Fighting Addiction Stigma to Promote a Lasting Recovery
Addiction stigma is an often overlooked yet pervasive barrier to healing. For people in recovery, fighting this stigma is not only a matter of breaking free from the burden of drug and alcohol abuse but also from the suffocating grip [...]
The Importance of Optimism in Recovery
"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt. Franklin D. Roosevelt became president in 1933 during the height of the Great Depression. He led the United States through the early [...]
Goal-Setting Reinvented: Prioritize Process Over Outcome
According to best-selling author and motivational speaker Hal Elrod, "Personal growth is about progress, not perfection." As you're setting your goals for your recovery, the team at St. Joseph Institute's Pennsylvania residential addiction treatment center urges you to focus on [...]
Lean on Me: How Your Sponsor Can Help You Stay Sober
Residential addiction treatment centers often incorporate the 12-Step approach into their services, recognizing the historical significance and community support it offers. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), approximately 74% of substance abuse treatment facilities in [...]
How a Digital Detox Can Benefit Your Mental Health
If you're glued to your smartphone or laptop for much of your day, you're not alone. A recent study revealed that people ages 16 to 64 spend an eye-popping 6 hours and 37 minutes per day on their devices. Since [...]
5 Reasons to Give Yourself the Gift of Sobriety
Amid the nonstop blur of holiday shopping and celebration planning, it's easy to forget the most precious gift you can give yourself—the gift of sobriety. When you're struggling with a substance use disorder, choosing to seek residential addiction treatment and [...]
Surviving a Breakup Without Alcohol
Breakups can be brutal. They rank up there with losing a job, moving to a new city, or discovering that your favorite ice cream flavor has been unexpectedly discontinued. Before you sought treatment for your substance use disorder, your first [...]
How the ADA Protects People in Recovery
Although we've seen significant progress towards improving the public's understanding of substance use disorders in recent years, people in recovery often still struggle with stigma that affects their ability to move forward after seeking residential addiction treatment. At St. Joseph [...]
What’s the Connection Between Gaslighting and Alcohol Use Disorders?
Gaslighting is a manipulative psychological tactic where a person tries to make someone doubt their own thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. The term comes from a 1938 play titled "Gas Light," written by British playwright Patrick Hamilton and later adapted into [...]
The Relationship Between PTSD and Addiction
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is most often associated with military veterans, but this serious mental health condition can develop in any person who has experienced a traumatic event. Many people with PTSD turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate their [...]
