate when we’re feeling down. However, a lot can be gained from spending time with others, so surround yourself with loved ones – those who you can be open and honest with, as well as those who support you no matter what.
Avoid Slippery Places.
This goes without saying, but if a holiday event is being held at one of the bars you used to frequent, do not attend. As the Big Book says, we don’t have to live in fear of alcohol (or drugs), but we do have to respect its power over us. Part of respecting that power is avoiding places or situations that are likely to lead us back to drinking or drugging.
Make “Me” Time a Priority.
Just because it’s a busy time of year doesn’t mean you need to completely neglect your needs. To preserve your sanity and overall happiness, you must take time for yourself. Whether it’s carving out time to exercise during the week or scheduling a mani/pedi, it’s important that you take care of your physical and mental well-being. To do this, make sure to schedule and calendar personal time the same way you would school and work responsibilities.
Stick to Routine.
No matter how stressful the holiday season becomes, remember to get plenty of rest, practice healthy eating habits, go to meetings and exercise regularly. In other words, stick to your recovery routine as much as possible.
Happy Holidays!
By: Natalie Baker
Title: Tips for Battling Relapse Over the Holidays
Sourced From: www.recovery.org/tips-for-battling-relapse-over-the-holidays/
Published Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:08:07 +0000
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