“This Recovery Life”
you write your story and we’ll amplify it!
these are written by our readers
In YOUR own words!
Recovery doesn’t just equal anonymous these days, shining a light on what freedom from addiction means to you helps others
Recovery Community Centers Offer Good Soil for a Place to Grow
You don’t get over addiction by stopping using, you get over addiction by creating a new life Recovery is a life-long journey of learning and growing. In early recovery, the focus is on getting through the first days, weeks, and months of not using. Our brains and...
Recovery Works for ME
I am a person in long-term recovery and work at the Bangor Area Recovery Network in the field of peer-based recovery support services. I am intimately familiar with the barriers individuals face when entering the workforce and/or while working to sustain their...
Yoga In Recovery
Yoga is known to foster the mind/body connection, but it also acts as a conduit to understanding that each of us has an inherent connection to something greater than ourselves. Yoga makes room for the student to passively experience an awareness of the...
What is Prevention?
The dictionary defines prevention as a way to stop something from happening before it starts. How do we prevent addiction from happening? Addiction is a disease. It centers in the brain. The best answer we have so far is to educate children about substance use and...
Everyone Hates the “B” Word!
A plan DOES provide financial freedom The word “budget” can cause negative feelings and anxiety for many, but a budget, also known as a “spending plan,” is just a tool you can use to help you gain control of your money and your expenses and help you improve your...
How Can I Follow My Bliss If I Don’t Know What It Is?
A practical approach After a year or two of recovery, when one’s self-belief in their own recovery takes root, the question often comes: “What do I want to do now that I have a chance to do it?” It is an organic question, and part of the recovery process. If you are...
The Recurrence Response
The question we get asked the most in the work we do with couples in recovery is the dreaded: “What happens if one of us relapses?” A Recurrence can happen to both the person with the substance use disorder as well as the person who loves them and engages in...
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Morning Pages: three pages, hand-written, purely stream of consciousness, zero rules, for your eyes only Artist’s Date: A couple of hours, all by yourself, engaging your creative spark – nature, music, dance, a movie – all can fuel your creative spirit. One morning in...
Veronica Ingrao
Eleven years. It took me 11 years to painfully claw through just two years of college. My family immigrated to the United States with $100 so my sister and I could access high-quality education. Three generations of female doctors, who lived through WWI, WWII and...
Dying in Recovery
Damaged body, dynamic spirit In August of 2020, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the first thing I thought about was my recovery. I had just celebrated 18 months of living a new way of life, and my first thought was, “I didn’t get clean for this.” I knew the...
Finding Meaningful Work and Helping Others Find Theirs
As he turns 30 this summer, Zachary Walker is right where he wants to be—not only settling into an Old Orchard Beach cottage with his girlfriend but spending his days helping others on the path to recovery. As a Peer Connector for Goodwill Northern New England, his...
Issue 15 Publisher’s Letter
Today, I’m thankful for a community that is built on lifelong learners. Our past provides ample opportunity to be re-examined, reflected on, and then reframed in a way that best supports us today. I know I learn something new about myself every time I walk through...