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It’s Not Just the Trigger: Understanding What Really Raises Relapse Risk
Triggers matter in recovery, but they are only part of the picture. This post explores the connection between triggers and relapse risk, and how recognising when you are under-resourced can help you respond with greater awareness, choice and support.
Leigh-Anne Brierley
2 hours ago10 min read


Urge Surfing: Learning to Ride a Craving Instead of Fighting It
Cravings can feel urgent, but they do not have to make the decision. Learn how urge surfing can help you notice, understand and ride the wave of a craving while creating space for safer, more supportive choices.
Leigh-Anne Brierley
5 days ago9 min read


Managing Cravings in Recovery: A Craving Is Information, Not an Instruction
Cravings can feel urgent, convincing and overwhelming — but they are not commands. Learn how mindfulness, curiosity and practical recovery tools can help you understand what a craving is telling you and create more space between urge and action.
Leigh-Anne Brierley
7 days ago10 min read


What to Do After a Lapse: Responding With Responsibility Instead of Shame
A lapse does not have to become a full relapse. Learn how to respond with honesty, responsibility and self-compassion, recognise what happened, reconnect with support and strengthen your recovery plan without getting trapped in shame.
Leigh-Anne Brierley
Sep 39 min read


The Early Warning Signs of Relapse We Often Miss
Relapse often begins long before someone drinks, uses or returns to an addictive behaviour. This post explores the early warning signs we can easily miss — from denial and isolation to slipping routines, resentment and complacency — and how recognising these patterns sooner can give us more time, support and choice in recovery.
Leigh-Anne Brierley
Sep 115 min read


Beyond Willpower: Building Sustainable Recovery
Recovery takes more than determination. Sustainable change is built through structure, supportive systems, healthy habits, connection and practical tools that still work when motivation is low. In this post, we explore how moving beyond willpower can help you build a recovery that is realistic, resilient and designed to last.
Leigh-Anne Brierley
Aug 2813 min read


Recovery Capital: What Do You Have to Lean On When Life Gets Difficult?
There are times in recovery when life feels relatively manageable. We are sleeping reasonably well, our routines are working, relationships feel settled and we have enough emotional capacity to deal with the ordinary challenges that come our way. During these periods, recovery can begin to feel more natural. We know what helps us, we are practising it consistently and we may feel increasingly confident in our ability to navigate life without returning to the substances or beh
Leigh-Anne Brierley
Aug 2613 min read


Your Recovery Plan Is a Living Document, Not a Contract
I am a big believer in having a recovery plan. There is something incredibly useful about knowing what supports us, what our warning signs are, who we can reach out to and what we need to pay attention to when life starts becoming a little less manageable. I also believe there is enormous value in taking what is floating around in our heads and actually putting it down on paper, because a written plan can give us clarity, structure and something practical to return to when we
Leigh-Anne Brierley
Aug 209 min read


What Does Sustainable Recovery Look Like in Everyday Life?
When What Does Sustainable Recovery Look Like in Everyday Life? I think we sometimes imagine sustainable recovery as a version of recovery in which we finally become really good at everything. We have a solid morning routine, exercise regularly, eat properly, sleep eight hours a night, attend all the right meetings, meditate, journal, maintain healthy relationships, manage our stress beautifully and remain calm and emotionally regulated regardless of what life throws at us...
Leigh-Anne Brierley
Aug 1811 min read


Recovery is more than Stopping: What are You Actually Building?
Recovery is not only about what you leave behind. It is also about what you begin to build — healthier routines, stronger relationships, greater self-awareness, meaningful goals and a life that feels worth showing up for.
Leigh-Anne Brierley
Aug 1310 min read
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