self-help

January 21 - In Thought

Word of the Day - Refer

Like I stated in the sidebar of this blog,  I am no expert on recovery.  So, I am using this post to refer you to some resources. If you, or someone you care about, wants to get help. Or you are looking for information on the disease of addiction, please see the following;  

I pulled these from ARG. (Great Source!!)

As I find more resources, that are not on this list, I will add them. 

Remember, You are not alone; There are people and organizations that can and are willing to help.  

Some Treatment Facilities


General Resources 

Addiction Treatment Forum:An educational site focusing on addiction issues, especially opiate addiction and treatment. 

American Council on Alcoholism :Dedicated to educating the public about the effects of alcohol, alcoholism and treatment. 

Do It Now FoundationPublisher of prevention literature 

Dual Diagnosis WebsiteMental Illness, Drug Addiction and Alcoholism, MIDAA®, MICA 

Focus Adolescent ServicesInternet Clearinghouse of resources, support and information 

Heroin Information Website 

Institute of Alcohol Studies:Information on alcohol and the social and health consequences of its misuse.

Join Together Online:A collaboration of the Boston University School of Public Health and The Partnership at Drugfree.org, delivering substance abuse and addiction news. 

Learn-About-Alcoholism.com:Educational resource covering all aspects of alcoholism. 

Mental Health MattersDirectory of mental health resources. 

Methadone Anonymous:Website that answers questions about methadone and has Methadone Anonymous support. 

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) 

National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA):Information on the cost of substance abuse throughout society and its impact on our lives. 

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD):Provides education, information, help and hope in the fight against substance abuse. 

National Inhalant Prevention Coalition (NIPC):A resource for parents, educators and professionals on inhalant abuse. 

Pharmacy Technician:Pharmacy Library: Alcohol Addiction and Alcoholism Facts 

Recovery Connection:A website and that helps people locate addiction treatment centers and drug rehabilitation programs. 

StrugglingTeens.com:Woodbury Reports presents resources for parents and professionals trying to help at-risk teenagers.

Teen Drug Abuse:Educational site about why teens begin using, what they are using, and how those drugs are affecting teens physically, socially, and mentally. 

Web of Addictions:Provides accurate information about alcohol and other drug addictions. Resource for anyone needing factual information about abused drugs.

Eating Disorders Resources 
Academy for Eating Disorders (AED):Multidisciplinary association of academic and clinical professionals with demonstrated interest and expertise in the field of eating disorders. 

The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness:Aim is to disseminate educational information to parents and caregivers about warning signs, dangers and consequences of anorexia, bulimia and other related eating disorders. 

The American Anorexia Bulimia Association, Inc. (AABA):The AABA works to increase the public’s consciousness of Eating Disorders - their prevalence, the early warning signs and symptoms. 

Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc.:Provides information about eating and exercise disorders - general information, warning signs and details about recovery and prevention. 

The Center for Healthy Living’s Eating Disorder & Resource Guide:Complete source for learning about eating disorders and treatment options. 

Eating Disorders Referral and Information CenterInformation and treatment resources for all forms of Eating Disorders. 

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD):Dedicated to alleviating eating disorders and promoting a healthy lifestyle. 

National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA):Dedicated to expanding public understanding of eating disorders and promoting access to quality treatment for those affected along with support for their families through education, advocacy and research. 


Problem/Compulsive Gambling Resources 
National Center for Responsible Gambling:Mission is to help individuals and families affected by problem gambling disorders. 

National Council on Problem Gambling:Provides information regarding problem and pathological(compulsive) gambling. 

North American Training Institute:Information regarding compulsive gambling prevention and treatment. 

Responsible Gambling Council (Ontario):Helps individuals and communities address gambling in a responsible way, through information, awareness/prevention, professional development and research.

Government Resources 
The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI):Comprehensive source of information and searchable databases on substance abuse prevention. 

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism(NIAAA):Supports and conducts research on causes, consequences, treatment and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol related problems. 

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA):Assures that quality substance abuse and mental health services are available to people in need and strives to ensure that prevention and treatment knowledge is used more effectively in the general health care system.

Self-Help Resources 
AA Meetings Online:Directory of AA meetings on the Internet. 

Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA)

Al-Anon & Alateen 

Alcoholics Anonymous & Alcoholics Anonymous HistorySpiritual roots of early AA 

Anxiety Self Help 

Center for On-Line Addiction (COLA) 

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CODA)

Essence of Recovery 

Food Addicts Anonymous 

Gamblers Anonymous 

Gift From WithinInternational charity for survivors of trauma and victimization.

Internet Addiction 

Marijuana Anonymous (MA) 

Methadone Anonymous

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) 

Nicotine Anonymous 

Overeaters Anonymous (OA) 

People Helping People 

Recovery LifeDedicated to spreading the message of hope and strength to everyone in recovery. 

Recovery USA, IIcAddiction Recovery Supplies 

Recovery Zone 

Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA)

Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA)

SMART RecoverySelf-Management & Recovery Training (A non-12 Step Recovery program) 

Sober Sources Network 

Sober Teens Online 

The Sober Village 

Survivors of Incest Anonymous (SIA)

State Mental Health Departments 
Alabama 

Alaska 

Arizona 

Arkansas 

California 

Colorado 

Connecticut 

Delaware 

Florida 

Georgia 

Hawaii 

Idaho 

Illinois 

Indiana 

Iowa 

Kansas 

Kentucky 

Louisiana 

Maine 

Maryland 

Massachusetts 

Michigan 

Minnesota 

Mississippi 

Missouri 

Montana 

Nebraska 

Nevada 

New Hampshire 

New Jersey 

New Mexico 

New York 

North Carolina 

North Dakota 

Ohio 

Oklahoma 

Oregon 

Pennsylvania 

Rhode Island 

South Carolina 

South Dakota 

Tennessee 

Texas 

Utah 

Vermont 

Virginia 

Washington 

West Virginia 

Wisconsin 

Wyoming 

January 2nd - In Thought

Word of the Day - Platonic

For many of us our drug use was coupled with our sexual practices.  We sought further to fill a void that even the drugs alone could not fill.  Sex or the seeking of validation was as much a drug as those we ingested, snorted, or put into our bodies by whatever means necessary.  We can also become obsessed with a person.  Believing that everything in our lives would be great if the person would only love us romantically. Placing the individual up on a pedestal, their lives and their opinions become more important than our own. Here the person then becomes our drug.

Prince Charming will not save us… we have to take the first step to save ourselves. 

How do we build healthy platonic relationships? Starts with self.  Coming into recovery is the most loving gift we can give ourselves.  Staying clean gives us the opportunity work on the deeper issues that caused us to seek something outside ourselves for relief.  

We learn to use tools that help us cope with feelings of loneliness, rejection, less than, and loss.  We share about these feelings openly and honestly. We meet other addicts in recovery and begin to identify with their struggles and we begin to see we are not alone.  Our first platonic relationships in recovery maybe with members of an outpatient rehab group, or, for some, it is with a sponsor from a self-help fellowship.  As we become more honest with ourselves and those who support us in our recovery we begin building stronger intimate connections that are spiritual, not sexual or obsessive, in nature.  These connections may be confusing at first; we are used to jumping right into bed with someone and we called the ‘intimacy’.  It may take time, however we do begin to accept that others do care and love us without expecting something in return. 

Allow yourself to be loved until you can love yourself - one day at a time.