Addiction counselor, creativity guru, and humorist in one, THE OUTSIDE-THE-BOX RECOVERY WORKBOOK balances evidence-based medicine with that right-brained energy needed to survive addiction and create a life worth living.
Free: The Outside-the-Box Recovery Relapse Prevention Plan
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 […]
150+ fun things to do when you have no idea what to do
by Kim Rosenthal MD, from Outside-the-Box Recovery. You’re bored, life’s come to a halt, and you need relief right now. It could be boredom. It could be depression. Or it might just be that you need an idea to jump-start you along. Here are 150+ things to do when you don’t know what to do. […]
So you want to learn about psychotherapy?
Maybe you’re struggling with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, stress, or some existential question, and you’re thinking about seeing someone about it. Or maybe a friend or colleague recommended psychotherapy to you. But what is psychotherapy? Sure, you’ve watched the movies and seen that same old image: the wise guru sitting calmly taking notes as the neurotic […]
When you need answers: the imaginary visitor
The music is a delight at the ear, and sunlight plays lacework shadows across the floor. This is a safe place — but the emotion remains all-encompassing.
Worksheet: how to quit drugs and alcohol
We wish it were as easy as: “QUIT, yay, it’s over.” It ain’t. Quitting is more than just quitting. It’s about lifestyle change. This 2-page worksheet is a start at just that purpose…
Imagery: why you should never avoid rhinoceros
The library of libraries is a book-filled paradise. Its walls carry the testimonies of all humans, those who’ve lived and those who will live. Each soul has his own book.
Your Book is thick with a hundred thousand words, your name printed in bright blue letters across the cover.
What’s your Book about? Where does it start, and where does it take you? What’s the tone? What vocabulary does it employ?
Difficult roommate: how to solve conflict without killing someone
It would be nice if we had a magic wand that calmed people down and solved conflict with a flurry of the stick, but things aren’t so easy. Consider the following situation. You ask your new roommate to remove her belongings from your shelf in the bathroom. You don’t mean anything bad by it. She’s […]
Is happiness a choice? If in doubt, google it.
Jeanne Calment took up fencing at 85, rode a bicycle at 100, starred in a movie at 114, and didn’t quit smoking until 120 years of age…
How to relax your muscles
Muscle relaxation can be helpful for anxiety, as well as for anger, stress, insomnia, and agitation. People with stress or anxiety often feel so keyed up during the day that they don’t even remember what it’s like to be calm. Muscle relaxation exercises release the tension in the muscles and help a person relax, lowering […]