Jun 13, 2017 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Alumni Personal Stories, Blog, God

Change

inevitable-aspects-of-life-change

one of the most inevitable aspects of life Change – one of the most inevitable aspects of life. We grow up, we make friends, we lose friends, we move, WE CHANGE. Despite the amount of “growing opportunities” that my Higher Power has presented in my path, it seems as though the process of walking through change remains just as uncomfortable! And as people say, we, as alcoholics and addicts, don’t accept change very well. The past few years of my life have been constant change. Surrendering to the fact that I would never be capable of “drinking like a lady” […]

May 9, 2017 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Blog, Family, God, Recovery

What Good Are Those Slogans, Anyway? (Part 3)

trust-the-process

If you’ve spent any time around Al-Anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, or other recovery-oriented groups, you’ve heard at least a few slogans and acronyms. Most of them seem to fall into one of three categories, and they include our relationship with: Our addicted loved one. Ourselves. Our Higher Power. This month, we’ll look at a few of my favorites that can help us accept events as they occur and allow natural consequences to take their course. Trust the process. Trusting the process can be particularly difficult when your addicted loved one enters a rehabilitation facility. Fear of the future can feel overwhelming. […]

Apr 4, 2017 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Blog, Family, More News, Personal Stories

What Good Are Those Slogans, Anyway? (Part 2)

If you’ve spent any time around Al-Anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, or other recovery-oriented groups, you’ve heard at least a few slogans and acronyms. Most of them seem to fall into one of three categories, and they include our relationship with: Our addicted loved one. Ourselves. Our Higher Power. This month, we’ll look at a few of my favorites that can help us handle seemingly overwhelming circumstances. Is everything okay right now? I woke up night after night and lay sleepless, worrying about my alcoholic son, wondering if he was okay. I often texted him just to see if he would respond. […]

Jan 24, 2017 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Blog, Drug Free, Drug News, News

President Obama Grants Record-Setting Clemencies

SETTING CLEMENCIES During the last several decades, one of the largest criticisms of the American criminal justice system has been the excessive sentences handed down to nonviolent drug offenders. Many of those offenders were sentenced under draconian laws that required mandatory minimum sentences, some of which included life sentences, that were enacted during the nation’s “war on drugs”. In an effort to remedy what is seen by many as an injustice, President Obama reduced the sentences of hundreds of nonviolent drug offenders during his last week in office, which concluded with the commutation of 330 sentences on his last day […]

Nov 22, 2016 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Alcoholism, Blog, drug addiction, Drugs, Family, Guest Posts

Finding Hope and Help in the Midst of Addiction: Healing Your Family

Deathiversary of my son’s death Yesterday was the fifth anniversary (deathiversary?) of my son’s death of a drug overdose. Brandon was one of those people who are larger than life. He was the life of the party. He had a loud voice, a lot of friends, an infectious smile, and he enveloped people with his bear hugs. He befriended the underdog and defended the helpless. He was intense; he loved and hated with his whole heart. He was the glue that held our family relationships together. He constantly reached out to each person in our family to spend time with […]

Nov 18, 2016 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Blog, drug addiction, Drug News

Nearly 80 People Die Every Single Day From Substance Overdoses According to the U.S. Surgeon General

Drug and alcohol addiction Drug and alcohol addiction is taking a huge toll on the health of the US population. The United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has published a landmark report title “Facing Addiction in America” which provides real insight into the health of the nation. Over 20 million people in the US have a substance disorder according to the report, yet only 10 percent of these receive any type of treatment. There is still a huge stigma attached to any type of addiction which acts as a tremendous barrier for people who need to seek help. No-one […]

Sep 20, 2016 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Addiction, Alumni Personal Stories, Alumni Stories, Blog, God, Prayer

Divine Intervention

BRC Recovery For many years, I bought into the delusion that if I wanted to stop using, I would. “I just don’t want to,” was my response to family members and loved ones who watched me face external and internal consequences repeatedly.  Despite the uncontrollable sadness, anxiety, overwhelming anger, and an overall inability to show up for life, I could not see how sobering up would solve these problems. It seemed impossible, and honestly, I was not interested in a new way of living. At 18 years old, I was faced with a number of legal consequences – consequences I […]

Sep 12, 2016 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Blog, drug addiction, Drugs

Prince and the Tragic Story of Mislabeled Drugs

Mislabeled Drugs Recently, you will recall, the music world suffered a great loss when it learned of the death of the musician Prince. Reports surfaced shortly thereafter that his death was caused by an overdose of the drug fentanyl. Reports of the cause of his death came as a shock, as Prince was known to live a healthy lifestyle and did not even drink alcohol. So it came as quite a surprise as stories broke about his possible addiction to painkillers. This week further reports have surfaced that pills found at the artist’s home that contained fentanyl were mislabeled as lower-potency painkillers. It remains unclear whether […]