Blogs

Living Active Recovery

Why do people relapse after leaving treatment?

Throughout my years as a substance use disorder recovery activist and interventionist, I’ve helped scores of people enter treatment. And while these folks flourished in a highly-structured setting,

From Train Wreck to Transformations Tech

Picture this… July 26th, 2017. Humid, sunny, and hot.  A girl, 5 ft. 4in., 107 lbs., wearing a hat, sweatpants, a sweatshirt, slippers, and wrapped in a blanket… shivering. She was smoking a cigarette and her mom came outside and handed her the

I Drink Because I Like It

As an interventionalist, I frequently talk to those facing alcohol and substance abuse disorder. Recently I sat with a young man I’ll call Justin, who said something like this to me:

“I am not addicted to anything except fun. I drink because I

We Are Both Victims and Victimizers

By: Jonathan Rios  M.S.  LMHC, Licensed Psychotherapist

We’ve all been victimized. This is a popular notion these days and it makes total sense. When we identify as an oppressed person who has undergone a tragedy or hardship it will often brin

The Three A’s of Change: Awareness, Acceptance, Action!

Imagine yourself in a dark, foul-smelling room.  Every time you take a step, you trip over shadowy objects littering the floor.  Tired and frustrated from the stumbles and falls, you clear out a corner and try to make the best of the situation by i

Caring For Those Who Contributed

When an NFL player retires from the game, the injuries and trauma sustained throughout their career are carried with them for the rest of their lives. Long after the cleats get hung up and the sound of cheering fades away, the physical and emotional

Pain: A Good Excuse or Your Greatest Gift?

Sitting in a prison cell, I could use my time becoming bitter over the cards I was dealt. Or I could choose to become a better person. Having surrendered my life and will over to God, I decided to invest in learning how to be the man God intended me

An In-Depth Analysis of Cross Addiction and Co-Occurring Addictions

By LYLE R. FRIED, CAP, ICADC, CHC

Cross addiction and co-addiction both complicate recovery from substance abuse disorder because they involve multiple addictions.

In this article, we’ll take a close look at the definition of cross addiction

Transforming a Shattered Identity

I was raised in Tyler, Texas—formally known as the Rose Capital of the U.S. But to anyone who lived there, it was football country. It was the land of pick-up trucks, church on Sunday, and Friday Night Lights.

I wasn’t the only NFL player to c