Blog

Many other resources start with the basic premise that they have the solution to your problems with addiction. They are the authority figure and you are the student. If you do X, Y & Z then you will not relapse. You may have to repeat steps X, Y & Z over and over, but if… Continue reading LifeRing Alternative to steps

Counting recovery time Counting days is the default thing to do when starting out in recovery. Anniversaries are celebrated, whether that is weeks, 10 days, months, 100 days, years or 1000 days. Some people see them as a badge of honour, giving positive feedback of effort made. These are my own thoughts on counting days… Continue reading Counting days in recovery from addiction

Set yourself up for success If this is your first day in recovery, you are likely to be feeling low. You may be wishing you were not like this and could deal with addictive substances “normally” You may have family or loved ones who are disappointed with you. You may be hating on yourself. These… Continue reading Tips to get through early recovery

How can someone sum up the crazy year that has been 2020? I am really grateful that I have not had the hardships that many people have suffered. The isolation caused by the pandemic has been a huge blow to mental health. Connection is the oxygen of recovery. The support of peers is vital in… Continue reading New beginnings

In active addiction we can be slaves to our thoughts, spending hours feeding into spirals of vicious circles. Working ourselves up, incredulous that others could have different views of the world, or creating argument and counter argument. Alone. Well maybe that was just me. Its exhausting and was probably why I started to think about… Continue reading Mindfulness

LifeRing’s philosophy is that in each person there is an a part of us that wants to improve our situation. That there is no need to reach a rock bottom, if such a thing exists. We have the power of choice. We choose to be sober. We grow that part of us, that we call… Continue reading Self empowerment

In LifeRing, no one is going to tell you what you should or should not be doing. Change comes from within. We can however help you with a personal recovery plan that is unique to you. This is an ongoing process. We discuss all aspects of recovery in a positive open manner. What works for… Continue reading A personal recovery plan

There was a discussion at a LifeRing meeting that was about relapse. Someone said that the decision to relapse does not happen in that moment. Often the decision has already been made. It was made 2 weeks ago. Even if we didn’t know about it consciously. That stuck with me. So now I often ask… Continue reading The two week buffer

The title is my attempt at irony. Recovery completely changed the way I think. The way I frame the world. I learned a lot of these things from talking to like minded people. One of the first things I learned about myself is how much I was concerned with what I was doing wrong. I… Continue reading I shouldn’t say should

Firstly I have to say that these thoughts are my own. When facing the decision to abstain from alcohol, people often worry about deciding if they are an ‘alcoholic’ or not. The word has a lot of stigma attached in society even when people have been in recovery for many years. It can be seen… Continue reading On the word alcoholic