Tag: addiction treatment

Oaks and Redwoods Addiction Recovery

Time for Rehab is Now

Addiction Recovery Message From the Trees Don’t Be An Oak. Be a Redwood. The Oak Tree This is my story about addiction recovery. I grew up in Kansas in the 1950’s near the edge of the Great Plains. Kansas is the essence of open spaces. Land so vast and flat it appears you can see the curvature of the earth as though you were looking over the ocean. Back in the day, Kansas was mainly made up of family farms. As a result, you often would see a single farmhouse and barn surrounded by a sea of wheat or corn fields. The soil was deep and rich. Inevitably, there would be an enormous oak tree on the west side of the house and for good practical reason. The tree can grow big enough to protect the house from the brunt…

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Addiction Recovery Gratitude

Addiction Recovery Gratitude – Spiritual Imaginings How Did You Like My Stuff? Guest Blog on addiction recovery gratitude by Ron Young This small story about addiction recovery gratitude has helped me through some difficult periods. It is a short but hopefully thought provoking tale. You have to open your mind a little just to hear this “what if” proposition. Keep in mind that most theologians agree that any description of God is a distortion as he/she is beyond human comprehension. Imagine “what if,” when you die, you find yourself sitting across the table from man that looks like a cross between Charlton Heston, in the 10 Commandments, and Santa Claus. As he grins and leans forward he says: “I don’t care what you did or didn’t do during your life. What I really do want to know is: How did…

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The 12th Step- Practicing Twelve Step Principles in Rehab

The 12th Step- Practicing Twelve Step Principles in Rehab Practicing Twelve Step Principles – What We Preach (suggest) – in Rehab When the time came to broaden our horizons and seek a new home more aligned to our rehab’s spiritual framework, it was only when we opened ourselves to all possibilities, no matter where in the world, that we were led to the ‘best’ place on earth. Where practicing twelve step principles is more than lip service, where it is the essence of the recovery experience and philosophy. The globe was searched for the perfect place to establish a special place of healing from addiction. Preconceived notions of practical considerations, province, country, geography, culture, and distance were cast aside. Through a series of serendipitous synchronicities, and some exciting tragedies/blessings (point of view), Panama, sprang into our awareness. We found our way…

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What brings you holiday joy in recovery? Notes from a Success Coach

Contact Serenity Vista at SerenityVista.com

What brings you holiday joy in recovery? Notes from a Success Coach Guest Blog by Karen Graham, Panacea Canada   Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart… Unknown Apparently the holiday season is now in full swing, because advertisers are working themselves into their usual frenzy and decorations are starting to appear around town. Making elaborate plans for the holidays can set us up for stress by creating expectations that are difficult or impossible to meet. Remember last year? Did you find yourself trying to squeeze in one more social event and finish the shopping and the perfect gift wrapping of the perfect gifts and do all the baking and get the decorations…

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12 & Zen – Where the 12 Steps Meet Zen Koans

12 & Zen – Where the 12 Steps Meet Zen Koans A great recovery book by Bill Krumbein. Available at Amazon Foreward by Jane Derry Bill Krumbein first made email contact with me in May of 2010. He wrote: “I’m very intrigued how you came about using Zen koans at your recovery center. This is how I found your page, by typing in ‘koan’ and ‘recovery’.” Bill told me about the Pacific Zen Institute, his connection with it, and their plans for implementing a combination of the 12 Steps and Zen. He also was curious about my own connection with Zen koans, and how they were used at our center. 1997 found me in the very early stages of a new way of life, following a sincere and passionate desire to improve my conscious contact with ‘God’. I was working on…

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First Things First

Never Too Late For Sobriety

First Things First One thing at a time – Notes from an Addictions Counselor Guest Blog by Karen Graham, Panacea Canada   First Things First. Successful recovery from addiction or self-defeating behaviour requires powerful, unwavering focus on one thing at a time – and that first one thing has to be your recovery. What is recovery? It’s a kind of extreme self care in multiple dimensions. Putting your recovery first means taking very good care of your body, mind, and spirit. For people recovering from addictions or self-defeating behaviours, recovery is the foundation for everything else in life; unless your recovery is healthy, it will be virtually impossible for you to be effective. A healthy recovery supports you as a friend, partner, employee, leader, parent, athlete, son, daughter, provider, care-giver… pretty much any role that you value in your life.…

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One thing at a time – Notes from a Success Coach

let go and let god

One thing at a time – Notes from a Success Coach Guest Blog by Karen Graham of Panacea Canada   One thing at a time. One of the most exhausting and least effective approaches to, well, pretty much anything, is multitasking. Once hailed as the best way to navigate challenging workloads, days, projects and roles, multitasking is now seen as a poor choice. It’s tempting to try to do many things at once. We are barraged by information, demands for our attention, and an infinite variety of ways to waste our time and energy. Trying to stay on top of the inflow of information is, as the wonderful Martha Beck once pointed out, like trying to take a delicate sip of water from a fire hose. I believe that multitasking leads to mediocrity. It’s just not possible to do many…

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Affordable Luxury Drug Rehab Treatment Alternatives

Affordable Luxury Drug Rehab Treatment Alternatives   With so many prominent addiction and alcoholism treatment centers charging upwards of 30 to 50 thousand dollars per month, most prominently in areas like California, Florida, Texas, New York, Colorado and Arizona, there seems to be a dramatic shortage of lower costing affordable drug rehab centers for those struggling with the financial means to pay for treatment. There’s no question that a luxury facility offers some wonderful ancillary components to the recovery process, however, in terms of core rehabilitation services for those struggling with drug addiction and alcoholism, it is important to keep first things first and prioritize clinical services for those of whom cost is a primary hurdle. Serenity Vista Treatment Center of Boquete, Panama seems to attract folks seeking help from all over the world. Ironically, many of our clients come…

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Holistic Drug Rehab in California & Florida

Holistic Drug Rehab in California & Florida We hear the term “holistic drug rehab” thrown around so often these days. People will spend tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on holistic drug rehab and treatment centers claiming to have a holistic approach to recovery, but what exactly do they mean? States like California and Florida seem to have the highest numbers of treatment centers focusing on drug addiction & alcoholism which claim to have a holistic approach toward the recovery process. Often times their definition of such recovery protocols might consist of vitamin and supplement regimens. Other components might include yoga, surfing, pilates, personal training sessions, and so on. The question is two-fold; one, does this really constitute as being holistic, and two, do these elements really help within the overall recovery process? The average cost of licensed…

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