Family Roles in Addiction and Their Impact on Recovery

By Wesley Gallagher Addiction and recovery are extremely personal experiences. If you’ve experienced either, you know how isolating they can be. No matter what outside forces affect you, ultimately, you are the one responsible for your actions.  However, we are relational beings, and we require the company and support of… Read More

The Importance of Community in Recovery

By Beau Black Substance use disorder affects us all, in a multitude of different ways. The impact goes beyond the addict and his or her family, extending into the community. In our society we may face significant costs as the result of addiction. These costs can come… Read More

National Recovery Month: Recovery Is for Everyone

By Anna McKenzie What Is the Goal of National Recovery Month? National Recovery Month is as much about celebrating individuals in recovery as it is about generating awareness of the need for addiction and mental health treatment.  The opioid epidemic is one example of how addiction has significantly affected… Read More

5 Ways to Practice Self-Forgiveness in Recovery

By Wesley Gallagher Forgiveness is a powerful act. If you’ve ever been forgiven for something you did that hurt someone, you know just how effective forgiveness can be. And if you’ve ever been deeply hurt by someone, you also know how hard it can be to extend forgiveness. But… Read More

Marking Recovery Month 2020 at The Meadows

For more than three decades, we’ve been celebrating Recovery Month, an important national observance introduced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All these years later, the goal is the same: increasing awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders while… Read More

The Other Epidemic: Opioid Overdose Deaths and Medication-Assisted Treatment

I go to these meetings because things could get worse. A man at my home group said these words not too long ago. He’s a person I respect: a father, husband, and veteran who still exudes such a degree of military bearing I find it hard to imagine that he… Read More

Facing Family Togetherness

By Jessica Smith, BSN, RN As the holiday season approaches, I am reminded of the oft-quoted line in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Holidays have a way of bringing out both the best and worst in people. We… Read More

Get Connected Toolkit

The Get Connected Toolkit results from a public-private partnership between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Council on Aging (NCOA). The organizations met with older adult consumers and health and aging services providers to gather information on how best to engage the aging services network in addressing older adults' alcohol and medication misuse and mental health needs. Read More

Thrive After the Leap

By Lauren Mehr MS, LPC, CCTP Recently, someone I greatly admire celebrated her 60th birthday by jumping out of a plane…on purpose! She had decided that she wanted to live her 60th year as a ‘year of experiences’ and not let the number define who she is capable of being… Read More

Becoming Fearless with the Help of Al-Anon

By: the Mother of a Past Claudia Black Young Adult Center Patient As my daughter does her recovery work from drug and alcohol addiction and anxiety, I too work my recovery through Al-Anon. I won’t go into details of how my daughter and I both came to this point because… Read More