In any journey, the beginning can be the most difficult part. Making the decision to conquer addiction is a tremendous personal battle, and starting back on the road to sober living can require an intense period of adjustment. Whether you have to learn to live sober for the first time or are start over again, finding the right Recovery Home in Chicago can make all the difference in the world.

Stairway to Freedom is one of the finest recovery homes Chicago has to offer. The organization focuses on people helping people by providing a safe and supportive living place. Sobriety requires a supportive environment. Most importantly at the beginning due to the large adjustments, both personal and physiological, that are taking place.

By providing a structured and supportive environment with comfortable accommodations focusing on mutual respect, everyone is able to achieve the trust, and dignity they deserve. The most critical days in the journey to living sober are the ones at the beginning. Starting with a strong aftercare partner with experience in providing the needed support helps begin the sober living lifestyle. Reconnecting with family and friends is only the beginning of the rewards a new life can bring.

Sober living requires a commitment, and achieving the proper level with the support of a home, dedicated to providing structure and safe environment, makes a huge difference. Getting a fresh start on a new life is never easy, which means finding the best chance at success is vital. Please, contact us when you are ready to embark on your life improving journey.

Yoga is considered an exercise “practice,” because it is a dynamic exercise that seeks to constantly improve. Stability, strength and a clear mind are key aspects. All of these qualities bear remarkable similarities to addiction recovery skills.

The Sun Journal posted an article entitled, “Yoga brings balance to recovering drug addicts.” The article centers on Kelly Benson, a yoga instructor, who emerged from a background that included heroin addiction, and a pattern of drug abuse that stemmed back to her teen years.

A quote from Benson reads, “Once your mind/body system is more in balance, it opens up the space to really tap into the soul.”

The article goes on to discuss one of her class participants, another recovering addict, who notes that he uses yoga to get both his body and mind into a better place.

Exercise presents an opportunity to achieve a natural high, as hormones within your own body are stimulated that have the potential to help you feel better. Making exercise activities, such as yoga, into a regularly scheduled part of your routine, can be very rewarding both mentally and physically.

Here are some simple yoga exercises you can try at home:

Extended mountain:

sit or stand, then slowly raise both arms above your head. Arch your back slightly into a backwards “C” position.

Arm and shoulder stress buster:

Raise your right arm to the sky. Allow your arm to bend at the elbow (like you’re patting yourself on the back). Let your left arm follow the contour of your head to gently press the right arm backwards, increasing the stretch slightly.

Let your left arm drop to your side, then reach behind your back. See how close you can reach the fingertips of both hands. Repeat on the other side.

Finger release:

Reach your right hand out, with your palm outstretched. Stretch your fingers backwards.

Use your left hand to gently increase the stretch, including your thumb, as well. Repeat on the other side.

There are many youtube videos that allow you to try yoga from the comfort of your own home. An example of a great video for beginners that offers extensive information that helps with proper postures, while offering a calm and soothing instruction style is available here.

As you continue to find balance and healthy outlets in your life, we urge you to find hobbies that align with those objectives, such as yoga, which can play a role in women’s sober living.

If you seek additional help in transitional recovery services within the Chicago area, please contact us.

St. Patrick’s Day is March 17 and it’s time to make plans for a successful and happy holiday. There are things you just can’t miss when Chicago is celebrating St. Paddy’s Day. Enjoy traditions such as the parade and the dyeing of the Chicago river on the 14th. Be aware that with these events, might also come the temptation to drink. You might find excuses to want to drink. Maybe it’s the green beer, or “you only get green beer once a year, let’s have a drink”. Before you get to this point, call your Chicago recovery house friends.

If you start now, you can plan a great day while still living sober in Chicago on one of the biggest holidays known for its pub crawls. Visit www.choosechicago.com/st-patricks-day, to start your planning. Set up a planned day for a fresh start to a new way of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. If you must have the Irish pub food, find an Irish pub, but take your Chicago recovery house friends with you to give yourselves the extra strength you need.

I know I keep mentioning bringing your Chicago recovery house friends with you. I do this for a reason- we all need support in staying sober. If you have chosen to keep your friends who are not living sober, most times going out with them is difficult at best. They might not understand the battle that goes on day-in and day-out within yourself to stay sober. The group at the recovery house have gone through what you have. They have some of the same demons you have and have the know-how to battle them. It is hard to fight a battle on your own. Embrace the recovery buddies you have made. Learn that there is still a lot of fun to be had living a life in a recovery house.

Getting sober is not about living life the same way, except without alcohol and drugs. Getting sober is about living a better life. Changes need to be made, and setting goals is a great way to make these changes. Sadly, when entangled in addiction one does not tend to live by long-term planning, it is more of a fix-to-fix living. For many of us, the notion of even having goals is something new and strange. By choosing sobriety, we set a goal and work clearly-defined steps to achieve those goals. To stay sober, we work those steps daily. Now it is time to apply this same approach to living sober in Chicago.

The Basics of Sober Living

Not all of our journeys to sober living sober are the same. Setting goals for sober living that fit and work for you is key along with not giving up. When the feelings of fear and failure that may have been part of your lifestyle as a substance-abuser want to take over your goals, reach out to your sponsor and/or attend meetings. The only way you will be able to set and accomplish your goals, is to lose your fear and reverse your subconsciousness. The voice in your head tells you that you are bound to fail or that you are the victim. This is another time your sponsor/meetings will help you stay sober.

It does not matter how small you think the goal seems, it is not. All goals are steps in the right direction of living better, living sober. The one mistake one can make in the beginning is to make your goals too big. This is a great way to fail right from the start. It is best to work up to the bigger goals, one goal at a time.

Write your goals down and keep track of what you have done each day. This is a good way to work them one day at a time. Plus, it is good to know what is working for you and what is not. At the end of each day, ask yourself questions and answer them. “What did I do today that was working towards my goal?”, “What do I need to do different tomorrow to accomplish this goal?”, etc. Follow through with what is working. Once you have achieved your goal congratulate yourself! Each day you remain sober should be something to feel good about, this feeling of success will be what allows you to set your next goal.