Recovery
International Overdose Awareness Day: A light of hope for these dark times
Monday, Aug. 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, and as the eighth month of 2020 comes to a close, the numbers of those who lose their lives to addiction are grim. After falling by 4.6 percent in 2018 — from 70,237 [1] to 60,367 [2] — overdose deaths rose again in 2019, the latest year…
Read MoreAs local rates hold steady, TSPN remains vigilant going into Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
In late March, six months before Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and as the COVID-19 pandemic tightened its chokehold on all aspects of East Tennessee life, the Knox County Regional Forensics Center found itself investigating nine suspected suicides in a 48-hour period [1]. Four days later, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs reported that 12 suicides had…
Read MoreSpecial report: In the face of COVID-19, East Tennessee’s treatment providers struggle to strike a balance between personal and professional recovery
Like a thief under cover of darkness, COVID-19 has stolen from the East Tennessee addiction recovery community. At the same time it has decimated the population at large, claiming more than 170,000 American lives and infecting more than 5 million people in this country, it’s laid waste to the ties that bind those in recovery…
Read MoreH.A.L.T.! In the name of your recovery, and hit the reset button
There’s an acronym recovering addicts hear early on: H.A.L.T. It stands for “Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired.” It’s a warning sign, our peers and predecessors tell us, that we need to watch out for. Addicts, especially those early in recovery, aren’t known for their stellar decision-making abilities. And when those abilities are hindered by hunger,…
Read MoreWhat Can I Do to Help? Eight Tips for Being Socially Active in Early Recovery
One of the beautiful things about the recovery process is how, when we emerge from the fog of addiction and alcoholism, we begin to understand that we have something to offer the world around us, and we start to ask the question: What can I do to help? In times of great social strife, that…
Read MoreAlcohol Awareness Month: Troubling statistics and helpful resources
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, which makes it as good a time as any to take a sobering look (pun definitely intended) at the problems associated with booze and what can be done about them. It’s important to point out, as the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse does [1], that “most adults in…
Read MoreMind your recovery: Relapse prevention tips during the coronavirus
Relapse prevention tips during the coronavirus are more important than ever for members of the addiction recovery community, according to experts in the treatment field. Because of COVID-19, thousands of recovery meetings around the world have been impacted. And while many recovery programs have moved to the digital space where online meetings are being held…
Read MoreWhat are the signs someone is addicted to fentanyl?
In determining the signs someone is addicted to fentanyl, it’s best to start from ground zero: What exactly is this drug that gets so much media attention, and why in the world would anyone who has a problem with drugs actively pursue the use of a substance that’s so deadly? Because make no mistake: It’s…
Read MoreSeason of sickness! Dealing with illness while in recovery from addiction
Dealing with illness while in recovery from addiction is no picnic, especially for newly sober individuals whose memories of using and drinking to numb and escape are still vivid. In fact, the onset of cold- and flu-like symptoms is enough to trigger flashbacks to those in recovery from addiction, particularly individuals whose drugs of choice…
Read MoreAl-Anon: A recovery program for family members to focus on themselves
For loved ones of addicts and alcoholics, the chaos of addiction and alcoholism is sometimes replaced by the uncertainty of sobriety, and that’s where Al-Anon can help. Yes, their spouses, sons, daughters or parents have gotten help for their affliction. They may have spent 30 days at a residential treatment facility like Cornerstone of Recovery.…
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