“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” ― Carl Gustav Jung Breaking Free Recovery is a new chapter in the story of your life, but it's up to you to decide what happens next. By breaking free from the victim mentality that plagues so many people who are [...]
The New Year As the end of the year approaches, people often reflect on the past year, taking stock of their life and well-being. They see the New Year as a starting point for a new beginning. But for people in recovery, it is important to remember that making resolutions is not about perfection. It [...]
New Year's Day is the perfect time to reflect on your recovery journey by creating resolutions that will help you build the sober life you deserve. Everyone's recovery journey is unique, but the team at St. Joseph Institute for Addiction's Pennsylvania drug and alcohol treatment center has a few suggestions to help you choose resolutions [...]
Support from friends and family is a vital part of the recovery process. While you can't force your loved one who is abusing prescription opioid painkillers to seek treatment, there are several things you can do to help them recognize the severity of the problem and urge them to get the care they need. Educate [...]
If this is your first holiday season in recovery, you may find yourself wondering how you'll stay sober through months of parties with family and friends. At St. Joseph Institute for Addiction's Pennsylvania substance abuse treatment center, we recommend defusing potentially awkward situations by bringing a tasty non-alcoholic drink for everyone to share. You're Not [...]
The Christmas carol may claim that “it’s the most wonderful time of the year,” but for the majority of people who struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the winter months are anything but wonderful. While a small minority of people experience SAD in the spring or early summer, the bulk of sufferers struggle most during [...]
Denial is often described as one of the primary roadblocks to addiction recovery. Admitting that you feel lost and powerless is never easy, so it's understandable that men and women struggling with substance abuse would prefer not to acknowledge the extent of their problem. However, there's a good reason that the first step of the [...]
What Is CBT? When many people think of going to therapy, they are imagining the traditional Freudian psychoanalysis they've seen on TV and in movies. They picture laying on a comfy couch while a therapist asks about their childhood to determine how these experiences have caused their current problems. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is nothing [...]
Gratitude If this is your first Thanksgiving in recovery, there's much to be grateful for. The skills you learned in St. Joseph Institute’s Pennsylvania drug and alcohol treatment center have built the foundation for a better life. Take some time to reflect on how far you've already come, then get ready to build an even [...]
Learning to cope with cravings is one of the main challenges you'll face in early recovery. Urge surfing, a concept pioneered by the late psychologist Alan Marlatt, can help. About Urge Surfing Marlatt was a leading clinical psychologist in the field of addictive behaviors from the 1980s through the 2000s. His work focused on brief [...]
