“Self-care.” On paper the term is self-explanatory and straightforward, meaning to take care of yourself. By Google’s definition, it means, “taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health.” Simple! Right? …well, if you’re anything like me, and you spent a significant period of your life doing the opposite of this, it can be challenging to develop an effective self-care routine.
At first, drinking was fun. Alcohol gave Tony confidence. Sober, Tony was a shy kid. But a few drinks changed all that. In his early twenties, Tony was married and running his own business in wedding video-photography. Tony’s drinking wasn’t fun anymore, and his alcohol consumption was becoming a problem.
We use our brains to make sense of our reality. Nerve endings spread from the brain and spinal cord throughout the body to receive sensory input as well as to activate parts of the body, both voluntarily and autonomically. Brain damage can make it very difficult to interpret sensory information and also to regulate bodily functions.
It’s a reality faced by many in the LGBTQ+ community: the increased likelihood of addiction, whether its smoking, alcohol, or drugs. But why? Let’s explore five reasons that can help us understand.
Today we’ll be learning about gratitude. Because it is an incredible, incredible tool. Some of you may already practice gratitude in your day to day life and some of you may need a bit of a refresher. I think this is always a topic even though I’ve studied it myself and the research on it is pretty good. It’s always something to come back to. I do a lot of journalling and I find that it’s quite useful to be able to put into words pen to paper, what you’re grateful for because it really does change your brain chemistry.
COVID-19 should not prevent someone from being able to receive life-saving addiction and mental health treatment. Rest assured that we are taking every step possible to protect our current patient population from contracting the infection.
Our facilities have policies and protocols in place to protect patients, including screening new patients, limiting visitors, and moving aftercare groups to online meetings.
Continue to our action plan to see what we are doing to protect our patients from COVID-19.
