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.

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.

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

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.

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,

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

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...

"I'm not afraid of dying; I just don't want to be there when it happens," is a Woody Allen quote I recall hearing someone use in a matric...

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

...And it's also been a very challenging year for anyway courageous enough to be starting their recovery process.