Addiction Recovery Handbook: Sneak Peek from Calgary Addiction Counselling Experts
Addiction is a multi-faceted condition that impacts people’s behaviour, as well as thoughts, emotions, relationships, finances, and more. It can manifest in a number of different ways, from alcohol use to overspending to issues with food, and more.
Our team of Calgary Addiction Counselling therapists at Sana Psychological have put together a free addiction recovery handbook to support you wherever you are in your recovery journey.
The full ‘Addiction Recovery Handbook’ can be downloaded anytime for free
Here is a sneak peak at the first few chapters on addiction and recovery. From the e-book:
Addiction: An Introduction from Calgary Addiction Counselling Specialists
Defining Addiction
There still exists a lot of controversy around addiction (what it is) and addiction treatment. The term ‘addiction’ may not be a fit for everyone. We recognize this and do not want to force anything on you. We are presenting our professional knowledge and experience in this e-book and encourage you to take from it what makes sense for you, apply the personal learnings, and you can leave the rest.
For the purposes of this e-book, we want to provide a resource for those who are struggling with any substance or behaviour that is causing distress, interference, and a negative impact in your life. If you feel comfortable identifying this as substance dependence, a problem behaviour, or another term, please do.
The term ‘addiction’ as our Calgary Addiction Counselling therapists refer to it here is meant to convey the significance of this substance use and/or problem behaviours and the impact they are having on someone’s life. From our most modern and up-to-date understanding, addiction is a condition rooted in the physiology of the brain rather than a problem with choice, willpower, or personality.
Addiction & The Brain
Those with addiction have a different functioning reward circuitry in the brain. Rather than a typical traffic light that tells us when to go, when to slow down, and when to stop, in the brain of those who have substance dependence and/or problem behaviours, the reward circuit green light tells the brain to go, delays telling it to slow down, and the stopping point may only come when there is physiological saturation (i.e., the body can’t handle any more) and/or when access is all gone and/or when there is no choice but to stop.
It is important to remember that, for healing and health, you are working alongside these physical and biological aspects, rather than viewing it as a personal failing.
More on the Free E-book from Calgary Addiction Counselling Therapists
Our Calgary Addiction Counselling therapists have included reflection questions in the full version of the e-book. These questions can be taken at your own pace and time and provide valuable opportunities to turn knowledge and insight into action.
Our Calgary Addiction Counselling therapists understand that your journey may be just beginning, you may be restarting your change path, or you may be using this resource as another tool in your ongoing recovery. Wherever you are at, we welcome you and congratulate you on the honesty, courage, and boldness it takes to acknowledge that what you have been doing isn’t working and that you would like something different for yourself.
Please feel free to check out our blog post on 10 Strategies for Early Addiction Recovery to complement your journey, also written by our experienced Calgary Addiction Counselling specialists.
Now, back to a sneak peak of the e-book, ‘Addiction Recovery Handbook’ by our Calgary addiction counselling therapists at Sana Psychological.
What Addiction Really Looks Like According to Calgary Addiction Counselling Therapists
People have all sorts of images of what addiction looks like and usually it involves extreme levels of substance use resulting in severe consequences, including not being able to retain employment, housing, or family relationships. While this is one potential with addiction, it exists on a continuum and there are millions of people living with mild to moderate levels of addiction.
What does this look like? It can look like someone who can’t stop drinking a few glasses of wine at night during and after dinner; someone who overdoes it with drinking at social events that creates shame and embarrassment; someone who hides snacks and junk food in their home that they consume throughout the day; someone who stops at the casino on the way home from work more times than they would like.
While these lives are not ruined by these behaviours, they have a negative impact. People spend more time thinking about, planning, engaging with, and recovering from these behaviours than they would like and, at a certain point, they decide they would like the hurting to stop. This is just as valid as someone experiencing more moderate or severe consequences from addictive behaviours. Calgary Addiction Counselling has supported individuals throughout the continuum and recognizes that this is a diverse condition that impacts people differently.
If this is you, or if your story looks different but has a similar theme, then you are in the right place and doing a great thing for yourself. Change is possible. You are worth it. You deserve the life you wish to have.
It is important to acknowledge that, because addiction is rooted in the brain, that it can impact any area of life and behaviour. Many of the amazing individuals that we work with when providing Calgary Addiction Counselling notice that, even with years of substance sobriety, they still sometimes feel drawn to engaging with something in an impulsive and compulsive way. This may be work, performance, food, athletics, other substances like sugar, nicotine or caffeine, sex, other drugs or alcohol.
Once you begin to recognize and understand this part of your brain, it becomes easier to separate it from your own wants and desires and establish healthy boundaries. A craving or a thought does not have to become your reality. Learn more about boundaries in one of our blog posts written by a Calgary Addiction Counselling specialist.
The questions in this e-book, put together by Calgary Addiction Counselling therapists, are designed to get you starting to reflect on where you are and where you want to be. As we move through this e-book, we hope that you will start to build a vision and a plan for yourself. Recovery happens bit by bit and step by step, as we will discuss further in the next section.
Be patient. Good things take time.
Pause. Here we encourage you to take a few moments to stop, close your eyes, and take a few gentle breaths in and out.
Intention Setting. Before you move on, our Calgary Addiction Counselling therapists would like you to pick a word or phrase that will be your guiding intention for this point in your life. It can be something like ‘Recovery’ or ‘Change’ or a phrase like ‘I am supporting myself in health’ or ‘I am working on loving myself.’ We would like you to write this phrase down in your phone and/or on paper and repeat it to yourself multiple times daily for the next 3+ weeks. This is your healthy intention. Plant the seeds for your mind to grow.
Recovery is a journey, not a destination. It is important to walk each step with patience and wholeheartedness. There is no set path and your journey will share similarities and differences with others. Let us explore more about recovery in the next section.
Recovery: An Introduction from Calgary Addiction Counselling Therapists
Throughout your healing process, you will journey through increased levels of awareness, followed by action, followed by change. We understand that change is scary and no one is asking you to do anything that you do not want to do at any point. Remember that anything you choose to do is for your betterment and, while it may be out of your comfort zone and uncomfortable, that does not mean it is not helpful or worthwhile. We fully believe in you and your ability to grow and evolve.
Defining Recovery from Calgary Addiction Counselling Experts
Much like the term addiction, not everyone identifies their change process as one of ‘recovery.’ We use, and like, this term as it signifies the hope, growth, and evolution that is offered as people nurture their health and wellbeing. Some alternatives that people use include terms like sobriety, abstinence, wellness, and health. You can identify your process by any word(s) that resonate for you. For the purposes of the e-book we will be using the term ‘recovery’ to refer to the physical, emotional, relational, cultural, financial, spiritual, and/or holistic changes that occur as people take different actions in their life.
Recovery may start with changing your pattern of use with a substance or behaviour but can become much more than that, as many people find it is a full life make-over that happens gradually over time.
Suggested action step: Regularly remind yourself that you are choosing recovery rather than having to. Providing ourselves flexibility, choice and options can, ironically, strengthen one’s commitment to change rather than when we feel forced into doing something.
Aspects of Recovery According to Calgary Addiction Counselling Therapists
As mentioned above, recovery involves change at many different levels of self, including:
Physical: Many people start to take care of themselves by resting, hydrating, nourishing, moving, and living differently. Going to a doctor’s or dentist appointment, getting a massage, going for a walk, buying a water bottle are all examples of changes people may want to make to start showing love and respect for themselves. This is often the area that people start to focus on in their recovery journey as it is more tangible and is an area where visible gains can be seen quickest.
Emotional: Learning how to deal with stress, sit with tough emotions, and connect with peace and joy are all part of emotional recovery. Commonly used tools are journaling (download your free journal prompt guide here), reflection, mindfulness, meditation, self-help, therapy, and apps to educate oneself on areas of emotional health that have not been learned in the past. This part of recovery is often introduced early on in the change journey, with many people saying it is one of the more challenging, but most rewarding, sides of health.
Relationships: Having supportive, healthy connections is imperative for a healthy life. Unfortunately, many people exploring recovery quickly realize that the people they have surrounded themselves with are supportive of addictive behaviours, not recovery. This may result in some short-term shifts in social relationships, which can lead to feelings of loneliness, grief and sadness, but also can instill a sense of hope. With time, as well as openness and some effort to put yourself in authentic situations, relationships will begin to form that often feel closer and more intimate than anything you have experienced before. Some people also engage in couples counselling to improve their relationship with a romantic partner.
Cultural: Addiction takes people away from their authentic selves. Recovery is a coming home of sorts, which can include reconnecting with one’s cultural roots. Engaging in traditions, rituals, and/or education about where you come from can be immensely nurturing for the soul and support the evolution of health and self that you are looking for. This aspect of recovery may not come right away, but is often something that people grow interested in as they continue along the journey.
Financial: Let’s face it, addiction is costly. From a health, wellness and relationships perspective, but also financially. Addressing debt, establishing a budget, and reducing spending are common steps that people in recovery take to create financial safety and security. It is okay to ask for help with any of these areas, including this one. Having the support of a partner, financial advisor, or other can provide accountability, ideas, and a structure for re-establishing financial health.
Spiritual: Our Calgary Addiction Counselling therapists find that many people lose their sense of spirit throughout active addiction but become curious about this again as they walk along the recovery path. For some this involves a spiritual or religious learning journey of absorbing information about the different paths that are out there. For others, it is reconnecting with a spiritual or religious path that was part of their past. For others, it is something new as they explore what spirit and spirituality may mean for them and what this may look like in their life. This might be nature, humanity, animals, mindfulness, meditation, philosophy, group support, and/or religion. We encourage you to be open to considering this as part of your journey, though there is no pressure for if, when, or what it looks like.
A Recovery Roadmap: Chapter 3 in the Free Handbook by our addiction counselling Calgary therapists
Alright, we are at the ‘how to’ part of the e-book, which is often what people skip to as they want to jump into action. If that is you, that is amazing! Action is an important and essential part of the change process.
Everyone’s journey is unique and different. This roadmap does not have a set starting point and wherever you begin is great. Begin where it makes sense for you and go from there. You will journey through these steps in your own time and pace. Some you may not pass through for years and some you may never pass through. There may be other areas that are not on here that you prioritize.
This is healthy change. This is recovery…
If you are curious to jump into action, explore your own personal strengths and barriers to change, develop a plan, and more, then now is the best time to get your hands on a free copy of the Addiction Recovery Handbook, exclusively in e-book format.
Our addiction counselling Calgary experts have put their years of clinical experience into an easy-to-use, summarized resource to support you wherever you are at in your recovery journey.
Sana Psychological is a mental health and addiction recovery practice in Calgary, AB and Airdrie, AB, also offering virtual sessions throughout various provinces. Many of their therapists specialize in couples counselling Calgary AB, as well as other areas of mental health counselling. You can learn more about the team here and explore our other comprehensive free resources here.
