There was only a few minutes left of the run but I felt for sure I was going to pass out. We’d be running for almost 30 minutes straight and I was ready to just crash out. There was something about the run this morning that was particularly hard for me.

I’ve never been much of a runner. Even before I obtained sobriety and way back before addiction I was terrible at it. If I think back to my football/soccer days I remember always being the slowest and worst runner on the team! A bad runner for football/soccer is never a good combo!

I like to snap photos when I’m out running for inspiration later on. Here are some recent ones:

In my sobriety however, I have found an appreciation for being fit and healthy. I try and spend time working out at least a few times a week. For a while I was doing crossfit as well (although I injured my ankle on a run – funny coincidence…) which I really loved. Getting into a gym and throwing some shit around is a ton of fun. It can also be a great stress reliever as well!

There are some incredible health benefits for those of us in recovery which are peer reviewed and part of research findings. Here are the general benefits:

Provide Pleasurable States Without Use of Alcohol
Alcoholics may find exercise to be a positively reinforcing alternative to drinking.

Provide Positive Alternatives to Drinking
Exercise can also serve as a healthy, positive means of filling unstructured time

Reduce Depressive Symptoms and Negative Mood
Both aerobic and strength training exercise programs during the course of alcohol treatment have resulted in decreased depressive and anxiety symptoms

Decrease Stress Reactivity and Improve Coping
Exercise can serve to reduce stress reactivity and to supplant drinking as a primary coping mechanism

Increase Self-Efficacy
Enhancing one’s self-efficacy is likely to result in positive behavior change.

Decrease urges to drink
Moderate-intensity exercise may provide short-term relief from urges to drink alcohol

All these findings (plus more details if you want to view the scientific details can be found via the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health website ) point to something that should be a cornerstone in your recovery; physical activity.

For more information on how you can implement changes to your health and exercise check out Section 2 Lecture 3 of the 30 Day Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Plan

Here’s to your recovery,

Nick

I spent the day in London today looking around and generally enjoying some of the free culture on display. I’ve been so focused on Live Rehab work lately that just getting out to enjoy the world was a great way to spur creativity and life. Drug and alcohol addiction issues weren’t anywhere in my headspace.

It was the small things of the day that really added up to the greatest impact. The ability to enjoy what was happening without feeling tethered to a drink. Spending time with my family and not looking for a clock to see when I could find my next (insert your drug of choice here).

Sometimes it isn’t about the longer battles and wars that we face as addicts on an ongoing basis. Rather, it’s about the little wins we can find in the daily existence of being clean and sober. I know many people we’ve worked with who wouldn’t have been able to get out on a day like today without worrying where their next fix would come from. Drug and alcohol addiction attacks anytime and any place – and it always attacks.

For those of you in recovery right now, I know it can seem like you might never ever get to that point in your life. I can assure you that you can get there. It will take hard work and you do need a guide to help you along the way. Developing a plan and approach takes effort.

Think about how you got addicted in the first place and how long you have been addicted for. Most people I will assume it is quite a while. In that case, you’re going to have to put in equally as much time in your recovery. The first part of the battle should be to get a 30 day plan in place that gives you the exact steps you need.

This type of plan is especially important because without a plan in place you’re going to be trying to “wing it” on your own. We’ve got courses you can take that will walk you through how to quit things like alcohol, opioids and smoking. Your instructor is a certified chemical addictions counselor, has her MS, BS and certificates as well as having helped over 800 people find their sobriety.

Get our 30 Day Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Plan course for only $10 through the end of this month (31st of October). Drop us a line if you need specific help or want to chat. We’re here to help.

Here’s to your recovery,

Nick

I stood there stirring the olive oil slowly as I dumped in the spicy red onions. As the red onions began to sizzle I worked on seeding and chopping a particularly spicy pepper. The combination of seasonings and ingredients would soon turn into a delicious meal. I feel better when I cook. Alcohol recovery has that effect on you.

[clickToTweet tweet=”I feel better when I cook. Alcohol recovery has that effect on you. @live_rehab ” quote=”I feel better when I cook. Alcohol recovery has that effect on you.”]

The power of being in control of my own life really hit home. You see in the past this drug called alcohol used to exert the ultimate control and power on me. It would tell me when, how and why to do things that I knew were bad for me.

 

“Here. Have another one” it would say. Or, “don’t worry about work tomorrow”. Perhaps my favorite one that I hear from clients all the time is “you’re ok to drive”. Fuck alcohol.

 

I’m sure you’ve been in these kinds of situations before where you know certain decisions are right and certain ones are wrong. So why does alcohol exert this much control over so much of your mind and body?

 

Part of the allure and charm of this evil drug is the slow-roll approach it takes to destroying your life. I’ve seen family members who have been drinking for 50+ years who are dealing with devastating health effects at 65.

 

Alcohol works on the slow, depressive approach to wrecking your brain. It is a depressant and eats away at the serotonin in your brain. Regular drinking actually lowers the levels of serotonin in your brain – a chemical that helps to regulate your mood.

 

So, what used to feel relaxing is actually causing you more physiological damage than you even know. I use cooking in my life as an amazing way to exert control in my own life and actions. I’m not a professional. In fact, quite often I burn things.

 

Tonight’s dinner though was amazing. We had family members come and enjoy the food that I’d prepared. It sounds silly but Section 6, Lecture 18 of the Stop Drinking Alcohol – Get Sober at Home course talks about building new routines specifically so check that out if you need extra help.

We’re still running a special $20 for those of you who haven’t already signed up (thanks to everyone else who has!). But it won’t last forever at this price. So, if you’ve been thinking about getting sober today; now is your chance.

Click here to sign up now.

 

Cheers

Nick (p.s. I made Chana Masala and a homemade mango chutney – all sugar free too! Let me know if you want the recipes in the comments below)

I stood there in complete disbelief. I’d been working all day and now here I was completely struggling to get home. I had made it to the first station on my long (65 minutes) journey home only to be confronted by a crowd of people. My blood was beginning to boil a little bit and I could tell my stress levels were higher already.

I quickly made an adjustment and jumped on a crowded bus. We drove just a few hundred feet before coming to a major standstill. Again my stress levels were at max. I got off the bus and found myself at another train station.

It was completely packed. I hated having so many people so close to me and be dealing with this frustrating journey home. All at the same time was difficult for me. I wanted to reach for anything to help me feel better.

But, I’m glad that I didn’t. I’ve been sober now for 6+ years and I couldn’t imagine threatening that. I know what you’re going through though and how hard these types of situations might be.

In fact, in past times, I may have come home and poured myself a drink. I see many people having a smoke right after they get off the trains too.

The thing is though, you don’t have to feel like this. You can break free of these kinds of addictions. It isn’t easy and you do need someone to guide you through your recovery.

Without a guide, plan or approach to recovery, it’s going to be close to impossible. The exact method I used for my recovery forms the basis for everything we do at Live Rehab. We’ve built courses around all kinds of things like alcohol, opiates and smoking to help people.

When I finally did get home, I didn’t have to worry about pouring a drink or lighting up a smoke. But I do remember that feeling. I think I always will. In many respects, these feelings help us to remember what we’re fighting for. Is it possible that the feelings can be used to keep us sober?

Cheers
Nick – Chief Recovery Strategist
Live Rehab

Right from the moment that the event started I realised it was going to be a tough recovery day for me. To be fair I didn’t actually know in advance (although I’m not sure it would have changed much to be honest) that there was going to be such a heavy focus on drinking. And who would? It was marketing conference after all!

I know you’ve probably been in situations like this before. This one specifically hit home though because at pretty much every chance the speakers had, they mentioned the cocktail hour and the fact that it was national gin and tonic day (yes it’s a real thing and yes it is as stupid as it sounds).

As the event concluded officially and moved into the networking section there it was. Again. Alcoholic drinks. Tons of them. But you know what? It didn’t phase me. A few years ago it probably would have. And who knows, I might have really felt the urge to break my sobriety.

After so long of being sober though I’m fast approaching a time where I’ll have been more years sober than not. And I’m not ruining that. Never again.

This event though really reminded me that it’s not really your fault. The absolutely crappy thing about this society right now is how much alcohol is literally shoved into your face.

With the event I walked out and there were waiters handing drinks out every step of the way along the conference hall! I could have downed 10 drinks in 3 minutes easily. And that’s part of the problem. The system is designed to entrap you in this legal drug. That’s not cool.

For me, being in and around these types of environments a lot has meant I’ve had to perfect my “no” game. I’ve had to get so amazingly good about not giving a shit and saying “no thanks”.

When you get good at saying “no” and protecting your sobriety, amazing things start to happen. First off you feel immensely better about your decision making abilities. It’s kind of like a boost of confidence in a way.

Second, you start to notice how much it’s shoved in your face. I have to warn you – it does get annoying! But the better you get at it, the thicker your skin gets.

Third, you hold the power with the “no” and it shocks people. People around you begin to act differently now that you’re actively in control of your sobriety. I think that’s one the things I’m most proud of with our alcohol sobriety course on Udemy.

We don’t teach you how to say “no thanks” because it’s something you have to learn to do, on your own. But we do have a course module on “Integrating Back Into Society” (lecture 22) which will really help you.

Look, I don’t profess not to be in situations that threaten my sobriety but I want you to have the tools you need to be successful in those situations. That’s why I’m offering our Stop Drinking Alcohol Course for $20 right now and also throwing in any one of our other courses for FREE. All you have to do is click here and buy the course via Udemy then send me an email/message to let me know what other course you want of ours for free.

At the end of the day, I’m going to wake up tomorrow feeling great and healthy. I hope you will join me.

Cheers

Nick