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How Nutrition Can Make or Break Early Addiction Recovery

If you’ve ever attended any sort of 12-step meeting or recovery-oriented support group, chances are you’ve received tons of advice about addiction recovery, especially during the early stages of recovery. However, I personally noticed that a lot of this advice centers around “cutting out the bad” and doesn’t always factor in the positive changes that [...]

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Conor Bezane

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Addiction

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How the Addiction Recovery World is Like the Catholic Church

I am a Catholic school refugee. While I may have been a believer back in Jesuit high school, I am now agnostic, and part of the reason is because I have realized that the Catholic Church is so incredibly backward, slow-paced and even harmful to people like me who are different, gay or questioning of [...]

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Eliza

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Addiction

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The Voice Within the Mind of Someone With an Addiction

Addiction, didn’t know it was a problem until I couldn’t stop. Addiction, relief entwined with pain that leaves my body in shock. Addiction, the reality I know must be faced, but feel too scared so ignore. Addiction, something I want to escape but the experience of which I enjoy. Addiction, bathes me in shame and guilt yet [...]

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PTSD 7h

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But I don't like them. They hurt and are so confusing. Been told so long not to trust me, I don't. How does one learn these things? #PTSD #Abuse #Addiction #MentalHealth #Loneliness

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Mighty Leader

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RachelAlyssa

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@rachielyssa

Coping Skills Cafe 1d

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Tip Tuesday 💡- Simplify Joy

This quote hit me hard! Sometimes we expect every day to be good, but in reality, some days are boring, hard or just frustrating. And that's totally normal!
Our days would be better if we realized the power of the simple things.
Don't over complicate it ...find one simple pleasure today, and that's enough.
#Addiction #AnorexiaNervosa #Anxiety #Agoraphobia #AutismSpectrumDisorder #ADHD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BingeEatingDisorder #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #CeliacDisease #Depression #Epilepsy #EatingDisorder #KidneyDisease #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #Cancers #Grief #Lupus #Migraine #SocialAnxiety #Fibromyalgia #SleepApnea #SensoryProcessingDisorder #ChildLoss #AutonomicDysfunction #POTS #PTSD #Trauma #Hemophilia #SjogrensSyndrome #RestlessLegsSyndrome #BackPain #Endometriosis #InterstitialCystitis #HearingLoss #Deafness #SuicidalIdeation #SuicidalThoughts #Selfharm #Selfcare #EhlersDanlosSociety #JointHypermobilitySyndrome #IrritableBowelSyndromeIBS #SensoryProcessingDisorder

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Mighty Leader

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RachelAlyssa

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@rachielyssa

Coping Skills Cafe 1d

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Motivation Monday

The Power of the Reset! One of my favorite (and most powerful) coping skills is this one. I hope it's helpful for you today.
#Addiction #AnorexiaNervosa #Anxiety #Agoraphobia #AutismSpectrumDisorder #ADHD #BingeEatingDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #CeliacDisease #Depression #Epilepsy #KidneyDisease #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #Cancers #Grief #Lupus #FamilialHemiplegicMigraine #SensoryProcessingDisorder #ChildLoss #AutonomicDysfunction #PTSD #POTS #Trauma #Hemophilia #SjogrensSyndrome #RestlessLegsSyndrome #Endometriosis #InterstitialCystitis #Deafness #SuicidalThoughts #Selfcare #Selfharm #EhlersDanlosSociety #JointHypermobilitySyndrome #IrritableBowelSyndromeIBS #SleepApnea

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Kavi

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@dancingrhino

Recovery or Another Cage? The Questions Nobody Wants to Ask About MAT #Addiction #AddictionRecovery

Everyone looks down on the addict in active addiction. Everyone has something to say when the DTs start, when the withdrawals hit, and when someone is literally falling apart right in front of them. People are quick to write someone off, throw them away, and act like a drug addict is somehow less than human.

But the second addiction gets a doctor’s signature, a prescription bottle, and a fancy program name attached to it, suddenly everybody wants to look the other way.

Let’s be real…..
If the “MAT PROGRAM” was really created for the addict, then why is it designed to keep so many people in it for YEARS? If the goal is to help fight addiction and prevent relapse, then why does the answer seem to be keeping people dependent instead of helping them learn how to live free?

Why do doses continue to increase the longer someone is in the program? Why are we offering this program to incarcerated individuals while dangling time off or credit served for participating in a 6-month program?

If we are really “SUPPORTING OTHERS IN ACTIVE RECOVERY,” then why are people spending years incarcerated, getting released with a prescription in their hand, and being sent right back into the same world they came from without the tools to actually survive?

Because let’s talk about what nobody wants to talk about.

What happens when that prescription becomes more valuable on the street than it is in their recovery? What happens when someone trades or sells it and goes right back to chasing the same thing that almost killed them?

Then when that person is found unresponsive days later, everybody wants to say, “Well, that’s just what addicts do.”

Because now we aren’t talking about the program anymore. We aren’t asking questions. We aren’t looking at what failed. We just blame the addict, call them a junkie, and move on.

Let’s talk about recovery centers.

Why are so many okay with pushing this as the discharge plan? Why are we acting like this is the only answer? Why are so many facilities staffed with program participants who are still relying on the same program they’re promoting?

Because the reality is, some people working in these programs are one missed clinic visit, one disruption, one wrong turn away from needing a detox bed themselves.

And nobody wants to talk about that.

How are we supposed to have honest conversations about recovery when questioning the system gets treated like attacking the people in it?

How is this any different than what happened with Oxy in 1996. Big Pharma came in claiming they had something that would help people, something they said wasn’t addictive, and we all know how that story ended. That was a huge part of what fueled the opioid crisis we are still dealing with today.

So why are we not allowed to ask questions now?

If this program was really designed to help the struggling addict, why wouldn’t we build it around helping people get through detox, survive early recovery, learn coping skills, rebuild their lives, and eventually stand on their own?

Recovery is supposed to be about freedom.

It’s supposed to be about getting your life back.

Not replacing one chain with another and convincing everyone it’s sobriety.

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Reset Your Vagus Nerve: Helping Your Body Remember What Safety Feels Like BigmommaJ

Have you ever wondered why you know what you should do, yet your body seems to fight you every step of the way?

Why is it so hard to stay calm? Why does anxiety take over? Why do cravings feel stronger than logic? Why can one stressful moment make it feel like all your progress has disappeared?

The answer may not be a lack of willpower. It may be your nervous system.

At the center of that system is the vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve in the body. It forms a critical communication pathway between your brain and many of your major organs, including your heart, lungs, and digestive system. The vagus nerve plays a key role in regulating heart rate, breathing, digestion, immune function, and your body’s relaxation response (Porges, 2011).

For many people living with trauma, addiction, anxiety, or Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), the nervous system has spent so much time in survival mode that feeling calm can actually feel unfamiliar. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA, 2014), trauma affects the brain and body in ways that can leave people constantly scanning for danger, even when they are physically safe.

This is why healing is about more than changing your thoughts. It is also about helping your body experience safety again.

What Does It Mean to “Reset” Your Vagus Nerve?

Although people often talk about “resetting” the vagus nerve, it is more accurate to say that we can strengthen our body’s ability to return to a calm, regulated state. Through repeated healthy habits, we improve our nervous system’s capacity to recover from stress.

Think of it like strengthening a muscle. Every time you practice calming strategies, you are teaching your body that it no longer has to remain on high alert.

When Your Nervous System Gets Stuck

Trauma, chronic stress, and addiction can leave the nervous system trapped in survival mode.

Common signs include:

– Constant anxiety
– Emotional overwhelm
– Panic attacks
– Irritability
– Trouble sleeping
– Digestive problems
– Feeling emotionally numb
– Difficulty trusting others
– Strong urges to use substances to cope

Research consistently shows that prolonged stress affects both physical and emotional health, making recovery more difficult without addressing the nervous system itself (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.).

Five Ways to Support Your Vagus Nerve

1. Practice Slow Breathing

Slow breathing—especially extending your exhale longer than your inhale—activates the body’s relaxation response.

Try breathing in for four seconds and out for six to eight seconds.

2. Splash Cold Water on Your Face

Cold water activates the body’s natural “diving reflex,” which can slow the heart rate and encourage relaxation.

3. Hum, Sing, or Pray

The vagus nerve connects with muscles involved in speaking and vocalization. Gentle humming, singing, chanting, or prayer may help stimulate these pathways while also encouraging mindfulness.

4. Move Your Body

Walking, stretching, yoga, or other gentle movement helps release built-up stress while supporting emotional regulation.

5. Connect with Safe People

Healing rarely happens in isolation.

Positive relationships help regulate our nervous system. Feeling seen, heard, and accepted allows the body to recognize safety again (SAMHSA, 2014).

Healing Is More Than Positive Thinking

One of the biggest misconceptions about recovery is that people simply need to “think differently.”

While thoughts matter, healing also requires helping the body feel safe.

As Dr. Stephen Porges (2011) explains through Polyvagal Theory, our nervous system constantly evaluates whether we are safe or threatened. Although Polyvagal Theory continues to be discussed and researched, its emphasis on the connection between physiological state, relationships, and emotional regulation has influenced many trauma-informed approaches.

Recovery isn’t about pretending you’re okay.

It’s about teaching your nervous system that you no longer have to survive every moment.

A Seven-Day Challenge

This week, spend just ten minutes each day caring for your nervous system.

– Practice slow breathing.
– Take a short walk.
– Listen to calming music.
– Reach out to someone you trust.
– Spend a few quiet moments in prayer or reflection.

Small actions practiced consistently can reshape how your body responds to stress.

Your nervous system learned survival through repeated experiences.

It can also learn safety through repeated experiences.

Healing doesn’t happen overnight.

It happens one breath…

One choice…

One moment at a time.

Rise Above Your Norm.

BigmommaJ
#vegaserve #MentalHealth #Healing

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