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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Working as a substance use professional is deeply meaningful to me. It is not simply a career I chose; it is work that connects closely with my own lived experience of recovery.

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

Building your self-worth in recovery is an important part of your healing process. If you're in the early stages of recovery...

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!?

What I've learned in my recovery and healing process: It's okay to not be okay! I celebrated 16 years of sobriety on 1st January 2024,...

Rising Above the Stigma: A Guide to Overcoming Shame and Embracing Addiction Recovery What is addiction? And how come I ended up with this particular disease? If you've found yourself grappling with this question, know that you're not alone. Millions of individuals worldwide are impacted by addiction and addictive disorders, a complex condition that extends far beyond physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and mental boundaries. What makes addiction even more exhausting to o

As the old year wraps itself up and a new one dawns, it's a natural time for introspection, personal growth, and setting intentions...

Healing from loss in addiction recovery is challenging and recovery is not just a path littered with the debris of addiction...

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

Sometimes the distances between myself and the people I love seem truly vast...

It's a funny thing that music can do...laugh, cry, dance, sing-a-long, and invoke so many BIG memories. Tonight I decided to put on my...

The lessons I have learned in my 14 years of recovery from an alcohol use disorder.