Futures Recovery

Perspectives Blog

Futures publishes content to provide perspectives on issues related to addiction and mental health. Topics generally include commentary on addiction research and studies, explanation of psychotherapies and treatment approaches, useful information for people in recovery and their loved ones, and other content of interest to people interested in maintaining good mental and physical health. 

Mindfulness & Holidays

The world seen through clear and sober eyes looks very different and the holidays can look different too.

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Dangerous Mixing

When addiction professionals ask clients what drug they are using, they frequently get more than one answer.

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Parity Act Explained

Futures’ Utilization Director Kathy Piccirilli explains Parity Act and how it impact people’s mental health and substance use disorder insurance benefits.

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Is Sobriety Trending?

Futures’ Outreach and Community Liaison, Laura Kunz, describes sober curiosity and its benefits such as considering how alcohol affects their health, mood, and relationships.

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A Servant's Heart

In this blog post, Futures Outreach Professional, Stephen Watts, reflects upon the importance of therapists developing a servant's heart and being fully present to form a strong and productive therapeutic alliance.

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Clinical Perspectives

Clinical Outreach Professional John Egan shares his thoughts on a panel discussion at Moments of Change this year.

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Alcohol Abuse Signs

Since alcohol is such a large part of our culture, it’s not always easy to identify when drinking has become a serious problem – one that requires treatment and abstinence.

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How Long Does Heroin Withdrawal Last? Timeline, Tips, and Symptoms

Helping vs. Enabling

We see this scenario time and time again. Families think they’re helping a loved one with a substance use disorder when they’re actually making things worse.

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Morphine Abuse

Is Withdrawal Deadly?

The symptoms a person can experience during withdrawal vary depending on the substance being abused, and how much of and how often the substance is used.

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What It’s Like to Attend Your First Meeting

Meetings are the foundation of ongoing recovery. Even though meetings can be remarkably helpful, the experience is a new one for people who have been steeped in substance abuse.

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Attending Your First AA Meeting Futures Recovery Healthcare

DBT Decoded: DEAR MAN

DEAR MAN can be thought of as a group of tactics that help you get what you want, whether you’re negotiating a promotion at work or saying no to a persuasive salesperson.

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DBT: DEAR Man Futures Recovery Healthcare

Breakups in Recovery: 10 Ways to Avoid Relapse

At any point in recovery, a breakup can cause a host of uncomfortable feelings, from insecurity and grief to depression to anger and any one of these can trigger the urge to drink or use drugs.

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Breakups in Rehab Futures Recovery Healthcare

Signs of a High Functioning Alcoholic

Unlike most stereotypes that relate alcoholics with failure in their professional, financial, social, and emotional lives, the high functioning alcoholic does not portray any signs of failure.

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Signs of a High Functioning Alcoholic Futures Recovery Healthcare

Interventions and Family Mediation

An intervention is any process by which one individual or group of individuals intervene in the progress of a given situation. They can take place in a variety of settings - not just living rooms.

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Interventions and Family Mediation Futures Recovery Healthcare

DBT Decoded: How to be Mindful

Many people struggling with a substance use disorder will find that their experience in treatment improves when they practice mindfulness.

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DBT Decoded: Mindfulness

Are You Self Medicating?

When the response to any difficult situation is to turn to drugs or alcohol, you may be self medicating. Unfortunately, self medicating can lead to substance abuse and, in time, addiction.

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Are You Self Medicating? Futures Recovery Healthcare

Creating An Addiction Recovery Plan After Rehab

After completing a treatment program, you may find yourself asking what to do next. A well thought-out plan can be the difference between starting a new, sober life and being set back by relapse.

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Creating an Addiction Recovery Plan After Rehab Futures Recovery Healthcare

DBT Decoded: Mindfulness “What Skills”

DBT Mindfulness Skills are broken into two categories – What Skills & How Skills. The What Skills - observe, describe, and participate - are acceptance-based.

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DBT Decoded: Mindfulness

5 Best Books on Addiction and Recovery

Books, movies, music, and various art forms can do wonders to inform what we know about addiction and recovery.

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5 Best Books for Addiction and Recovery Futures Recovery Healthcare

Exercise and Addiction Recovery: 7 Benefits

Individuals in recovery who engage in regular physical exercise can benefit from a reduction in stress, better sleep, increased energy, improved mood, and more.

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Exercise and Addiction Recovery Futures Recovery Healthcare

DBT Decoded: The “Wise Mind” ACCEPTS

When using ACCEPTS, a DBT distress tolerance skillset, the immediate goal is to distract the mind just long enough to intervene in an emotional response to a stressful situation.

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DBT: The Wise Mind ACCEPTS Futures Recovery Healthcare

DBT Decoded: Validation

Within the teaching of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), conscious validation is often called upon to help clients improve interpersonal effectiveness and mindfulness skills.

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DBT Decoded: Validation Futures Recovery Healthcare

DBT Decoded: Willingness vs. Willfulness

When examining the DBT concept of Willingness versus Willfulness, we see how DBT once again presents us with a pair of opposite forces at play within the mind.

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DBT Decoded: Willingness vs. Willfulness Futures Recovery Healthcare

DBT Decoded: Build Mastery

Building mastery is about setting a goal and working toward mastering the skills needed to achieve it. The goal could be lofty, but the act of improving our skills is itself an empowering achievement.

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DBT Decoded: Build Mastery Futures Recovery Healthcare

Common Eating Disorders

Though there are a number of different kinds of eating disorders, there are a few common ones - anorexia, binge eating, and bulimia.

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4 Types of Eating Disorders Futures Recovery Healthcare