Sober Living Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery

Tips for Saying No to Alcohol on Thanksgiving

Posted on November 5, 2021 by cmarnew

The holiday season is when most people who struggle with alcohol addiction will relapse as peer and society pressure to drink is very heavy this time of year. To help you with your cravings for alcohol on Thanksgiving and other holidays, enrolling in an alcohol addiction treatment program can teach you healthy coping skills so you can say no to alcohol while still enjoying the holiday season with friends and family.

At Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, we can help you have a sober Thanksgiving. Our alcohol addiction treatment program can help you discover your triggers and build healthy coping skills to say no to the drink and yes to a sober lifestyle. If the holidays are tough for you to maintain your sobriety, call 833.448.0127 today to speak with our caring staff about our alcohol addiction treatment program.

Tips for Having a Sober Thanksgiving

The holiday season is synonymous with drinking. Having alcohol on Thanksgiving is something we learned from watching our parents drink and celebrate with friends and family since we were young. To help you have a sober Thanksgiving and reduce the chances of relapse, follow these tips for having a sober Thanksgiving:

Plan ahead – Prepare yourself mentally for being around alcohol. Remind yourself you don’t need or want alcohol.
Attend a meeting – Attending meetings is a great way to talk about the pressures of staying sober during the holidays and ease your stress.
Host an alcohol-free Thanksgiving – Hosting your Thanksgiving party eliminates being around alcohol and makes staying sober easier. Invite friends from your sober community to join in along with your family.
Let everyone know you are not drinking – Your close family and friends should know that you are sober and want to stay that way. By talking about it, they can help you stay sober.
BYOBeverage – Bring your own non-alcoholic beverage to lessen your temptations and have something to drink at the ready.
Invite a sober friend – Having a sober friend with you will be a big help when everyone around you is drinking. And someone to talk to when cravings are strong.
Call your support team – Your cravings and triggers will always be with you. If you feel an urge to drink, step away from the party and call your support team for reassurance.
Remember your coping skills – Remember the skills you learned during your alcohol addiction treatment program. They are there to help you maintain your sobriety.

Enrolling in an Alcohol Addiction Treatment Program

Sober holidays are not an impossibility when you support peers and staff at an alcohol addiction treatment program. An outpatient program allows you to continue with your busy life while attending therapy sessions built around a working professional’s schedule. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you want to have access to treatment programs that can give you the support you need during the holidays. An outpatient alcohol addiction treatment program will include:

Individual and group therapy
Family counseling
Medication-assisted treatment
Case management and peer support
Telehealth programs for virtual support

Enrolling in an alcohol addiction treatment program before the holidays begin can help strengthen your resolve on your recovery and practice your coping skills to help ignore your cravings for alcohol on Thanksgiving.

Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery Can Help You Enjoy Your Sober Holidays

At Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, we are here to help you cope with the increase in alcohol on Thanksgiving that will be all around you. Office parties, friends gathering at bars, and family get-togethers are trigger points that can lead to a relapse. Our behavioral and medication-assisted treatment programs can help you maintain your sobriety during the holidays.

If you struggle with your sobriety during the holidays, call 833.448.0127 today to speak with our friendly and compassionate staff about our alcohol addiction treatment program and how we can help you enjoy a sober Thanksgiving.

Pro-Social Behavior: What it means, why it matters, and how to do it?

Posted on November 1, 2021 by cmarnew

Addiction is a disease of isolation. One of its key features is its ability to reinforce antisocial behaviors within the host, leading to more antisocial behaviors, so on and so forth. The addict at their lowest point, is entirely alone. Before getting clean, many of us share the experience of having a phone full of peoples’ numbers yet with no one to call. We alienate, avoid, lie, cheat, steal manipulate, wear myriad masks, all in an attempt to protect our addiction as it eats away at us. So it stands to reason that in the end of our active drug addiction, all we have is a shell of ourselves that existed before alcoholism or drug addiction, and perhaps a few loved ones holding onto hope. And so it is that when we find ourselves beginning the journey of addiction recovery at a drug addiction rehab center, even after the drugs have left our system, our antisocial behavioral pattern that served our addiction well, keeps us from progressing towards a quality, sober life. This is where the need for promoting pro-social behavior comes from.

The term “Prosocial Behavior” can be defined as, “voluntary actions that are intended to help or benefit another individual or group of individuals.” This could include donating to a charity anonymously or stopping to help a stranded person on the side of the road. For people in early alcoholism treatment or addiction treatment, this could mean giving money back to a store we stole from or to a charity supporting people who cannot afford a higher quality drug addiction treatment center in Colorado (or elsewhere!) Those examples are prosocial because in each case the individual does an action that doesn’t provide them with a tangible reward in return. So how does someone at an addiction treatment center and in early addiction recovery, shift from antisocial behavior to prosocial behavior? That’s where Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery’s expert addiction counselors, addiction therapists, mental health therapists, addiction medicine providers, case managers & other treatment providers come into play in a way that few other addiction treatment center staff can…

At CMAR we teach prosocial behavior, we have our patients practice prosocial behavior, and we model it as well. In every interaction we have with one of our patients, we seek to motivate the people in our care to engage in healthy human interactions. Though we are not a specifically 12 step drug treatment program, we understand that as far back as the founding of AA, alcoholism experts and addiction experts have understood that the root of recovery is prosocial inspirational conversations between two parties, at least one of which has true empathy for the other. We too seek to inspire prosocial behaviors, in part by showing examples (having senior patients act it out it, watching a short film with a clear pro-social message, reading short stories about the value received by practicing pro-social actions, writing and talking about prosocial behaviors and having our therapists (many of whom are in long-term addiction recovery themselves) model it. In-so-doing, we inspire our patients to seek to become more prosocial, having seen what benefits it can provide.

Humans are social creatures, so even in our darkest states of mind a part of us wants to connect with others, and our addiction treatment providers know how to positively connect with that part of the mind. Writing about things that are meaningful to ourselves like identity, values, the emotional outcome of helping others, and an ideal future self, helps lead people to choose prosocial behavior. In terms of practicing prosocial behavior, it’s all about performing prosocial actions and behaviors every day. We develop a prosocial mindset by literally helping others. Overtime (research suggests as short as 10 days), helping others becomes a habit, which then leads to the realizations of the extraordinary emotional and psychological benefits of prosocial behavior, thereby further ingraining the behaviors into the mind. Helping others is a particularly effective habit when those practicing it also have the opportunity to discuss the helping interactions, including how it felt. Helping others isn’t the be all end all though…

Prosocial behavior certainly involves helping others, but it also includes cooperative interactions, displaying gratitude, affirming others, engaging meaningfully with others, and even acting as our authentic selves. By doing these things, we improve our mental health, we increase the support system around us and thereby reducing relapse likelihood, we love ourselves as a member of something greater that we care about, and so on. Modeling is ultimately the most effective way in which we impart these qualities onto our patients.

To learn more about how CMAR incorporates pro-social behavior into its medication-assisted recovery program, reach out online or call 833.448.0127 today.

Peer Support Can Hold You Accountable to Your Recovery

Posted on July 23, 2021 by cmarnew

Peer support for addiction recovery can be successful in helping those suffering from addiction when individual therapy is not enough. Participants will feel more comfortable around others who have gone through similar struggles and feel more inclined to share their stories. Your deeper connection with others in your peer support group will keep you accountable as they will be encouraging you toward success and help you on bad days.

If you are interested in learning more about peer support for addiction recovery at Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, call 833.448.0127 to speak with a therapist and learn how peer support can help you or your loved ones.

Why Does Peer Support for Recovery Work so Well?

We tend to stay close to those who we feel are similar to us. Positive people attract other positive people, just like those who view the world negatively will attract others who share their pessimistic views. Peer support is successful because everyone involved has lived with addiction, including the moderator.

It allows for a more encouraging atmosphere and builds on the participant’s strengths and overall well-being, helping them stay motivated in their recovery.

Peer support can help with a variety of other mental health and social issues, including:

Opioid addiction recovery
Depression
Anxiety
Death of a loved one
Relationship issues

When you begin your addiction recovery at Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, your program will include a combination of individual therapy, peer support therapy, and case management to make sure you are getting the most out of your recovery.

Peer Support Can Keep You Accountable During Your Recovery

When working with your peers in addiction recovery, you will feel more compelled to stay on track. The other participants can give you advice on your recovery and encourage you to stick with the program. You will have more faith in their words as they are living proof that recovery is possible.

Your addiction will only be successful if you are willing to do what’s needed to recover. When first starting peer support therapy, you may feel uncomfortable sharing with others. But as you listen to them tell their stories, you will begin to relate with them and feel comfortable sharing. The more you are around them, the easier it will be to open up and get to the bottom of your addiction.

Benefits of Peer Support

When you are involved with peer support groups to help with your recovery, you will begin to feel the positive effects of working with someone that understands your addiction, including:

A better sense of well being
Learning how to trust others
A better circle of friends
Improved self-esteem
Learning important coping skills

Although there is no cure for addiction, with a supportive group of peers who understand, recovery and long-term sobriety is possible.

Get Involved to Help Others With Their Addiction Recovery

As the need for peer support for addiction recovery grows, the best leaders will be those who have survived their addiction through peer support and now want to help others in their recovery.

By getting involved with helping others, you are helping yourself build your self-esteem, confidence, and other coping skills. The joy you will feel knowing you are making a difference in someone’s life is a powerful motivator.

Learn How Peer Support Can Help You at Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery

Peer support can be very beneficial to those who are struggling with their addiction recovery. Better case management may be required. Adding peer support therapy can be a suitable form of treatment that you or a loved one needs to recover from their addiction successfully.

At Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, we understand the value of peer support for addiction recovery and will assist you in your addiction recovery to ensure life-long health and wellness. Call 833.448.0127 today to speak with one of our therapists about starting your road to recovery.

How Community Activities Can Boost Recovery

Posted on July 6, 2021 by cmarnew

For those in recovery from addiction, finding new healthy hobbies should be a priority. Addiction can cause physical and mental health issues that different activities can help participants recover from. Additionally, addiction can be isolating. Those who are struggling with substance abuse can benefit from connecting with others in recovery in a safe, supportive environment. This is why many addiction treatment centers offer recreational outings and community activities. At Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, community activities are a way for our patients to connect with others and enjoy all that Colorado has to offer.

The Importance of Community in Recovery

We offer community activities for the same reason that we offer group therapy. Addiction thrives in isolation. When you have the support of others who understand the experiences you’ve been through, it’s easier to focus on your recovery.

Other benefits of having a network of support in recovery include:

Perspective – You’ll be able to see your struggles in a new light
Accountability – Knowing that you’ll be sharing your experiences with others can keep you from relapsing
New habits – Your peers in recovery can introduce you to new healthy habits
Encouragement – Challenges in recovery are inevitable, but your peers will be able to cheer you on

Don’t overlook the purpose of group therapy and activities that involve others. Instead, lean into the experiences and find out what they can teach you.

Community Activities at CMAR

Many outpatient addiction treatment centers only offer therapy and medication management. However, Colorado Medication Assisted Treatment recognizes that clinical services alone will not help patients heal in body, mind, and spirit. Meaningful social connection and support, however, is a defining element of sustainable recovery. That’s why our recovery center offers opportunities for our patients and alumni to develop a network of support. Recovery groups are one way that those in recovery can get to know each other, as well as alumni events. However, we’re also building more opportunities for recreational activities into our treatment programs.

Hikes with Mike is our newest recurring outing. Clinical director Michael Damioli leads an outing once a month on a weekend into the beautiful Colorado outdoors. During these excursions, the CMAR community can have a chance to connect outside of the clinical setting. Social connections, fresh air, and physical activity are just some of the reasons why we offer these outings.

As we grow our offerings, we’ll continue to involve our alumni. Even after you’ve completed a formal treatment program, maintaining your connections with others in recovery is vital. To prevent relapse, avoid isolating yourself. Instead, stay connected with our treatment center through events, activities, and recovery groups.

CMAR’s Addiction Treatment Programs

We offer high-quality addiction treatment that fits your schedule. With both remote and in-person options, you’ll be able to participate in treatment while keeping up with responsibilities at work and at home. Medication-assisted treatment is highly effective in helping patients focus on working through the underlying cause of addiction without experiencing cravings.

Additionally, we offer dual diagnosis treatment in our Colorado addiction treatment center. Many of those who struggle with addiction also face co-occurring mental health issues, and this approach allows patients to work through both issues simultaneously. Through both individual and group therapy sessions, patients can discover how things like past trauma, a family history of addiction, and even stress from work can make it more difficult to break the cycle of addiction.

Learn more about our programs today. We invite you to connect with our team by calling 833.448.0127 or by reaching out online. If community activities, evidence-based therapies, and the highest quality in clinical care are what you’re looking for, then CMAR can help.

Tips for Summer Vacation While in Recovery

Posted on June 10, 2021 by cmarnew

Summertime is approaching, and that means vacation time. If you are in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction and want to take a vacation, there are some great activities you can do on your vacation that just takes a little bit of planning to avoid triggers and temptations.

At Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, we will help you learn new and fun activities you can do on your vacations without going to the bars and clubs. Our addiction treatment programs will help you find new ways of staying active that don’t involve drugs or alcohol. And this is an excellent way for you to see how fun life in recovery can be.

Planning for Your Vacation in Recovery

Vacations are no longer just about going out and partying. That is the new way you need to view vacations to enjoy yourself without drugs or alcohol. With some planning and a willingness to do new things, you will find that your vacations in recovery are just as fun, and you will have the energy to do all of the fun stuff that vacations can offer.

Fun and Entertaining Activities

Even the tourist traps that are known for their nightlife can offer something for those in recovery.

Coffee/tea shops – Today, many coffee and tea shops draw a bigger crowd, and you can meet some interesting new locals.
Cultural activities – Take a tour around the local area and learn about a new culture and its history.
Pamper yourself – Now that you’re in recovery, treat your mind and body to a spa day with massages, meditation classes, and yoga.
Indulge your palate – Explore local cuisines and try new restaurants and enjoy the flavorful sensations.

Recovery from addiction is a process, but that does not mean you can’t enjoy yourself along the way. When you are at a point in your addiction treatment where you can be in public and not feel tempted, there is no reason why you can’t take a vacation.

What to Do If Your Friends Still Want to Party

What can you do when you are in the middle of your addiction treatment and have a family event you cannot get out of? Like a wedding or other event where you know you will be around a lot of temptations.

Don’t stress over wanting to go and still maintain your recovery. You can do both and still have a good time. Probably a better time as you won’t be in a substance-induced haze the entire trip.

Don’t Volunteer to Be the Designated Driver

Just because all of your friends are still drinking and you aren’t doesn’t mean you have to sit and wait to drive them back to the hotel. There are plenty of nighttime activities you can do that don’t involve drinking.

Explore the local community – Many vacation destinations can offer a rich cultural experience. A local festival can be fun, and interacting with people from a different culture can open your mind to new ways of thinking.
Shop – Celebrate your sobriety with a shopping spree with all that money you save by not drinking or smoking.
Quality time – Spending time with a close friend, partner, or even yourself. Reflection is a crucial step in your recovery, and doing this on vacation associates this with your recovery.

Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery Can Help You Build a Fun Life in Recovery

One of the misconceptions about recovery is that you will no longer have any fun. You might have associated your addiction with excitement, and you can’t imagine enjoying life without it. That is why our addiction treatment programs at Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery can help you change your mindset and associate fun activities with recovery.

When you are ready to start living a fun life in recovery, call us at 833.448.0127 or connect with our team online.

Why Telehealth Treatment Can Work for You

Posted on November 6, 2020 by cmarnew

Getting the right treatment for substance use disorders can enhance your long-term recovery. Many people fail to find professional help, citing embarrassment and shame. Unfortunately, continued addiction can result in life-threatening consequences. According to statistics, hundreds of thousands of Americans die every year because of overdosing. Rehab centers, such as Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, have advanced their service provision to cater to everyone by using telehealth. If you are battling a substance use disorder, consider a telehealth treatment program for your condition. Contact our team today at 833.448.0127 to learn more.

Understanding the Telehealth Treatment Program for Your Condition

A telehealth program enables you to receive treatment remotely. Healthcare providers use communication channels like text messages, email, phone calls, and video conferencing to deliver services.

It means you do not have to visit the rehab facility in-person for treatment. You will connect with the experts at your desired location and benefit from various programs, including:

Many experts recommend using telehealth treatment due to efficient delivery. The program has numerous other benefits, especially in the COVID-19 era.

A Guarantee of Flexibility

Drug and alcohol abuse recovery is a long-term process. Residency programs require participants to devote much of their time in the rehabilitation facility, but some people may not want to disrupt their professional or personal lives.

Telemedicine is an ideal option if you are looking for a treatment program that allows you to continue with other day-to-day activities. You can fulfill other obligations because telehealth provides a flexible schedule according to your needs.

Elimination of Possible Barriers

Some people may be unable to access treatment because of various circumstances. Telehealth ensures you can receive professional rehab services regardless of your location and other barriers, such as transportation problems.

If you have a family to take care of, telemedicine enables you to fulfill your roles while participating in the online therapy program. Rehab centers can provide services to many clients without compromising the quality of care.

Assurance of Privacy

Studies show that many individuals struggling with substance use disorders fear going to rehab due to embarrassment. If you do not want your classmates, colleagues, and neighbors to discover you are receiving addiction treatment, telemedicine can offer the safety and privacy you need.
You will work with committed professionals who understand your fears. You can attend therapy sessions from a location of your choice where there is privacy.

Support from Online Meetings

You can use online groups to interact with peers and learn from their experiences. A telehealth treatment program for your condition is useful because you can integrate the online platforms for support.

Sometimes, you may feel overwhelmed and in need of encouragement from people who can relate to your situation. Peers can offer encouragement and necessary assistance.

What to Expect from Virtual Therapists

Addiction treatment facilities have qualified therapists and counselors to ensure that those with substance use disorders receive adequate treatment. Therefore, you will be dealing with a certified and experienced healthcare provider in an online therapy program. Virtual therapists provide plenty of benefits, including:

Helping you identify and set reasonable recovery goals
Offering strategies for relapse prevention
Educating you on the implications of substance abuse
Using evidence-based therapies for the treatment
Offering counseling and guidance

Get Substance Abuse Treatment at Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery

If you are battling a substance use disorder and do not know how to overcome the situation, our rehab center can help. The condition can ruin your education, career, and relationships when left untreated. We can recommend a customized telehealth treatment program for your situation for permanent recovery. Contact Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery at 833.448.0127 to start your recovery journey.