Returning to sober living after a stumble can be one of the single hardest parts of addiction recovery—and it’s a challenge even those most committed to their recovery can find themselves facing. It’s important we recognize that a single instance of weakness need not...

Getting sober is hard work: it takes self-awareness, courage, willpower and a strong support system. Succeeding at getting sober is an amazing achievement, but you might not realize that living sober is just as big an achievement, and is just as much work. Knowing the...

Social gatherings are just a part of life, but as we age, alcohol at social gatherings becomes more and more of a norm. However, when you’re sober and/or recovering from an alcohol problem, it can put you in kind of an awkward situation: do you go to the party and...

It’s no secret that a lot of our actions and personality traits are influenced by the people that surround us. Sometimes we can’t control the people who influence us, such as our parents and coworkers. However, we can control who our friends are (for the most part)....

As a student at a Big 10 University, it can be hard to imagine carrying out daily and weekly college rituals with a clear mind. While the rest of the town is drinking away their sorrows of a long of midterms and 10-page papers, Penn State students such as I lie in...

The holiday season is one that involves many parties and other festivities. Those parties and festivities might include alcohol, but that doesn't mean that you have to drink the alcohol or be tempted by it. There are several things you can do to help increase your...

It's Friday. It's been a tough week for everyone. Meetings, deadlines, difficult bosses. We have all been there. It might seem harder as you start your new sober life, especially when friends and colleagues invite you to shake off the week with a happy hour on Friday....

One of the biggest struggles a former addict faces during their addiction recovery isn't temptation, but stigma. The feeling of addiction being something shameful, or a sign of deep personal failure, can be so overwhelming that it becomes hard to seek treatment,...

Having a strong support system as you enter sober living is crucial: the love of friends and family members reminds you that you are not alone in your struggle and that you have people to turn to for strength in your moments of weakness. But being part of someone...

Negative thinking is one of the hurdles you have to overcome during the recovery process. Although negative thinking isn’t a bad thing by itself (after all, the ability to think negatively is tied up to the evolutionary process). But if you’re in a vulnerable place...