The Role That Water And Hydration Play In Addiction And Recovery

Water is essential for the body to function. The human body is made up of 65% water, which is needed for various processes and reactions such as circulation, metabolism, body temperature and waste removal. If the body doesn’t have enough water, these physiological processes can be impaired.

The brain and heart are composed of 73% water, the lungs are about 83% water, the skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79% and even your bones are made up of 31% water! You can now see why it’s so important to keep yourself hydrated if you want your body and mind to function optimally and as healthily as possible.

Reading this article will give you top tips and tricks to improve your fluid intake, recognise the signs of dehydration, over hydration and much, much more!

What Percentage Of Addicts Stay Clean For The Long Term?

Medically, addiction is known to be a “chronic and relapsing disease” according to the nationwide research and the UK’s National Health Service.

What this definition means is that one or more relapses are a highly expectant occurrence due to the nature of the disease. So, what we want to know, what percentage of addicts stay clean for the long term?

According to a study published in 2000, relapse rates for addiction in the first year after stopping are between 40 and 60%; this is similar to other comparable long term health conditions such as asthma, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. The only difference being is that us as addicts are the ones in control of our outcomes and whether we do what we need to do in order to succeed or do the bare minimum and risk becoming yet another statistic.

In this article you will find ways of managing the risks surrounding lapses/relapses to become a long term success, and avoid becoming nothing more than another proven statistic!

Your Brain Is A Powerful Ally And Enemy, Want To See!?

When you still use or drink, your brain will do anything and everything to ensure that you have that next hit, pipe, bong, pint, glass or any other. It knows exactly what to say to you, what to make you think or feel in order that you follow through with its desired intentions.

This little experiment will show you first hand what your brain will do, make you think or feel in order to get what it wants.

The Role Rituals, Habits And OCD Play In Addiction And Recovery

One of the hardest parts of battling an addiction of any form (in this case, drugs and alcohol) is the cessation of rituals, habits and compulsions to do something in a set order or the same way every single time.

Certain things trigger the urge to use or drink, even things such as getting up in the morning, getting into the car, coming home from work, seeing certain people, doing certain activities and many, many others. As people living with an addiction, we build our lives around our illness. It is the centerpiece of our existence when our world becomes totally insular.

Find out what habits, rituals and compulsions are, what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and how it can worsen those habits and rituals, along with treatment and coping strategies to manage and change those deep seated habits and rituals that have been built over months, years or even decades of chronic substance use and dependency.

Happy Easter Everyone

Happy Easter everyone! Today is an occasion to celebrate not only Easter, but also the work and determination that you’ve been applying towards your recovery.

Top 5 Techniques To Overcome Obstacles In Addiction Recovery

Life is full of obstacles. This is certainly true if you struggle with an addiction. The road to recovery from substance use is often long and difficult, and there will be obstacles that all of us will face, some are common and others will be unique to you and your situation. Will you go over, under or around them? Will you stop and give up? Fortunately, life is also full of choices.

These top 5 tips will help you manage obstacles a little easier
Whilst still leaving you in control!…

Journaling In Addiction And Recovery – Our Ultimate Guide

The aim of this ultimate guide is to provide you with all of the best and latest information, research and advice, tips and tricks behind the basics of journaling (diary writing), look at the various ways you can do it and provide you with ideas and suggestions to get you going if you’ve never tried writing your thoughts and feelings down on paper before. We also look at the science surrounding journaling and improving your physical health, mental health, addiction and recovery.

You will also find over 40 prompts to get you going if you’re new to this concept, or if your minds gone blank or you can’t think of a thing to write, these topics will give you a great nudge in the right direction for your journaling for your addiction, physical health, mental health and recovery journey.

If it’s not in this ultimate guide, it’s not worth knowing!…

Can Brain Surgery Cure Addiction?

Addiction treatment needs improvement. Exploring new methods is essential to advancing the field. This not only benefits the addict, but also their family, friends, work, community and country as a whole.

Find out all you need to know inside this article!…

The Dangers Of Ritualised Behaviours In Addiction And Recovery And How To Overcome Them

When someone has a drug or alcohol addiction, substance use often becomes a ritual of its own. There might be a time of day or location where they typically use or drink, or they might always perform a certain routine before using or drinking. These behavioural patterns then become strongly ingrained over the course of a person’s life in active addiction.

Being able to recognise these rituals and knowing how to change and overcome them is a really important skill to be able to use if you want a long lasting, happy recovery journey.

They aren’t hard or complicated, but understanding them, recognising them and doing something about them by making little changes repetitively is the key to making these new, healthier changes to stick.

It’s OK To Not Be OK!

Sometimes it feels like society says you should be always happy and that showing your sadness is a sign of weakness. This is far from true – if you were to hold in all your sadness or anger you would explode!

Ignoring your feelings and thoughts may help you to manage in the short-term but in the long run, it isn’t healthy or productive for your mental health, physical health or your recovery.

Knowing how and when to employ various positive coping strategies is going to be your best ally when it comes to experiencing your thoughts and feelings in a healthy and constructive way.