The Outside-the-Box Recovery Relapse Prevention Plan Re-introducing the Outside-the-Box Recovery Relapse Prevention Plan. (This link will take you to the store, where you can download a clean and updated version for free!) The handout includes 4 pages: Page 1 is a checklist identifying warning symptoms and triggers, negative effects of drugs/alcohol, and the good stuff […]
Addiction: 4 ways to battle cravings
You’re trying to escape an addiction. That could be food, drugs, alcohol, gambling, or smoking. One of the biggest challenges you’re dealing with, especially at the beginning of your recovery, could be those urges to “feed” the addiction. You’re bound to have cravings. It happens to all recovering addicts, and it isn’t easy. But remember, […]
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For fiction writers: 4 steps to writing your way out of depression
“I believe that words are strong, that they can overwhelm when what we fear seems more awful than life is good.” –Andrew Solomon, The Noonday Demon Writing as a weapon Depression is an evil companion. It challenges us with a duel to the death but takes away the very weapons we need to fight back: […]
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Ways to deal with PTSD triggers
We all come across things that trigger difficult memories, but for people with PTSD, these memories jumpstart a cascade of internal events that washes on panic, horror, or rage. Then there are the triggered thoughts. Sometimes they’re clear and distressing (“it’s happening all over again” or “I deserve this”), at other times a jumbled […]
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Asperger’s: tips for talking to neurotypicals
Neurotypicals (the Asperger’s term for people without autism) are complex, fascinating, and frustrating, and communicating with them often feels like you’re playing a complicated game without knowing the rules. To help simplify things, here are some guidelines about communicating with the non-Asperger’s society. Look them in the eyes. In simple terms, the rule (at least […]
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Exciting stuff about aging
“For age is opportunity no less than youth itself, though in another dress, and as the evening twilight fades away, the sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.” – Henry Wadworth Longfellow We put a lot of money and effort into trying to avoid aging. In our society, getting older is equated with decline — […]
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How to deal with difficult people
It takes guts to deal with toxic relationships. The difficult person might be a peer at school, colleague, parent, sibling, or neighbor, and they can do damage. This post is about dealing with problem situations in assertive ways. Being assertive means standing up for your rights in a direct, honest way. It’s about solving a […]
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Cognitive therapy: mind conquers mood
“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” — Oprah Winfrey Cognitive therapy (CT) is a powerful technique therapists use to help their clients deal with life’s tougher moments. It’s used worldwide to help individuals overcome psychiatric problems like phobias, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, […]
