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Overwhelming emotions happen in early sobriety, but the good news is your brain is healing and they will pass! Picture this: You're three weeks into sobriety, standing in the grocery store checkout line, and suddenly you're overwhelmed by an inexplicable urge to cry. Not because anything bad happened—the cashier just smiled at you. Or maybe you're six months free of substances and find yourself irrationally angry at your coffee maker for taking too long. Welcome to raw emotio

Recovery is all about reclaiming your health, your choices, and your peace of mind—but sometimes clarity shines an uncomfortable light on the relationships around you. Toxic relationships in recovery are those that drain your emotional energy, trigger cravings, or stunt your personal growth.

Why Spirituality is the Heart of Addiction Recovery By Laurél Kimpton, MPS, LADC I recently stumbled upon a powerful YouTube short by Brian Trent (@trenttribe) that stopped me mid-scroll. The message was simple but profound: "You are not a project. You are a prize." And then came the words that summed up everything I believe about the work I do with my clients: "I didn't come to fix you—I came to find you." I had to pause. Take a breath. Maybe even dab at my eyes a little (ok

Written by Laurél Kimpton, MPS, LADC Your New Relationship with Sleep "...quality sleep can be tricky enough even when life is smooth sailing." Let’s be honest — quality sleep can be tricky enough even when life is smooth sailing. But take away the substances that used to “help” you unwind, and suddenly bedtime can feel like a battlefield. You’re tired but wired. Your body’s ready for rest, but your mind is throwing a rave. You just want that hamster off the wheel! If this so

Let's be real: nobody wakes up one morning and thinks, "Today, I'm going to become an enabler!" It sneaks up on you, disguised as love, loyalty, or just being a decent human being. But here's the plot twist—sometimes the most caring thing you can do is actually the thing that feels the least caring in the moment. Mind-bending, right?

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) is like withdrawal's sneaky cousin who shows up uninvited to the recovery party. While acute withdrawal happens in the first days or weeks after stopping substance use, PAWS can appear weeks or even months into recovery. It's your brain's way of saying, "Hey, remember me? I'm still adjusting to this whole sobriety thing, and I'm going to make sure you don't forget it." PAWS occurs because addiction literally rewires your brain's chemistr