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.

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.

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.

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...

One of the things I have become increasingly certain of, both through my own recovery and through the years I have spent working with people affected by substance use and addiction, is that there is no single pathway to recovery. There is no one programme, philosophy, fellowship, treatment centre, therapist, coach, medication or spiritual practice that is going to work for every person. Yet when someone is struggling with alcohol or other drugs, families are often desperate t

When Thabo* left The Foundation Clinic’s inpatient addiction program in Johannesburg, he felt strong, well and centred. The structured days, supportive staff, and therapeutic practices had given him the space he needed to detox, reset, and rediscover himself. But as the weeks passed and he returned to his job, family, and the familiar stresses of daily life, doubt began to creep in. What was beyond this initial three-week process that could support his recovery journey?

Burnout, compassion fatigue, and bullying left my system overloaded. Cocooning—choosing stillness over stimulation—helped my nervous system rest and re‑regulate while I kept working. Here’s what it looked like and how to try it gently.