Skip to main content
Category

Community

Aug 06
Love1
Redpoint Center Blog Sober Friendships in Recovery

Friendship in Sobriety

By Community, Mental Health

Friendship is very important in our lives. Along with the simple fact that friendship provides key support, relationships are a big part of our mental health and well-being. The people we surround ourselves with and the environment we create is a crucial part of maintaining sobriety in recovery. In addition, studies show that friendships play a vital role in recovery. Often, those we spend time with before recovery indulged in our addictions as well. Making a drastic life change to recovery can cause a lot of shifts in our lives. One significant change can be the shifts in our friendships. 

Sober Friendships

As many can attest, early sobriety can cast a glaring light onto everything we do. Our life long friends who share addictive behaviors may seem more destructive (which they often are!) and unhealthy. You may come to see some friends could perhaps use an AA meeting. In addition, these running buddies often mirror our behavior and thinking. Furthermore, recognizing the unhealthy influence of old friends, or the lack of connection without the d.o.c. you once bonded over, can be a grieving process.

Letting Go of Destructive Relationships

It can be hard to admit that certain friendships only existed when you were using. Also, when you start to feel a lack of depth in a relationship, it can be painful and even isolating. Hence, it is best to assess things slowly. You do not have to “break up” with all your friends right away. And, more importantly, we have to remember we can’t make them get sober, too. Cultivating a curated list, however, of positive and negative aspects of friendships can be quite helpful. This is a big part of learning to set boundaries. Also, it will help you know what sober relationships are positive for you. Maybe you no longer go to your friend’s house who is an active user. However, you talk on the phone from time to time so they feel supported. You may express to a close friend that you no longer wish to golf on Sundays because folks are drinking. True friends will hear these requests and respect them. When they are not heard, or when a friend takes offense, this can be the indicator that this friendship may not be healthy for you.

Finding Our Sober Friendship Tribe

There is a lot to be said around finding like-minded people in recovery. Some people love being sober and feel it has saved their lives. Others do not or think AA, NA, GA, and on, are cults. Undeniably, however, sober living will put you in touch with people going through the same experiences as you. AA is not the only group for those seeking a sober life. There are many resources for support groups or non-12-Step addiction recovery groups that can help one branch out and meet other sober people.  If you have a passion or hobby that you already know about or want to explore, take a class! Even connecting with those not in recovery, but who share common interests, can lead to deeper, healthier friendships. It can be tricky with Covid-19 restrictions at the moment, but zoom meetings and online classes and support groups are always taking place. There is a world-wide network of people in recovery. Though it may be intimidating at first, taking the first vulnerable step towards connection can open up a whole new life. Also, almost everyone in recovery was new at some point and experienced the same fear and need to connect.

It may feel scary, to shift out of old support systems and comfortable friendships. You may feel isolated and lonely. But “nature abhors a vacuum.” In psychics, when there is a vacuum in space or empty space, nature seeks to fill it. So when we create space in our life by releasing what no longer serves us, new life, new friendships, will come. 

Image courtesy of unsplash

Jun 25
Love1
Redpoint Center Blog Spiritual Life

Sobriety and The Gifts of a Spiritual Life

By Community

by Katherine Clancy

My spiritual life means a great deal to me. It is through awareness and spiritual experiences that I connect to a power greater than myself. And it is this connection that holds deep meaning for me. Almost every person in recovery that I know (myself included) has a spiritual experience (or many) that leads to or strongly instills the idea of getting sober. It is often unexplainable unless experienced. I used to try and explain certain experiences to friends or family and they wouldn’t fully get it. In addition, they may even be concerned or poke fun. “Oh, Katherine is our ‘spiritual one.’ When they said spiritual, I heard what they meant: crazy. I used to get offended. Hence, I  stopped talking about it. In fact, I started to question it: am I insane? Am I really losing it? Is it connecting dots that are not connected? But, I could not shake the feeling of these experiences. They felt warm. And, they felt relieving. What’s more, they were deep and pervasive. They evoke a feeling that I now describe as the feeling of truth. 

Self-Care—A Spiritual Life

As my life and sobriety progressed these experiences did not cease, they grew. I might feel too shy to share in a meeting, and someone random shares exactly what is on my mind. Maybe I pray for a sense of connection while driving. and then hear the friendly toot of a newly sober friend passing me at that exact moment. Perhaps I see or hear phrases or see a certain type of animal so many times it challenges coincidence. I call these synchronicities. These moments are part of my spiritual awareness. The unexplainable things that happen lead me to believe there may be a higher intelligence. 

I grew up Catholic and I am used to phrases like archangels and praying for divine guidance. But the spiritual teachings I began tapping into are not acceptable to bring up to my Catholic grandmother. I also have well-intentioned East Coast family and friends that hardly know how to feel their own feelings let alone speak about their emotions or the intelligence of trees. I found myself isolated when these realms of thought were new. Now, I know better. In addition, I made mistakes trying to “take my friends with me” on this spiritual journey. Or, as my one friend calls it “pushing someone through the door.” As a result, I’ve learned how to process these experiences thoughtfully, with others who share my interests and who I trust. It’s really about self-care.

Tips for Sharing & Integrating Spiritual Experiences: 

If you want to share an experience, I usually assess the situation with the phrase “small and safe.”

Share Small

Share in small amounts, with one or only a couple of people you trust. I wouldn’t recommend entertaining an entire party with a 3-hour story about how you were thinking about an important decision and then you saw a license plate with the numbers 555 on it, which is a sign for you because you read a book about the synchronicities of triple numbers and 555 means a connection with higher consciousness, and then after you saw the license plate you saw a billboard which you felt was speaking directly to you because…(etc, you get the picture.) Impart simple phrases in conjunction with your feelings like: “I felt that I am being shown a sign today about this decision.” If people want to know more about your spiritual life, they will ask. 

Share Safe

Share with friends or family members who you know are respectful and open-minded. Don’t try to CONVINCE anyone that the experience has to be true for them too. This can be damaging for your connection to that person, yourself, and your higher truth. When you feel called to, share with no expectation. It could start a beautiful conversation or it could yield an interested ‘hm’ and nothing else, and that’s fine. 

There are many ways to process spiritual experiences. Choose what works for you.

Journal. Journaling is therapeutic. Certain experiences can be difficult to integrate so talking it over with yourself by way of journaling can be a healing exercise on many levels. Respect yourself enough to put down on paper what you felt to be true, even if you are nervous someone will read it and think you’re crazy. I feel these experiences are more about our connection to ourselves and our own personal truths more than anything. When you start with validating your own spiritual experiences, you can share from a grounded space which I can almost guarantee will resonate within someone else.

Listen. DO listen respectfully when someone else shares a ‘sign’ or synchronicity that has a higher meaning for them. If we are quick to judge another’s experience and b.s., we may be doing that internally to ourselves, invalidating ourselves from the inside. 

Find your tribe. If you do not have people directly in your life to talk about spiritual things with, books and youtube are amazing resources. “Surround” yourself with like-minded people who share similar experiences. There are meetup groups for just about anything you can think of, and there’s this super cool sobriety meetup group called AA which has foundations in the acceptance of a higher spiritual power ;).

Substance Abuse and Spirituality

I believe alcoholism and addiction are about an intense disconnection from life, friends, family, and most of all, ourselves. We disconnect from a spiritual life when we are active in substance abuse. If we look at nature, everything is intertwined. The web of life is delicately balanced in harmony. We have a right to feel connected. We are a part of this grand organism called earth too. So, what some would call ‘woo woo’ I would call natural. Consequently, if you want to put the spider outside instead of stepping on it, and someone calls you a treehugger, do it anyway. And, be proud because you’re doing something that feels right for you.  If you want to sage your vacation home and end up yelled at by your father while you are deep in prayer (true story), do it. Because connection in sobriety is a lifeline. The connection with your own personal truth is immeasurably powerful and will light the way for others to do the same. 

Jun 01
Love1
Redpoint Center Mental Health Addiction Treatment Blog Feel Connected

How to Feel Connected During Tough Times

By Community, Mental Health

by Wendy Stine, Addiction Counselor & Program Manager at The Redpoint Center

There’s no doubt that many of us are feeling frazzled, ungrounded, and anxious. These feelings can make us feel isolated even more than we already are. Also, tumultuous times like this can be stressful. Our familiar routines may have become almost obsolete without a clear path to normalcy. In addition, it can be really hard to sustain isolation, for anyone. But, it’s even harder when struggling with mental health or substance issues.

Tips on How to Feel Connected

While we may be spending more time at home with family, we are also feeling more disconnected from the world. Our usual interactions with coworkers, fellow gym rats, and neighbors are on hold. In addition, social distance guidelines tell us to keep a 6-8 foot distance, but we are wired for human contact. Research tells us that this lack of connection during COVID-19 breeds mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression. So, what’s a human to do?
  • Tap into the network. To start, we can feel connected when we interact mindfully, such as using social media for one to one interactions, or for live classes instead of commenting on old posts or general scrolling
  • Do something for someone else. Service work is a beautiful way to feel part of. We can also feel connected when we make cookies for a neighbor, a senior center, or cut someone else’s lawn.
  • Meditation is a powerful practice. Also, certain types of meditation are about feeling connected. Metta is a longstanding loving-kindness meditation style. This loving-kindness meditation is a way to get quiet and embody compassionate awareness. It helps to ensure we feel connected.
  • Reach out. Is there a friend or loved one you’re missing? Write a heartfelt letter.
While there is no substitute for a hug from a friend, a smile from your favorite coworker, or a simple touch on the shoulder, it can help us feel like we are connected to the human race. At least for the time being. May we all feel connected during this challenging time.

It’s OK to Seek Support

If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction, drug addiction, or mental health problems, The Redpoint Center is here to help. The Redpoint Center treats both adults and youth struggling with addiction and alcohol abuse. To learn more about our Longmont Drug Rehab in Boulder County Colorado, call 888-509-3153.
Even if Redpoint is not the appropriate facility, we will help you find what will work best for you and your family.
There is nothing wrong with struggling. It is OK to go through hard times. Many of us know the pain and the way back. We are here to help.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. 
Image courtesy of unsplash.
May 19
Love1
Redpoint Center Service Work During Coronavirus

The Healing Power of Service Work

By Community
by Redpoint Team member, Wendy Stine, certified interventionist and addictions counselor
Service work is a powerful healer. “When I get nervous, I focus on service,” is a saying that a spiritual mentor taught me years ago in Hawaii. It’s been amazingly helpful these last few precarious weeks. As we experience semi-sheltered existence, service work provides.

What is Service Work?

In “Pre-Covid Times” (PCT), I managed to stay involved in service work through my 12-Step Groups and my training with Native American Tribes across North America. I took several pieces of training with White Bison, which is a nonprofit that integrates Native American spirituality practices. These include the medicine wheel, the Sacred Four Directions, ceremonies, etc., and incorporate these with recovery, along with the 12 Steps. It is a Native American organization founded to help its members, as well as those in recovery, heal from trauma, abuse, and addiction. I’ve also done service work with the Lakota Sioux on Pine Ridge Rez, the Ojibway in the Midwest, and the Couer d’ Alene Tribes. In addition, I have spoken in Northern Canada. Service work is different in this new reality. I’ve had to find a few more creative ways to stay committed to helping others while keeping my mind too occupied to fall into anxiety and self-pity.

Ways to Be of Service

There are lots of ways to show up for others. During COVID-19, we’ve had to be a bit more creative about this. But, it’s possible. Sometimes, it’s as simple as asking someone how they’re doing? Just remember that intention goes a long way. The thought truly does count. Here are some tips to help others:

Nourish others

One avenue I use now is to offer my cooking skills to others. I cook for a couple of people in my recovery community. Each person is struggling with significant physical health issues and mental health issues. Both individuals helped ME a ton in my early sobriety. I can go to the store, do some meal prep, and get some warm soup or a few meals boxed up and delivered to their door. It’s my way of saying thank you, and thank you to The Universe for my good health and good fortune. It’s not a heavy lift for me, but it would be for them.

Thoughtfulness

There are always ways to be thoughtful. Perhaps the local town needs some assistance in distributing supplies. It can feel scary to put yourself out there, both psychologically and physically right now, but there are safe ways to show up. Wear your mask when in groups, gloves if needed, and keep the distance. Your support can mean a great deal to others.

Donate

Donations always help during times like these. And right now there are a lot of services and organizations that need support. Here are some ways to help your community and offer resources toward those in need. Along with donating money, you can go to a blood drive, offer your skills to organizations in need, or donate materials.

Reach out and connect

Write a letter. I’ve also decided to write a few actual handwritten notes (on that stuff called stationery) to our local assisted living home residents. There are many who feel isolated right now and could use some human connection. It’s pretty easy to do, just call a center and ask for a few names of residents that get little to no outside interactions. I’m told that now residents wait by the door for the mail!
My challenge to you is to find ways to get out of yourself; to contribute to the greater good, and create some goodwill. There are so many small acts of kindness that we can bestow upon each other. Let’s do something good, and in the process, heal ourselves.
Apr 21
Love1
Redpoint Center COVID-19 Quarantine Laughter Healing

COVID-19 and Finding Humor in Difficult Times

By Community, Media
Humor makes the world go around. But it’s not always easy to find. We all go through challenges in our lives and before COVID-19, we were no doubt experiencing some of this. Maybe we suffered a job loss, or are dealing with a health concern. Perhaps we just broke up with someone or had a fight with a friend. This is life and we’re all in it. Quarantine just makes everything more intense. We’re home, with a lot of time on our hands. Also, we may be feeling stress. That’s only natural.
There is no question that we’re living in some seriously stressful times. Between the constant barrage of breaking news, financial worry, and social isolation, we are taking an emotional beating. This is nothing to minimize. On a global scale, we are witnessing hardship and suffering. And the flip side is, we are also witnessing empathy, compassion, joy, and giving. People are volunteering where they can, reaching out to those in need, supporting those they love. Many are taking advantage of telehealth to support their mental health. A lot of good is happening. The vernacular is “we’re in this together.” Furthermore, we need to see the good moments to shine the light. Consequently, humor goes a long way right now.

Humor Heals

Finding humor amidst all can be daunting for many of us. But the research shows laughter is beneficial for optimal emotional health. In addition, it sparks a sense of interconnectedness. Here are few ways to find the humor, in case you don’t live with a comedian:
  • Check out the comedy section on your favorite TV streaming service, and look for an old favorite as well as something new. If you’re wondering what to watch, Jon Krasinski has released a heartwarming and hilarious series called Some Good News that highlights funny, positive moments that happen each week during the Coronavirus quarantine across the world.
  • Subscribe to receive texts or alerts from some industry greats such as Jim Gaffigan or Jimmy Fallon.
  • Read the Onion.
  • Buzzfeed, Bored Panda, and great clean jokes.com are a few humorous sites to peruse.
  • Pick up a funny book.
  • Call that funny friend that always puts a small on your face.
  • Post a “joke of the day” on the fridge for others in your home to enjoy.
Above all, stay safe and remember that is temporary. You are not alone.
Apr 15
Love1
Redpoint Center COVID-19 Quarantine Music as Medicine

Quarantine Music to Soothe the Soul

By Community, Mental Health, Therapy

During COVID-19 quarantine, music is vital. While we experience these uncertain times, many are grappling with anxiety. In addition, we feel stress about the future. On top of this, we have an unprecedented amount of free time on our hands. It is in times like these when people with mental health disorders and addictions struggle. Furthermore, with the isolation, it becomes easier for the brain to drift into a negative headspace. A great way to feel connected throughout the chaos is music. Studies show that music has a positive impact on our mental health. Also, now, more than ever, musical artists are releasing music to entertain and provide hope to all of us stuck inside wondering what to do next. It’s a perfect time to crank the tunes.

Quarantine Music Soothes the Soul

 

During quarantine, music can be a soothing force for good. Go back through an old playlist you made years ago and reminisce. Create a new playlist comprised of songs about how you feel right now. Make a dance playlist and let loose. No one is around to judge you and who cares even if they were?! If ever there was a time to let loose and fly that freak flag, it’s now. Dance like no one is watching!
You could also make a playlist of music to express how you’re feeling. Write a song, create some instrumentals on GarageBand, or take a song you already know, and change the words if you want. Pull out that old Casiotone and get crafty. Ask your friends to send you what they’re listening to right now, and maybe you’ll find some new favorites.
Quarantine music can be a great distraction from the overwhelming sense of despair that can come and go in waves. Use music to navigate the feelings and sit in them for a little while. Then, find something upbeat, and turn the volume up until you can’t help but dance a little!

Quarantine Tune Tips

Here are some recommendations from our team. Streaming services, like Spotify, offer COVID-19 playlists. In addition, Vox published a quarantine survival playlist, and if you just need a few moments of hilariousness, this viral video from a family replicating a classic Journey music video is pretty epic. To top it off, Will Smith offers chill beats playlist on his YouTube channel for some smooth vibes.
If you or someone you love is ready to reach out for support, give Redpoint a call. We’re in this with you.
Image courtesy of OC Gonzalez via unsplash

 

Mar 25
Love1
Redpoint Center COVID-19 Recovery Support Coronavirus Sober

COVID-19, Quarantine, and Life in Recovery

By Community, Mental Health
COVID-19 is the illness caused by the Coronavirus. Life as we know it has been brought to a halt by COVID-19. For many, uncertainty and change generates a high level of anxiety. There may be anxiety coming from the slow pace and the lack of “things to do.” Many of us are accustomed to a fast-paced lifestyle. An average day may consist of driving the kids to school, going to an appointment, going to work, running out for lunch, going back to work, picking up the kids, driving them to their after-school activities, making dinner, attending nightly commitments, and so on. For the time being, most of that is canceled or postponed. While it feels different from our normal lives, we can appreciate and take advantage of this pause. The fear of the unknown, the threat of illness, or concern around financial hardship are all valid. But, there is an opportunity to find positivity that lies beneath the turmoil.

Slowing Down for COVID-19

Most of us talk about how nice it would be to slow down. Our lives move fast. COVID-19 is forcing us all to do this. Many of us have extra time with family now. In addition, we can read books out loud with the kids. Perhaps there’s time to cook dinner together with a significant other or reconnect with family members who live far away. We have extra time with pets, who appreciate more cuddles and playtime. Now could be the perfect time to finally start digging into that stack of books you have been wanting to read. It’s also a good time for finishing or starting a home improvement project. This pause came at a perfect time to allow us more space in our schedules to do some spring cleaning,  a puzzle, or start learning how to knit, dance, or finally hop on that Peloton bike that hasn’t been touched since Christmas. In fact, maybe now that you’ve had to stop moving so fast, you notice that you haven’t been taking the best care of yourself. Maybe now is a great time to finally look at getting a therapist, going through an online treatment program to address a detrimental relationship with substances, or beginning a new meditation routine.

Taking Care of Ourselves

Many have hoped for some relief, a break, a few “extra hours in the day”. Well, like it or not, that time has come. COVID-19 is happening. But we can control our attitudes and our actions.
“I, for one, am going to enjoy this rare pause and as my body has begun to slow down, I will allow my mind to slow down as well,” says Rachael Messaros, individual in long-term recovery and Director of Admissions & Marketing at Redpoint.
As always, a reminder that if you or someone you love is in need of therapeutic support, we are here. Redpoint Center is fully operating, using telehealth tools to stay connected to our clients. Now, more than ever, we need each other.
Dec 16
Love2
What to Expect in Longmont and Boulder Sober Living

Longmont and Boulder Sober Living – What to Expect

By Addiction, Community, Mental Health

You or a loved one has completed residential treatment, now what? First of all, congratulations. Taking and completing that step is a huge one in and of itself. Typically the next step on the road of recovery after rehab is a sober living environment. A sober living home is a supervised, structured space in which folks new to recovery live. Accountability and monitoring are key components to what makes a sober living environment work effectively. In addition, these elements are key to help people stay sober throughout the transition between residential treatment and independent living.

How Does Sober Living Work

Sober living homes provide a safe, structured environment for individuals to learn how to thrive in recovery. These homes are a vital part of the recovery process. Often, those new to recovery start to get back to daily living while in a sober house. In addition, sober homes provide camaraderie and peer support. Studies show that sober homes can increase the likelihood of long-term recovery.

How long do people stay in sober living? There is no set answer to this question. Some people are in sober living for as many as two years, some as short as a few months. Different people need varying levels of accountability and monitoring. Furthermore, a supportive living environment offers different lengths of time because some need more or less structured than others. Hence, the main idea of sober living is a group environment to learn how to practice the tools learned in treatment before living independently.

How to Find a Quality Longmont or Boulder Sober Living House

Professionals, especially clinicians and staff at inpatient or intensive outpatient programs are great resources to rely on. In fact, professional services are ideal when navigating your needs or the needs of your loved one. Those in the recovery field have experience with the varied types of programs and can make the best recommendation based on the individual.

Sober living homes are often helpful to live in when a person is in an intensive outpatient program or partial hospitalization program. In addition, IOP or PHP helps to provide safety and understanding while that person is continuing therapeutic work at the treatment level. Peer support and safe housing is often recommended by a treatment team at this stage because of the risks associated with immediately going back to life as we once knew it. Consequently, when we return the same environment in which we were living prior to treatment, it can be stressful. Also, we may feel loneliness, misunderstanding, or simply have too much responsibility too soon.

Sober Houses = Healthy Living

Colorado-based recovery speaker Don C. often likens this process to the replanting of a dying tree into new soil. If a tree is dying, the soil in which it exists is often unhealthy. To rehabilitate that tree, one must relocate that same tree into new, healthy soil. Often, when that tree is relocated, it tends to thrive and pick up the nutrients from the new soil. Sober homes can be thought of in a similar way. It is the new soil and environment in which someone can begin to build their new life in recovery, rich in the nutrients of daily peer support, and monitoring. Hence, one builds the life skills needed to operate successfully in the world. Community and accountability are two keys to early recovery. A sober house is often the right choice for a person in early recovery to transition back to independence.

Sep 09
Love2
Redpoint Center Vaping Crisis

The Facts About the Vaping Crisis

By Addiction, Community

Vaping is in the news a lot lately. Many are calling it a vaping crisis. Children are being hospitalized. Parents worry. Following years of questions and speculation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is taking action. On Friday, September 6, 2019, the CDC issued a formal investigation notice regarding the effects of vaping and e-cigarettes. According to the government organization, vaping is connected to over 450 cases of lung illness and hospitalization. Five deaths directly related to vaping are confirmed in California, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Oregon.

What Vaping Does to the Body

What is the vaping crisis about? Vaping nicotine is dangerous to one’s health—potentially no less harmful than cigarettes. And due to the lack of regulation, users can’t be sure what they’re ingesting when they use e-cigarettes. We know nicotine is a toxic, deadly substance. It is responsible for approximately 1300 deaths per day.

“Tobacco kills more than 480,000 people annually – more than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. Tobacco costs the U.S. approximately $170 billion in health care expenditures and more than $150 billion in lost productivity each year.”   —says Tobacco Free Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting youth from the harmful products

In addition, nicotine raises blood pressure and adrenaline, which can increase heart rate. It is directly connected to the risk of a heart attack. Vaping brings forth many questions. Without proper labeling or monitoring, we can’t know what one is ingesting. There is a lot we don’t know about vaping. Furthermore, we don’t know how it affects physical health over time. This past week, the FDA sent a warning to a vaping brand, Juul, letting them know they illegally market their products as safer than cigarettes. The tobacco industry overall has a long, detailed history of predatory marketing practices. The famous organization truth.org publicly campaigned for years to bring these facts to light. Marketing to younger people creates lifelong addictive behaviors. Therefore, lifelong consumers.

Health Alerts

Habitual nicotine use can lead to addiction. And that’s just one concern. Over the past few months, there have been many hospitalizations due to vaping and approximately five deaths. Doctors don’t know what’s causing the epidemic. The symptoms might start with coughing, shortness of breath, fever, and lung congestion, to start but other potential symptoms include headaches, weight loss, and diarrhea.

“Many victims have ended up with acute respiratory distress syndrome, a life-threatening condition in which fluid builds up in the lungs and prevents the oxygen people’s bodies need to function from circulating in the bloodstream.” —reports the Washington Post

Nicotine, Vaping, and Addiction

Studies show that for those who struggle with substance use and alcohol use disorders, cessation of smoking and nicotine products play a role in long-term recovery. Statistics on the issue range, but quitting smoking can raise long term abstinence from substance and alcohol use disorders anywhere from 15% to 40%. For many early in recovery, nicotine is hard to quit, but it greatly benefits long-term, sustainable sobriety.

Vaping in Colorado

Just 2 weeks ago, Boulder, Colorado, officials moved forward with plans to ban the sale of flavored electronic cigarette products. In addition to banning flavored e-cigarette products, Boulder City Council is asking voters to move the minimum purchase age to 21 for all tobacco products.

Colorado, specifically, has seen a rise in vaping and other e-cigarette consumption. The market grows and e-cigarettes are money-makers. With new warnings from the CDC, it re-enforces the idea that vaping, and e-cigarettes are equally, if not more problematic than traditional smoking.

The Redpoint Center, in Longmont Colorado, can help those that wish to find freedom from substance use disorders. This includes recovery from vaping or smoking. In teen addiction treatment the problems of vaping and smoking are especially prevalent.

We believe in a holistic model of care that helps to provide support, medication, therapy, and community immersion for those that are struggling. If you or someone you know is struggling with any type of addiction, contact us. We’re here to help.

Jul 29
Love2
Redpoint Center Self-Care Recovery

The Importance of Self-Care in Recovery

By Addiction, Alcohol Rehab, Community, Longmont Drug Rehab, Mental Health, Therapy, Treatment

Self-care in recovery is key. After struggling, a person can believe that they are not good enough. And they may feel they don’t measure up. This is what I thought about myself.

In active addiction, I didn’t take care of myself. I wouldn’t wear my seat belt all the time. In addition, I had a bad diet. Furthermore, at times I would even skip showering.

Substance use disorder negatively affects self-perception, mood, motivation. Also, it can hinder personal well-being. It can make you feel overwhelmed and bad about yourself. Hence, at times it seems there is no way out.

When I finally got sober I wasn’t sure what self-care meant anymore. There were mentors to show me the way, including our founder at Redpoint. I also internalized self-care as being selfish. During my active addiction, I had been selfish for so long that the last thing I wanted to do was pay attention to the things that I needed.

Self-Care in Recovery — The Opposite of Selfish

I realize now that there is a difference between being selfish and taking care of yourself. What I learned was that you need to implement self-care when you get sober so that you can replace selfish, addictive behavior with healthy alternatives.

Once you are addicted to alcohol or other drugs, it is common to use these addictive behaviors to cope with negative feelings. Some even use these addictive behaviors as a type of reward system for themselves.

During my active addiction, it got to the point where I would tell myself, “I worked all day today, so I deserve to get high.” Or “my boyfriend made me mad, so I can get high to make myself feel better.”

Now, I take care of myself. Self-care in recovery means I work out, do art, get my nails done, and take time out of my day to just sit and think. By doing this, I can change my own thoughts about myself and my life.

Now, the more I take care of myself, the better I feel, and the more I want to keep that feeling going. I also know that in order to keep this positivity, I need to maintain awareness, help others, and maintain my sobriety. This self-growth is an important part of self-care.

When I was using, I couldn’t take care of myself, let alone help someone else. Now that I take time out for myself, I have more positive energy to help other people.

I’m a huge fan of self-care now. If you haven’t tried it, I would HIGHLY recommend it. Don’t miss out. You deserve to be truly happy.

-Samantha

Close Menu

We are here to help.



Address

The Redpoint Center
1831 Lefthand Cir, Suite H
Longmont, CO 80501


Phone

(888) 509-3153


Contact Us.

 

Name(Required)
Email(Required)
Please let us know what's on your mind. Have a question for us? Ask away.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.