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Healthy Boundaries
Mental Health

Setting Healthy Boundaries in Recovery

You often hear a great deal about the importance of healthy boundaries in addiction recovery. This term has become ubiquitous, but it’s still a vague concept for many people. Many people, including addicts and their families, don’t understand the difference

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PTSD and Addiction
addiction

PTSD and Addiction

Addiction is a mental health disorder that often co-occurs with other psychological disorders. Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a mental illness that is often linked with addiction. A 2012 study found that 97% of individuals in their substance abuse

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Consistency in Recovery
Aftercare

Consistency in Recovery: The Value and Importance

Recovery is more than a brief period in time. It’s the rest of your life. To stay sober, you cannot underestimate the value of consistency. Recovery requires a continual commitment. You need to choose yourself and your sobriety every day.

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Alcoholism and Depression
Alcoholism

Alcoholism and Depression: Understanding the Facts

Depression and alcohol use disorder are two of the diagnosable mental illnesses that are described in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” or DSM-5. They often occur together. Up to 68% of people with alcohol use disorder also

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Getting someone into treatment can be challenging. But different circumstances warrant different approaches to getting someone into treatment.
Addiction Treatment

How to Get Someone into Treatment

Getting someone into treatment can be challenging. But different circumstances warrant different approaches to getting someone into treatment. It basically all comes down to willingness. Is your loved one or friend willing to go to treatment? If they are willing,

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sober and miserable
Addiction Treatment

3 Reasons You Might Be Sober and Miserable

If you’re sober and miserable, there could be a few things going on. Most often the case is that you are white-knuckling your sobriety. Keep in mind, Alcoholics Anonymous does not promise that you will be sober and miserable. Nowhere

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How Mindfulness Supports the Addiction Recovery Process
Mindfulness

How Mindfulness Supports the Addiction Recovery Process

Mindfulness is a term that frequently comes up in association with addiction recovery, but what does it mean? Simply described, mindfulness is a state that involves keen mental awareness and focus. While traditionally mindfulness is associated with meditation, it has

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Meth Side Effects: Everything to Know for Recovery
addiction

Meth Side Effects: Everything to Know for Recovery

According to a 2017 survey, roughly 1.6 million American adults reported using meth during the past year. In 2016, the average age of new users was a little over 23 years old. A study supported by the National Institute of

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6 Things You Should Do When You’re Ready to Get Sober
Addiction Treatment

6 Things You Should Do When You’re Ready to Get Sober

If you are considering stopping alcohol or drugs and you’re ready to get sober, you should strongly consider several things to help you. If you hit rock bottom or not, alcohol abuse and drug addiction often need professional help or

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Getting Rid of the Inner Critic in Addiction
Addiction Treatment

Getting Rid of the Inner Critic in Addiction

When struggling with substance use disorder or alcoholism, the inner critic deters you from looking at yourself and reality with honesty. The inner critic is not real and spreads falsehoods about your situation and other people. When drinking and using,

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Enhance Recovery With Mindfulness

We help people with mental health and substance abuse disorders recover. Utilizing evidence-based practices in conjunction with mindfulness and the 12 Steps, Renewal Lodge leads the nation in dual diagnosis care.

Dear Renewal Lodge Visitors,

My name is John Bruna, co-founder of the Mindfulness in Recovery® Institute, and more importantly, a grateful member of the recovery community. I am incredibly fortunate to have found my recovery in 1984. Of course, I did not achieve continuous recovery through willpower or my own efforts, but through the guidance and caring support of countless others that selflessly taught me how to live through the 12 Steps.

My journey of recovery brought this once homeless, shame-based, traumatized, insecure young man to a life far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I discovered self-worth, the joy of helping others, the gifts of parenting and grandparenting, and most importantly the ability to live a meaningful and purposeful life with integrity.

One of the greatest gifts of recovery is that I have the opportunity to give back and help others discover their self-worth, dignity, and the skills to fully live lives that they find truly meaningful. This is the inspiration for developing the skills of Mindfulness in Recovery® (MIR) to meet the needs of new generations struggling with alcohol and other substance use disorders. MIR is a set of evidence-based skills designed to help people fully integrate their tools of recovery in ways that are personalized, practical, and in alignment with their deepest values.

While we train counselors and therapists throughout the United States and abroad, I personally have chosen to work directly with the amazing team and clients at Renewal Lodge to develop the model MIR 12-step program for the nation. I choose Renewal Lodge because of the vision of its mission and the dedication of its team. Renewal Lodge is an extremely rare environment in which the staff embodies the very mindfulness and 12-step practices and skills they offer their clients. The results have been beyond my expectations. It is an honor to be here and I treasure my personal time with every client I meet.

With Gratitude,

John Bruna
John_Bruna_Sig
John Bruna
Director of Mindfulness
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