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.

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.

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.

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

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

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...

Self-love is a term we hear in recovery, personal growth and development circles all the time, but what does it really mean?

Once upon a time I was a chronic binge drinker. So let’s call it what it is – an alcoholic. It’s a cringey type of word that elicits...

Abstinence, moderation management or harm reduction as a recovery choice. Dr Gabor Maté, a leading expert on addiction and trauma, uses three criteria in his definition of addiction: Craving the addictive substance or behaviour. Engaging in the addictive substance or behaviour to experience pleasure or temporary relief from some kind of pain. The inability to give the substance or behaviour up. Addiction is an attempt to solve a problem. It is the symptom of a deeper malaise,

Will I be boring now that I've stopped using? So you’ve decided to try recovery and stopped using drugs and/or alcohol!?

Managing triggers in recovery can be challenging! Learning to effectively manager triggers is an important part of sustainable recovery...

Waking up on new year's day with a clear head, heart, and conscience is one of the great joys of my recovery. I may lie in bed on 31st...

I can't believe that I have turned 50! I mean where did all that time go!? I remember my 18th birthday vividly...

Sobriety and recovery are not the same thing. Clean time and wellness are different. Being clean and sober doesn't necessarily equate to...

I am committed to my work as a coach; supporting my clients in their recoveries from substance use and addiction disorders. I strive to...

Are you out there doing your own personal work? Or sitting on the sidelines running commentary while others show up and do theirs?

There seems to be an idea that 13 is an unlucky number and even after reading the history.com article "What's So Unlucky About the Number 13?" I am not really 100% sure why. But we all have our things, and I for one, have plenty of them. But that's a story for another day. For me the 01-01-2021 marked 13 years of sobriety and abstinence from the recreational use of habit-forming substances. What that means is that I don't drink and I don't use drugs for fun anymore. But unlik