The holiday season is a time of joy, peace, and celebration. It’s a time when we come together with our friends and family to enjoy good food, tell wonderful stories, and make merry. But for those in addiction recovery, the holidays can be a time of great anxiety and stress. The temptations to use drugs or alcohol are often high, and the triggers to relapse can be everywhere.

It can be challenging to stay focused on your sobriety throughout the holiday season. Between parties, family gatherings, and tempting holiday treats, it is not easy to navigate this time of year without being tempted by old habits or relapsing into old patterns.

Spirituality is a beautiful experience, a life lived through faith and not sight. In 2 Corinthians 5:7, the Bible states, “For we live by faith, not sight.” As creations, we are meant to give our worries and stress to God. The duty is more challenging to act upon than say aloud. Still, spirituality helps individuals focus on the human spirit and life rather than the material or physical things of the world. What is spirituality? It’s the connection we make with God and ourselves. It’s faith.

If you’ve just had a relapse and you’re researching what to do after relapse, you should feel incredibly proud. You’re not in denial, and you’re not hiding your head in the sand. Addiction is a chronic disease. That means that even when you go to rehab and get your symptoms under control, it’s not cured in the way an infection can be cured with antibiotics.

Substance use disorders occur for a mixture of genetic, environmental, and social reasons. It’s highly complex, but often a compulsion to numb or alter your consciousness comes from deep-rooted trauma.

Sobriety can be a long and challenging path. You may feel isolated and struggle to face old pain and trauma. Time in the company of animals can quiet your mind and help you to heal. Here are a few ways that raising animals can help you on your journey to sobriety.

Responsibility

If you have suffered verbal or physical abuse in the past, it can be hard to be on your own. You may find that the community that was most accepting of you also gave you access to addictive substances that were not good for your body, mind or spirit.

Finishing a rehab program is a huge accomplishment. It takes a lot of strength and courage to face your alcohol or drug addiction and get the help you need. You’ve put in the hard work to get sober, and now it’s time to start rebuilding your life. But now, you’re wondering what life will be like after addiction treatment.

While there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, people experience common hardships after completing a drug or alcohol rehab program.

While the struggles of this world are minor compared to the love God has for us, He’s also left us His word for guidance, hope, and healing. A common mental illness that plagues millions of Americans of all backgrounds is depression. Depression (major depressive disorder) is a mental illness that negatively impacts a person’s feelings, thoughts, and actions. Depression causes extreme feelings of sadness, emptiness, and hopelessness, often which manifest themselves into physical ailments. As a center that provides faith-based mental health care, we wanted to share some scripture for depression that can help you or a loved one enjoy a happy life.