Blog

When a person is in active addiction, they are often disconnected from the things they are feeling and what is happening around them. This can be a way to cope when they are not sure what else to do. Mindfulness is the opposite of this. Mindfulness is being fully present...

Drugs take a toll on how a person’s body processes food, and a person who is experiencing active addiction may not be able to consistently make good choices around food. As a result, half of all people who are starting recovery also have nutritional deficiencies, on top of everything else...

Numerous studies have shown that spirituality can be an important factor in recovery. What is spirituality, and how is it different from religion? Does this mean a person who isn’t particularly spiritual is doomed to relapse? At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, we think it is important for...

For too long, our society has used harsh, judgmental, and medically inaccurate terms to describe people who struggle with addiction. This has resulted in shame, blame, and stigma, all of which undermine recovery. At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, we see the importance of responding to addiction with...

Recovery is more than just getting sober. It means finding new ways to address stress and having a plan for managing challenges that arise. When people quit using a substance, but don’t have a recovery plan, they risk cross-addiction. At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, this is something...

If someone in your life is in recovery from addiction and it’s not a topic you’re used to discussing, you might not be sure how best to support them, other than clearing out alcohol and drugs from your home and events you want them to attend. At Safe Harbor Recovery...

Guilt and shame are terms that are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are not the same. The differences between these two feelings are absolutely crucial to substance use recovery, and at Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, we want to be sure that you understand how they are different....

Accountability is a word that you hear a lot in recovery, so it is important to know what it means and how it applies to you. At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, we want our patients to learn more than the language of recovery, but also the lifestyle...

If you can remember Y2K, you might recall a time when doctors prescribed opioids at the drop of a hat. The willy-nilly distribution of legal medications was part of the catalyst behind today’s opioid epidemic, along with the introduction of newer, more powerful synthetic opioids. We have learned a lot...

Maybe some of your relationships were damaged by active addiction, or maybe you never had the support you needed, even before you started using substances. Either way, you may have looked around one day and realized that most of your interactions were with other people who drank or used with...