addiction recovery

AToN Center Addiction Treatment in San
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Do I Have to Leave Friends and Family Behind after Treatment?

February 27, 2020 // by ATON RECOVERY

Imagine this scenario: you are ready to take an amazing journey, the trip of a lifetime. You invite all of your friends and family and start packing the car. When everything is in the car, you motion to everyone to get in the car with you. But they refuse, and some of them even try to talk you out of taking the trip at all. What do you do? Do you get in the car and leave them behind? Or do you stay and try to talk them into coming with you?

This scenario is a metaphor for our journey in recovery. When we go to treatment, we are packing our bags, ready to set out on a new life. However, at some point, we realize that although we’ve asked our friends and family to join us, they are either unable or unwilling to support our recovery. In situations such as these, we are forced into a choice: our friends and family, or our recovery. It’s a difficult decision to have to make. Do we have to leave friends and family behind after treatment?

Past Relationships

One of the most difficult aspects of recovery is when we have family and friends who are not ready or able to support us on our journey. This is the nature of substance use, as we cause harm to good people in our lives and surround ourselves with others who use substances. When we are suddenly sober, that changes the dynamics of those relationships completely.

One painful realization that often comes during our recovery is that those who use substances do not have our best interests at heart. Our relationships are often built around dysfunction and with the mutual need for substances. When we are suddenly learning to be emotionally healthy, and seek to pursue sobriety, our previous relationships are turned upside down.

These relationships can include, but are not limited to: casual friends, longtime friends, extended family, immediate family, partners, and even children. Some are easier to wean ourselves from, should we need to. Yet many of these relationships are long-term or even lifelong, and it is very difficult to consider changing them. Romantic relationships are very challenging because we are changing so much that the relationship can eventually be greatly impacted.

Help or Hindrance?

The biggest question in evaluating our relationships is to ask ourselves if this person will help or hinder our recovery. We may have relationships where people did not necessarily buy into our treatment or recovery, but they are not particularly opposed to it either. They are not going to try to influence us to relapse or make other poor decisions. These relationships are not the ones that get us into trouble with our recovery.

The ones that are difficult are those who are dysfunctional or are still using substances. They may try to interfere with our recovery because misery loves company. Even if they are our partner or our blood relative, their influence in our life at this time can be toxic. These are often the people who trigger us to want to use substances, as well. If they respect our journey and respect us enough to not use around us or be toxic participants in the pursuit of our addiction, we may be able to keep a version of our relationship with them. However, those who are not capable of supporting us may exist in a place to undermine our recovery and may need to be removed from our lives.

Travel Options

We may not need to write off everyone in our lives. There are plenty of directions we can go, the most important being the skill of setting and keeping boundaries. We can choose to see family on our terms, in our own home, when we know we can keep it substance free. We can agree to limit our time, or we can agree to only communicate long-distance, such as by phone, text, or email. There are many different boundaries we can set if we truly want to keep these people in our lives.

The most important factor to consider is ourselves. We are the ones who have been directly impacted by substance use disorder. Making a life transformation and wanting to be a better person for us and for our other relationships is a tall task and we deserve to give ourselves the best chance of recovery. It may seem selfish to some, but it is necessary to protect our sobriety if we feel as though it is threatened. We are trying to save our lives. Sometimes in order to do that, and to maintain our recovery, we have to set others free. If they come back to us willing to love and respect us along with our choices, then we can choose to allow them into our lives.

Do you have to leave friends and family behind after treatment? That is ultimately up to you. Those who love you will respect you and do anything to stay in your life. If they are not able to remain in your life as you travel the road of recovery, then we need to let them go. This is our journey. Whether we do it alone or with loved ones, the most important thing is that we embark.

Start your journey of a lifetime today. We can succeed with our quest, no matter who joins us or not. Call AToN Center at (888) 813-5928 today.

The Peace of Recovery

February 27, 2020 // by ATON RECOVERY

Life can be chaotic even without substance use, let’s just be honest about it. When we add substance abuse, as well as the reasons that we drink or do drugs, our lives can just feel like a disaster inside and out, despite our best attempts at keeping ourselves together. It can seem like peace is impossible to find. However, it does not need to be impossible. We can find peace in our own recovery, even amidst all the turmoil.

Looking within Ourselves

Sometimes we spend so much of our lives looking for peace from the outside, we can neglect the true source of peace, which is within us. Sometimes, what is inside of us hurts so much, we intentionally look to outside sources for anything that will stop the pain, or at least distract us from it for a while. Often, this is how we begin our substance abuse. That is never the way to peace, though.

When we search inside ourselves, we can find the reasons why we turned to substance use in the first place and then address those directly. There are so many different reasons that we may have started drinking or using drugs, including past trauma, loss, a co-occurring mental health condition, and more. Identifying our own personal “eye of the storm” and neutralizing it can help us gain more peace in our lives.

Accepting Who We Are

Peace can also come through acceptance. The storms of guilt, shame, blame and many more only serve to create more emotional chaos within us. When there is chaos within is, we create and are drawn to the chaos outside of us. If we do not accept who we are and harbor guilt and shame, we will also attract those things from the outside.

Accepting who we are is the willingness to look ourselves in the mirror and accept ourselves as-is, at that moment, and shove aside the voices of guilt and shame. We can accept who we are without adding on the negative self-talk, the internal or external shame. Who we are, right here, right now, as-is. When we are okay with ourselves in the mirror, then we can calmly make choices about what we want to change.

Loving Ourselves Enough to Change

While in the midst of substance abuse, we do more self-loathing than self-loving. Part of entering into recovery is learning to love ourselves. We don’t have to love our negative behaviors, just love ourselves enough to realize that we can change our behaviors. Truly practicing self-love is a big part of finding peace.

Ways to Find Peace in Recovery

There are also specific tools we can use to find peace in recovery:

• Mindfulness and Meditation – Mindfulness is the state of mind in which we are present and in the moment and also accepting without judgment of whatever is in that moment. There are many types of meditation, however, mindfulness meditation involves using meditation techniques of clearing our minds to then reach a state of mindfulness. Together, they help us to physically and mentally achieve a peaceful state and help us to know how to access it more and more often the more we practice.

• Yoga – the art of breathing and meditation combined with simple physical poses called Yoga is now widely used for both exercise and relaxation. Yoga originated as part of spiritual discipline, however, it has become a non-denominational tool for people to clear their minds and bodies and help find peace and focus.

• Time for Ourselves – One of the reasons peace is so elusive is that when we live in crisis, we forget to stay grounded, to make sure that our needs are being met. Taking time for ourselves on a daily basis, even if it is just 15 minutes, helps us to stay centered and gives us more peace so that we have more to give to the world.

Keeping the Peace

We have all had peaceful moments. Times when we were relaxed, content, and just at peace. Too often, when we have substance use, those moments are fleeting or non-existent. As we seek treatment and start our recovery journey, we can re-connect with the peace that is within us. We can have more of these moments, which can transform not only our lives but who we are. Because when the storms die down, we can see more clearly and do so much more.

The real trick is in not just finding, but also keeping that peace. It is too easy to let the storms creep back in, even if we are sober. When we develop good habits of self-care, including regular mindfulness meditation, yoga, and taking time for ourselves, then we can keep the storms of crisis at bay. The more we practice our recovery, the more peace we have.

Living with substance use can feel like we are constantly in the eye of the storm. That we are perpetually in crisis, relentless waves of pain and chaos, and there is not even one moment of peace. You don’t have to live like that anymore. Find your recovery, find your peace. You can love and accept yourself. You can find tools to help you keep the storms at bay, even when life itself gets stormy. Make the call today to help you unleash healing peace in your life.

Find the peace that only recovery can bring you. Call AToN Center at (888) 813-5928 now.

How Can I Love Myself Again?

February 24, 2020 // by ATON RECOVERY

Substance use can damage us in ways we never anticipated. On the surface, there are behaviors we exhibit and the mistakes we make cost us our finances, jobs, and relationships. We feel the changes in our bodies and our minds. The most significant damage, however, is that we lose the ability to love ourselves. Even if we enter treatment, how can we ever love ourselves again?

Falling in Love

Just like meeting someone else and falling in love, we need to give ourselves the opportunity to love ourselves again. This begins when we make the decision to seek treatment for our substance abuse. It is scary, maybe even terrifying, to think of the process it may take to love oneself again. It is also a process full of excitement. Getting into treatment can be the beginning of a beautiful and wonderful relationship with ourselves.

By making the choice to begin our recovery journey, we are showing ourselves that we have the capacity to love ourselves, although it may not seem quite that romantic. Even if we were strongly advised to seek treatment, agreeing and committing to begin our recovery shows that we love ourselves enough to be brave and open our hearts once again.

Opening Our Hearts

When we are open to accepting who we are, we truly open our hearts to love and feel again. Society and others may judge us for our behavior and experience while we are in our use. We tend to do that, too, and often judge ourselves more harshly than anyone else. However, as we begin the journey of recovery and learn to love ourselves again, we gain acceptance: being willing to take ourselves as-is, no judgments about our past or behaviors. We simply look in the mirror and see who we are. We learn to just be.

Acceptance does not give us permission to continue doing harmful things to ourselves or others. We can be responsible for our actions without assigning more guilt or shame to ourselves. Acceptance simply allows us to be okay with what we have done in order for us to move past our past transgressions. We open our hearts to growth and love, as well as the ability to love and be loved by others, too.

Forgiving Ourselves

When we feel damaged and broken, it is hard to rid ourselves of the guilt and shame of what we did when we used substances. There is freedom in forgiveness, though. When we have looked into our hearts and have seen that we are actually wonderful, then we can choose to forgive ourselves for the things in our past.

We don’t need to justify or rationalize our behaviors, just be willing to look at ourselves, accept our circumstance, then desire to heal from our past. One of the best parts of this process is the possibility of changing our behaviors going forward. We can acknowledge what we have done, make peace with it, then show true forgiveness by choosing a new path going forward. Forgiving ourselves and living in recovery shows a deep love for ourselves.

Showing Up

Waking up every day and re-committing to our recovery is the way to show up in our own lives. As we show up and do the work, our hearts grow and we can realize that showing up each day is love. The gift of recovery is one of the greatest acts of self-love that we can give ourselves.

Showing up in our lives and in our recovery demonstrates a belief in ourselves that exhibits an even more intense for ourselves. We are living our love for ourselves each day, by actually embodying the love that we have, growing within us and shaping our future.

Love Is in the Air

One of the most significant by-products of the recovery process is a massive increase in love we have for ourselves. Without doing anything drastic, we have learned a new way of life. Just by giving ourselves the best, most authentic effort to heal from substance abuse, we have regained self-love. By focusing on our healing, our hearts heal and we can learn to love the person that looks back at us in the mirror.

We don’t always get a partner, or friends, or our family back. We may not get the job back, or the rest of the stuff that we may have lost during our substance use. That is the nature of substance use and the long term impacts that it can have on our lives. However, we can gain acceptance, forgiveness and self-love. Those gifts to ourselves will allow us to heal from our pain and empower us to create new happiness in our lives. When we love ourselves, we have more room than ever before for love in our hearts. Whether that is love for other people, for what we do, or the world around us, we can achieve more happiness than we could have ever imagined.

Wherever we are, no matter how much pain, no matter how broken we are, there is always the decision to open our hearts and love ourselves again. When we forgive ourselves and others, accept who we are, and show up for recovery, we create the opportunity for a loving new relationship with ourselves. We can allow others to love us again, too. The opportunities for love and healing in recovery are endless. Begin your journey today. You deserve to be loved and to love yourself.

You can love yourself again. Give yourself the gift of self-love in recovery. Call AToN Center at (888) 813-5928 today.

How Do I Convince My Family I Need Recovery?

February 20, 2020 // by ATON RECOVERY

The road to our admission to a substance abuse problem has been long, and after a long period of suffering, we have decided to begin our recovery journey. We look to our family and friends for their support, and for some of us, we are surprised when we meet resistance or discouragement regarding our desire to begin the treatment process. These are the people we thought would have our backs, and now it seems that we are going to have to convince them that we need help instead. How do I convince my family I need recovery?

Denial

Many times, if we suffer from substance abuse, we are surrounded by some level of dysfunction within our families. Many in recovery come from families rife with these issues. In fact, substance abuse has been speculated to be a genetic trait. We also often learn the behaviors that lead to substance abuse issues from our family. This means that if we have decided to seek help for substance use, they may be in denial of how much this has impacted us.

There is also the situation of the “black sheep” of the family. Another frequent occurrence is substance abuse in individuals who come from good families who may have never experienced these things before. In these cases, it is often the thought of “no way that substance abuse could affect MY family” that leads to denial. In some cultures, it can even be seen as weak or taboo to seek outside help for a substance abuse issue, so the natural course is to just deny it exists.

Unfortunately, if our family is in denial, we may not be able to get much-needed support from them. Remember that support does not equate to love. Our families always love us in the best way they can, but they may not emotionally and mentally be able to support us due to their own issues or upbringing. Sometimes, learning this fact is the support we need to enter recovery because we realize that their denial has been enabling our behavior. The lack of support from family members is often what is needed, and can give us the impetus to change our own lives.

Honesty

Another reason families may be hesitant to support our recovery is perhaps they do not know how severely our substance use impacts our lives. We may have told them some of our stories, but not the gritty details. It is not that we need to confess our darkest secrets to them, but we can let them know if our substance use is impacting our attendance at work, failures in higher education, and affecting our ability to be productive members of society. Saying “I miss a lot of work” does not have the same impact of letting them know how severe our attendance problem is.

When we are honest with our families about our substance use and the impact it is having on our lives, we give them the opportunity to make a more informed decision about the value that treatment could have for us. We now have taken accountability for our actions, which is an important skill as we navigate the roadmap to recovery. Being honest about our substance use allows our families and friends to see the whole picture. Whether or not that convinces them of our need for treatment is still their choice.

Ask for Support

While we may be talking to them about our need for treatment, we may not always ask for their support. Perhaps they have some kind of personal issues with treatment, so they have a hard time giving us their stamp of approval. Another way of seeking their approval is if we ask for love and support. They may be willing to give that anyway, simply because they love us. However, we cannot force everyone into making the same conclusions and decisions about something they have to give, even with something as vital to our health as treatment. Asking for support gives us that much more strength and determination to succeed in our recovery.

With or Without You

Most families are very supportive of treatment, but some are not. Whether it is due to dysfunction, denial, or just not being able to grasp how important treatment can be to us, we should never allow that to stop us from making our own decision. Treatment for substance use is life-changing, and when it comes to healing, this is a decision that we need to make. The support of our family could make easier for us, but it should not change our decision. It is important to get the help we need, with or without our families.

So how do I convince my family I need recovery? That is not always possible. The most important thing is that we convince ourselves. We can ask for approval and support. We can be open, honest, and accountable to them, but at the end of the day, this is our life and our treatment. As much as you may love your family and want their blessing, treatment is your choice. This is your life and your recovery. Don’t let anyone prevent your opportunity for healing.

Make the call to begin your treatment today. With or without your family’s support, your life matters. Make the call today. Call AToN Center at (888) 813-5928.

Why is Yoga a Part of Recovery?

February 17, 2020 // by ATON RECOVERY

When we begin our recovery, some things are obvious. We obviously need to go through detoxification as we become sober. Therapy makes a lot of sense, we have been through a lot. Meditation can be very calming and help us clear our minds. Learning coping skills, having some recreation and group activities… all of these make sense. One thing stands out, though: why is yoga a part of recovery?

What is Yoga?

Yoga is a practice that is thousands of years old. Originally, it was a spiritual practice, handed down through generations. Modern yoga is often seen as more of a physical workout. Many do find it very relaxing and find that it centers them, or helps them to feel mentally and physically well.

The truth is that yoga is a physical, spiritual and mental workout. The holistic focus of yoga does so much more than make us burn calories, sweat, or tone our muscles. Yoga also helps us feel relaxed, focused, and mentally healthy, too. There are three main components of yoga that help us to be well:

1) Breathe – a big part of yoga is to learn and practice deep breathing. This helps in multiple ways. Breathing is a cleansing practice. Not only are we focusing on taking in more oxygen, which helps our bodies and minds, but we also focus on exhaling. When we exhale, the air leaves our bodies, but negative energy is also released with each time we breathe out. Breathing helps us to cleanse our minds, bodies, and spirits and to invite new, healing oxygen and energy into our bodies. It is not just about the physical exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. Breathing is healing on a physical and emotional level.

The focus we acquire as we breathe is also very beneficial. We become more in tune with how our bodies are feeling and what is going on inside of them. This is so healing after substance use, where we physically punished our bodies and emotionally disconnect from our physical and mental pain. With every deep, cleansing breath that we take, we are healing the mental and emotional connections to our physical bodies.

2) Meditate – meditation hones our minds and acts as a workout for the control center of our bodies. As Yoga is a meditative practice by nature, we increase our ability to focus and clear our minds. This is very calming and relaxing for many of us who have physical side effects from substance abuse that make it difficult for us to hold still or remain calm and relaxed.

Meditation also helps us to exercise the part of our minds that will help us to control our cravings. The more we meditate, the better we get at conditioning our minds to resist cravings. Meditation is a very powerful tool against substance cravings, which impact us mentally, emotionally and physically. The mental conditioning and healing that yoga provides is exactly what we need in our recovery.

3) Tone Our Bodies – this is one of the obvious benefits, as many of us know yoga to be a physically challenging endeavor. The stretching and holding of various positions does wonders for the body in the recovery process. It may not seem like it would be much of a physically demanding workout, but the act of holding our bodies still is an excellent physical challenge. This is healing, as our bodies have suffered a lot during our substance use. Learning to use them in a way that requires strength and relaxation, concentration and endurance, all at the same time, helps us to improve our body strength, conditioning, and control.

This focused, intense muscle workout also helps us to regain mastery over our bodies. Not just the ability to hold still and stretch and hold our muscles into unholy positions, but the ability to control what our bodies are doing. We can feel the sensations as we stretch and hold, we can be acutely aware of everything going on in our bodies. For us to focus mentally, emotionally, and physically can be exceptionally healing.

Why Yoga?

Yoga is not just any exercise. It is a complete, holistic workout for the mind, body, and soul. While that would be healthy for anyone, yoga is particularly helpful in helping us heal from substance abuse. It is kind of like re-learning to walk, except the skills we acquire such as breathing, meditation, and toning of our bodies may be new skills to us. Yoga empowers us to take control and heal our minds, bodies, and souls in a way that is realistic and helpful.

Your recovery should heal you holistically – emotionally, mentally, and physically. Yoga is a rigorous and demanding workout for all aspects of your being. You can recover without yoga, but the benefits of yoga are beneficial to explore as you progress on the journey of sobriety.

Yoga can take your weaknesses and makes them strengths. It can give you more power and control over your body, mind, and soul than you may have ever thought was possible. This is why yoga is a part of recovery. The mindfulness of self and healing that occurs can improve life in significant ways, and you are worth that.

Find out the value of yoga in recovery. Call AToN Center at (888) 813-5928 today. You can heal your mind, body, and soul.

Smashing Stigma about Recovery

February 17, 2020 // by ATON RECOVERY

There has been a lot of stigma about addiction. Society portrays people with substance use issues as outsiders, miscreants, living on the street and on the fringe of society. But we know that addiction is me. It is you. It is us. Addiction affects human beings from every walk of life, at every age. We are all human beings who live and breathe and love like everyone else, no matter our station in life. When people realize that we are all addicted, only then will perceptions change. When we stand tall and tell our stories, then we can smash the stigma about addiction and recovery.

Our Own Stigma

One of the biggest stumbling blocks of stigma is that we ourselves have bought into it. If we believe that we are the stereotype that society has painted of addiction, then stigma has won. Self-loathing tends to go hand and hand with substance use, but it is neither productive nor helpful to our cause. When we buy into the stigma and wallow in our self-loathing, we become what we believe about ourselves.

We can learn to separate our behaviors from our true selves and learn the art of acceptance. We can learn about what addiction is, why and how it affects us, and how our behaviors can change when we seek treatment. The first step in smashing stigma is to convince ourselves that we are human beings with strengths and weaknesses, graces and challenges, just like everyone else. No one is perfect, but when we suffer from substance abuse issues, it doesn’t make us less of a person. It makes us more human. It gives us the opportunity to affect change.

Other People’s Perceptions

It can be difficult to change other people’s perceptions, sometimes it’s impossible. That doesn’t mean that we should give up. One of the most powerful ways to affect change in this world is by living authentically. By showing the world who we are, every single day, and experiencing and sharing human emotions side by side with other people, we can change the world.

The perceptions of society are formed from the media, especially the entertainment industry. In the year 2020, there are still parts in plays, movies, and television shows portraying “the town drunk” or “the crack addict.” The ignorance that is perpetuated so profusely is very powerful, but often on a subliminal level. This is why we need to live courageously and without shame, our real-life experiences with other people will create a conscious representation of human beings who live with addiction. When we are able to convey the reality of what substance abuse and recovery looks like, then we can truly change other people’s perceptions.

Education Conquers Ignorance

Another way to influence change is to help educate others about substance use. When we are willing to talk about our experiences, we can also educate others about what substance use is and is not. We can clarify misconceptions and share knowledge so that others are better informed. When people are educated, ignorance makes way for tolerance, acceptance, and support. Education humanizes substance use and empowers people to relate instead of judge, to support instead of dismiss. Education smashes stigma and creates space for everyone to grow.

Being Brave

It can be difficult enough to face our own truths, to fight the stigma that is deeply rooted in our own lives. It takes true courage to share our truths, to stand up and speak out about things that we ourselves have been ashamed of. However, there is power in being courageous. There is power in doing something that exposes the truth and legitimizes humanity. That power lifts us up and helps us to realize that we are brave. Sharing our truth can help lift others. Being honest and authentic helps to reinforce our own existence.

Being Heroic

There is something else that comes from our courage in standing up and sharing: we can become role models in other people’s lives. When we talk about our own experiences with substance use and recovery, we can help empower others to face their own substance use and to make changes in their lives, too. When we normalize that which was stigmatized, we open doors for others to grow and find their own recovery.

Educating others about substance use and sharing our experiences can take courage, but when we are willing to step out of our comfort zone, we can change the lives of other people. Even if we did not have anyone to light the way or educate us, we can open windows and doors for other people and create a generation of change that can last forever. We can be heroes for the present and the future. With a ripple effect of knowledge and wisdom, we can change the world.

Breaking the stigma of addiction and recovery begins within ourselves. As we learn to accept and learn more about the forces within us, then we can live in a way that humanizes substance use and changes the perceptions of others. That conversation can lead to education and empowerment that not only affects change in perception but also can inspire change in others. We can change the stigma. The power is within us. Our own transformation can also change the world.

Change the perception of addiction and recovery. Stand tall and be the face of change. Call AToN Center at (888) 813-5928 now.

Do I Need Spirituality to Heal from Addiction?

February 6, 2020 // by ATON RECOVERY

For many years, spirituality in one form or another has been a part of addiction recovery. The belief that one must surrender to a power greater than themselves has been a guiding principle in recovery for a long time. However, spirituality is a personal thing. Some people may not feel comfortable, or even able to, connect with a spiritual component in order to heal from addiction. The question “Do I need spirituality to heal from addiction?” is actually not something that anyone can tell anyone else. The answer to that question is as unique as each one of us is, and only each of us as individuals can answer it for ourselves.

In choosing whether to pursue spirituality to recover from addiction it is important to keep an open mind. Many who considered themselves non-spiritual have come to believe in some sort of higher power that helps them recover. As there are many ways to recover from addiction, it is suggested that we remain receptive to change and new ideas regarding spirituality. That said, the decision remains with oneself as they choose their path of recovery.

Traditional Recovery

The most commonly known addiction recovery methods are 12-step based recovery programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. In these types of programs, there are a series of steps that one does in order to bring about recovery. Many of these steps involve forming a relationship with, and coming to rely on, a power greater than oneself. Within the AA or NA model, it is encouraged to turn our will over to a power beyond our own and to seek help from that source. The continual seeking of a higher power and building a “god-consciousness” is effective in bringing about recovery for many who participate. That being said, it is a common mischaracterization that the higher power talked about in 12-step groups must be a “God”. Our higher power can be anything in these groups, as long as it is not yourself.

These groups are a tried and true method of recovery, with the spirituality focused on coming to understand a power greater than oneself. The 12-step model offers life-long support and meetings, as well as the opportunity for those in recovery to reach out and get help from others. As is true with all methods of recovery, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every person is different when it comes to their wants and needs, and other non-spiritual methods might be of interest to some.

Non-Spiritual Recovery

The focus on spirituality as much as 12-step programs do, particularly for someone who is not interested in forming a spiritual belief system, can be detrimental to their recovery. While some members of 12-step groups take a heavy god-centered approach to recovery, but there are groups tailored for the agnostic or atheist addicts. This is important to consider as there are individuals with an aversion to spirituality or the religious undertones that may exist in some 12-step programs. As there is an increasing desire for recovery without spirituality, a method called SMART Recovery has emerged to help people regain control over their lives.

This model is growing very quickly and has proven to be successful, despite not having a spiritual element at all. There are only four steps in SMART Recovery, built around evidence-based treatment methods focused on managing life in the long term. These steps are intended to create sobriety that is self-reliant, as we learn the skills to cope and thrive under our own personal power, rather than relying on a higher power or our own spirituality. Using a non-spiritual method of recovery means that we can still have our own beliefs and even be spiritual if we choose, but does not inherently tie recovery to spirituality.

Your Choice

At the end of the day, spirituality is a personal choice. Many people find great strength in religion or spiritual practices, but the decision to tie that to recovery is ours. When we choose our treatment, we should always look at the choices available and choose the treatment that best serves us. We know what we need and where we stand spiritually. Recovery is difficult, and the decision on pursuit of spirituality rests on our shoulders. We should always look for ways to make it more authentic and empowering to us. This is our choice, so keeping that in mind we should choose the path that will yield the most successful result for us.

Spirituality has proven to be effective. Many who were not previously spiritual have been able to find a higher power that they can work with and rely on. Spirituality is not a requirement of recovery if you do not desire what it can bring you. There are programs that are not focused on spirituality, and allow choice regarding treatment methods. Keep an open mind, consider the options, and remember: you can always try a new path or program of recovery. In answering the question, “Do I need spirituality to heal from addiction?” only you can answer that question for yourself.

Choose your own adventure, with or without spirituality attached. Call AToN Center at (888) 813-5928 today.

How to Navigate My Own Recovery

February 6, 2020 // by ATON RECOVERY

We are all individuals. Our lives are unique. The reasons that we began substance use are unique, as are our experiences while using substances. So why would we want a cookie-cutter experience in our treatment and recovery? We know ourselves the best, we know what we need. Even if substance use has left us feeling helpless, we can navigate our own recovery and get the help that will give us the most success.

Take Ownership

Even if our pathway to recovery was “encouraged” by other people in our lives, it is still our own recovery. In fact, it is even important that we choose to do this for ourselves because it is difficult to have success in recovery if we are only doing it for other people.

We might feel like we are still doing okay, or that we still have control over our lives. Perhaps we do. However, when other people step in and show concern for our behaviors, they might have valid reasons to show that concern. That should force the question to ourselves: “Do I need help?” If someone else is stepping in, then the answer is probably yes. We don’t need to wait for “rock bottom” to be honest with ourselves and choose to get help. If we are going to get help, then we should go all in and make it count.

Educate Yourself

Getting treatment isn’t about putting ourselves on a hook and letting everyone lead us around like a fish. Truly getting help should be a chance for us to find out for ourselves what kinds of treatments are available to us.

Questions we can ask ourselves include: Is the facility certified and reputable? Does the location seem like someplace I could be comfortable at? What kinds of treatment methods do they offer? Do they support my belief system? What kind of support do they offer after initial treatment?

Find Resources

Amongst the many questions that we may have, it is ideal that we find a place that offers many options in treatment, a facility that believes in personalized treatment. Look at the types of therapy offered and whether or not they use “evidence-based” or “best practices.” These practices are proven to treat addiction with scientific research and data. That is how you know if they will be able to truly give us what we need for success.

Other resources to look for are methods that include healing not just your mind, but also your body. There should always be some kind of plan for exercise or fitness. It does not have to be intense fitness, actually, something like yoga is very healing for the mind and body. A personal trainer can help create an exercise plan that meets us where we are physically. Whatever resources that are important to us individually, be sure that there are plenty of options to choose from to create a plan that gives us the best chances at success.

Choose Your Path

Once we have found the facility and resources that will best suit us, we need to make the decision to commit to our recovery. It is not enough to go through the motions, this is our life. Why would we go through detoxification and treatment and do all of that work just to go back to our old ways again? Whether it was initially our idea or others were looking out for us, this has to be our choice, our journey.

This is not just about finding a facility that we like, it is about choosing a facility that we can partner with to create a new life for ourselves. We need to want this enough to back it up with our hard work and determination. As we step onto this path, we want people guiding us who know how to give us the tools we need for success, but we have to be willing to take charge of our lives and take our lives back.

Succeed in Your Journey

Our success in recovery is completely up to us. We may have friends, family, co-workers, and others who are supporting us, but at the end of the day, we have to do the work. Every moment we succeed at staying sober, every breakthrough we make in therapy, for every discovery we make about ourselves, we are winning at this. We will have tough days, maybe even setbacks. We can dust ourselves off and get back up again and work even harder the next time. Our success will be that much more powerful knowing that we owned up to our issues, took control, made the choices, and did the work. When we opt into our recovery, going all in, we write our own success story.

Recovery is a journey best taken with all the support we can get. However, regardless of support we do or don’t have, recovery only works when we take ownership of our own lives. No matter where we are starting from, when we take the wheel and navigate our own path to wellness, we empower ourselves to succeed. Not only at recovery, but life. Make that call today. Find the place that will partner with you to rebuild your life and give you the tools to succeed. You are worth it.

Empower yourself in your own recovery. Call AToN Center at (888) 813-5928 now to find out how to navigate your recovery and take control of your life.

How Can I Get the Most Out of My Recovery?

January 31, 2020 // by ATON RECOVERY

Along with the stigma of substance use comes the media-glorified tradition of the intervention. When someone has a problem with substance use, family and friends conspire to talk them into or even force them into getting help. Being an unwitting and unwilling victim of other people’s good intentions is the least effective start to your recovery process. Sometimes, it still happens, though. Whether you got here with “help” or you got here of your own desire for help, there is one question that is always worth asking: How can I get the most out of my recovery?

The answer is you.

Let it Go

Whatever your process was for getting here, leave that behind. The resentment you may be holding onto about people who pushed or forced you into treatment is not helping anyone. Words that were said to you or about you in the past because of your substance use will not help you get anywhere. Your own reservations about coming to treatment, your fears, your past failures… none of this is helping anyone, least of all you. And all of it is history now. You are here, you are ready, and your success depends upon you. So just let go of everything else and take a leap of faith.

Open Your Mind

There are lots of preconceived notions floating around about what treatment for substance use is. Don’t let them cloud your judgment. Recovery is a personal experience. The best treatment facilities allow you to choose from many treatment options to personalize your own treatment. That means that your treatment can be whatever you want it to be.

When you open your mind to the possibilities in recovery, possibilities become open to you. For example, if you thought that treatment for substance use was all about sobriety, you can think again. Treatment can be so much more than stopping our substance use. Treatment involves many mental, physical, and spiritual factors that help us to dig deep and look at why we used substances in the first place. It is about healing, mentally and physically from the harm we have suffered, and it is about learning new ways of thinking and behaving in order to live a holistically healthier life going forward.

Make the Choice

The process of your recovery begins when you make the choice. You buy into the healing process when you decide you want more for yourself and your life. This is a decision that only you can make. All of the therapy and classes and yoga and meditation and whatever other treatment methods are happening won’t make a difference in your life long-term until you make the choice.

Recovery is yours. While there are a lot of people around who want this for you, while they will do anything and everything in their power to help you, they cannot do it for you. Only you have the power to make the changes. Only you can make the choice.

Do the Work

Once you have decided and made the commitment to yourself and your life to not only stop using substances, or to get treatment for your substance use, but to also recover your life and live powerfully going forward, then you must do the work. Again, no one else can do this for you. You need to dig deep. Do every little thing you can to make this change. Do all of the big, hard things that you need to do to make this change. When you do the work, you become the change.

Doing the work means truly learning mindfulness. Showing up for meditation not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. Doing the work means truly making the most of your therapy sessions by being alert, conscious, and willing to learn. Doing the work means looking inward and learning more about yourself, about why you used substances, and how you can fortify yourself going forward. Doing the work means doing everything you can at all times to be the person you want to be.

Reap the Rewards

No one else can make the choice for you. No one else can do the work for you. And no one else can reap the rewards like you. When you do everything that you can to maximize your recovery process, then you also get the maximum rewards. You can have a certain freedom that comes with committing to staying free of substances. You can have the peace of mind that comes when you have done the work and are healing from your past pain. You can have the joy in knowing that you are the captain of your own ship and the security of knowing that what you have learned will help you to keep you at the helm of your life going forward.

How do I get the most out of my recovery? That is a question that only you can answer. You are the only one who has complete control over your recovery experience. No one else can do it for you. No matter how you got here or who got you here, you have to be the reason that you stayed. You have to be the reason that all of this happens. And when you make that choice and do the work, you will be the one who reaps the rewards. Make your choice. Change your life. Take control today.

Maximize your recovery process by calling AToN Center at (888) 813-5928. Make the call today and take control of your recovery and your life today.

Breaking the Cycle of Addiction

January 30, 2020 // by ATON RECOVERY

Your memories of your family are always intertwined with substances. Mom always kept a bottle hidden and would drink when she was sad, and also when she thought no one was looking. When dad was drunk, he would be very, very angry. Even grandpa always smelled like alcohol, and grandma committed suicide after losing a long battle with drinking and depression. Now, there is you. Drinking is how your family has always coped with life. So when life got tough, you started drinking.

But no. You don’t want your life to be like that. Families have a lot of great traits and traditions to pass along, but this is not one of them. Maybe it won’t be easy, but you can break this cycle of addiction. You can be a pioneer in your family, a pioneer of mental health and sobriety. You can love your family, and still choose a different path. This is your life, your recovery.

The Genetics of Addiction

Alcohol use is merely one example. Families propagate addiction in many ways, often in multiple ways per family. It can be illicit drugs, prescription drugs, or even addictions such as gambling or sex or food addictions. There can also be co-occurring disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, ADHD, and more that make the situation that much more complicated. Overall, if your parents struggle with alcoholism or drug addiction, you are likely to be at least 50-60 percent genetically predisposed to addiction as well. This figure increases even more with environmental factors.

Learned Behaviors

Another major factor in addiction comes from learned behaviors. If you see dad drink whenever there is stress, or even on a regular basis, you will naturally learn that this is appropriate behavior. If mom gets high when the going gets tough, or even at the end of every day, then it will seem very natural for you to do the same. Learned behaviors are reinforced every time we witness them, and it can be very difficult to un-learn these actions. In fact, they are more than likely burned into our subconscious, and so repeating these behaviors is literally second nature to us.

Crisis Living

Another factor in addiction cycles within the family is the propensity for crisis living. It is very rare to live a calm and peaceful life when there is substance use in the home. Families live in crisis emotionally, financially, and physically, which in turn perpetuates more substance use.

For example, abuse is rampant with substance abuse. Whether it be emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, the result of childhood trauma is often to turn to substance abuse. Financial crisis can be caused by the cost of substance habits, or merely not being able to make and keep a budget because of the substance use. Chronic financial crisis begets inherited money problems as well as more substance abuse. Substance use can also create other physical crises such as moving often, dealing with accidents or incarceration of family members, or death. All of these crises situations and more perpetuate future generations of substance abuse.

Breaking the Mold

You can change the story, write a new script for your life. Taking the leap of faith into recovery can feel especially foreign to you if no one else in your family has done it. After all, you are breaking the mold to desire mental health and freedom from substance use. But breaking the mold can also be exhilarating. You face a new future, with doors opening for you that you never thought possible. Making this choice is powerful for anyone, but you are breaking a cycle. You are truly empowered.

Courageous Soul, Broken Heart

Being courageous can have its consequences. Many families with generational addiction will not only not be supportive of your choice but could disavow themselves of you altogether. More likely, you may find that in order to be true to your own recovery, you may have to drastically change your relationships with them, even to the point of not having any communication with them. These are worst-case scenarios, but you should know that the possibility of pruning your family tree exists. Sometimes with great courage, we are left with a broken heart.

However, this sacrifice is not in vain. You are doing this for you, to give yourself a life that you would otherwise never have. You are doing this to create freedom for future generations, too. To save your life, and the lives of your children, their children, etc., you may be forced to make painful choices. Making these choices with love and clarity, without the lenses of enabling or making excuses for addiction, you will find that true love is being willing to create a new life for yourself and in turn bless the generations that came before as well as the generations to come.

This is the life you have known, and you know it is not healthy. You want something more. You want freedom from substances, the gift that keeps on giving for generations to come. You can find your road to recovery, with or without your family’s blessing. It will be hard, given the genetics, learned behaviors, and crisis lifestyle. But it will also be empowering. You can break the cycle, write a new story. The power is in you and will transfer to your posterity. Be the gamechanger in your family tree.

Break the cycle of addiction in your family. Give your future generations the freedom to live addiction-free. Call AToN Center at (888) 813-5928 now.