“Be who you needed”. 

What does that mean?

I think it is fair to say that we have all been in a situation that was less than ideal.

When we are faced with difficulty or the consequences of our own mistakes, it helps to have someone in your life that can help guide you and give you encouragement. 

We all need someone willing to show us unconditional love and support, especially at our greatest moments of weakness.

We also need to repay that kindness whenever things are going better for us.

Someone out there needs you to be for them what someone else was for you.

You needed someone once before, so you should take what you have survived and use it as a testimony to help someone else. 

Someone out there may need a word from you; you may be the only person who can help.

Encouragement is in short supply these days, and we can change that by being there for people, even if they don’t deserve it.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Be a producer, not a parasite”. 

What does that mean?

A parasite is something whose sole purpose is to take.

Parasites take and take and take while contributing next to nothing. 

Most people in modern society are like parasites; they take from others and contribute next to nothing themselves. 

We need to be more fruitful and contribute to the world and people around us rather than constantly taking from everyone and everything else.

Become a producer and give something back to the world instead of being a parasite and always taking. 

It is much easier to be a parasite because it requires minimal work and effort; the world is constantly feeding you.

I want to challenge you today to put in the work and effort necessary to be a producer. 

Find something in this world that you can contribute to. 

Instead of taking other people’s joy, produce some joy of your own.

Instead of taking handouts, reach a hand out to others. 

Being a producer is a lot more difficult that being a parasite, but it is also much more rewarding to you and everyone around you.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Stop reacting; start planning”. 

What does that mean?

We are a very reactive culture these days.

We are incredibly impulsive and make decisions based on our emotions.

These impulsive, reactive decisions often get us hurt, in trouble, or worse. 

If we want to put ourselves in a better position in life, we are going to have to stop being so emotionally charged and reactive. 

Instead of reacting to what someone says, does, or posts, try planning your response ahead of time.

Planning our reactions ahead of time will cut out the emotional reactions we make impulsively in the moment. 

When someone says ___________ to me, I am going to say ___________.

When someone cuts me off in traffic, I am going to ___________.

When someone is rude to me, I will __________.

Start planning out proper ways to respond to all the situations that you know get you emotional and more likely to do or say something impulsive.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Replace “bad” with “new”!” – Jon Acuff

What does that mean?

We are often times our worst critic. We are quick to judge ourselves nd compare ourselves to other people.

When we try something new and don’t see the results we expected to see, we quickly assume we are just “bad” at that particular thing.

We neglect the phrase “practice makes perfect” and we expect to be overnight successes. 

What if we were to replace the word “bad” with the word “new”? 

You aren’t “bad” at something, you’re just “new” at it!

You aren’t “bad” at that hobby, you’re just “new” at it.

You aren’t a “bad” parent, you’re a “new” parent. 

“You aren’t “bad” at the new job you just got, you’re just “new” to it. 

Try to catch yourself every time you say you are “bad” at something, give yourself some grace, and let yourself know that you are just “new” at it!

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Practice Self-Care”

What does that mean?

It is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this week we are talking about stress and burnout. 

Stress is an unfortunately common mental health struggle that most human beings have to deal with nearly every day. 

We all experience different levels of stress, and we all have different limits as to how much stress we can take before we become overwhelmed and burnt out.

Stress can be good in the sense that it may motivate you to get more done, but it can also cause you to feel as if the burdens you are carrying are too much and you can’t take it any longer.

“Burn-out” is a popular term that has been used a lot lately to describe a feeling where you become so overwhelmed with the day-to-day, never-ending stresses of life that you cannot take any more. 

While stress may feel unavoidable, practing self-care is a great way to cut back on it and give yourself some breathing room.  

Practicing self-care regularly can help reduce the impact of stress and make burn-out much less common. 

Self-care, much like stress, can look very different for everyone; however, the key is to make sure your self-care is healthy and positive.

Many people use alcohol and illicit substances as a form of “self-care” or “self-medication” to deal with stress and burn-out, but that is not a healthy way to cope with life’s struggles.

Healthy, positive self-care activities may include knitting, reading, playing games, watching your favorite movies/TV shows, playing with your kids, taking a nap, yoga, etc. 

Self-care is vitally important in the fight against stress and burn-out. Try to find some time this week to practice some self-care.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Red With Anger”

What does that mean?

It is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this week we are talking about anger.

Anger is often an overlooked mental health struggle, but it can cause just as many issues as anxiety or depression.

Anger is something almost everyone deals with (similar to anxiety and depression), and the use of illicit substances and alcohol can make someone’s anger much worse.

Often times, anything we do or say out of anger is an impulsive and incorrect decision.  

When we are angry, it can be very difficult to make rational decisions. We are quick to lash out and make impulsive, reactive decisions that may have horrible consequences. 

Underlying anger issues will only get worse with time, and using things like drugs and alcohol will only make your anger worse and lead to even worse consequences. 

If you struggle with anger and making disastrous, impulsive decisions then I recommend you get plugged into many available resources that may help you: meditation, prayer, anger management, therapy, etc.

Anger may have you seeing red most of the time, but it doesn’t have to be the case. Take the time to find someone you trust to talk through your emotions.

Before making an impulsive decision in the heat of the moment, take time beforehand to pre-decide what you will do when you feel yourself getting angry. 

Coping skills are essential in making sure you do not make angry, impulsive decisions. You may also want to try avoiding people and situations that tend to make you angry.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Depressing Darkness”

What does that mean?

It is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this week we are talking about depression.

Depression is a very serious and unfortunately common mental health issue. 

Like anxiety, depression affects everyone differently. 

Depression often carries such a negative stigma that it becomes very difficult for people to talk about and seek help for. 

They often feel like they are alone in their own darkness. but that doesn’t have to be the case. 

Your darkness is not completely unique; allow for other people who have found the light at the end of the tunnel to shine a light on your darkness. 

Your struggles are designed to keep you isolated, but there is healing in being vulnerable enough to share your burdens with others. 

The more we talk about things like depression, the more we realize that we aren’t alone in the darkness. There are people out there dealing with similar issues, and there are people who have survived much worse. 

If you are a survivor, if you have made it out of your own darkness, use your testimony as a light to help others see a way out themselves.

If you are currently in the darkness, please know that you are not alone and it is okay to talk about your struggles. Don’t let pride and ego lie to you. Being in the darkness doesn’t mean you are weak, and being brave enough to be vulnerable enough to talk about it is a sign of true strength, grit, and resilience.

Stop self-medicating and seek professional help to get you started on the path towards a better, happier life. 

Shine a light on your darkness.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Turn Anxiety Into Blessings”

What does that mean?

It is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this week we are talking about anxiety.

Everyone has and deals with different fears and/or anxieties.

What if that anxiety had another purpose? What if beneath that anxiety was untapped potential to be and achieve more than you ever thought possible? 

Anxiety and excitement share a lot of the same chemical signals and pathways in your brain. What does that mean? It means that when you are anxious you can use that energy to propel you past that fear and into success. 

What if your anxieties were keeping you from your biggest blessings? 

I am going to get a little religious for a moment, but I think we can all relate to good, supportive forces and negative, hateful forces working in and against our lives.

If someone, or something, knew that you were going to do great things for the betterment of society, but they did not want that to happen, don’t you think they would try to stop you from getting to that point?

Think of it this way, if God knows that you have the ability and potential to speak to thousands of people about a better life, don’t you think the devil would want to stop that any way he could? 

Enter anxiety.

You won’t be able to speak to thousands if you get anxious about public speaking.

What if your greatest anxieties and fears were covering up the greatest blessings?

I want to encourage you today to look at what makes you the most anxious, and then I want you to ask yourself what you could do if you were able to push past it. 

Turn your anxiety into excitement and break through the walls between you and your potential.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“World Laughter Day is May 1st, 2024!”

What does that mean?

As I write this, today is May 1st, 2024. That means 2 very important things:

1. Today is World Laughter Day.
2. Today is the first day of Mental Health Awareness Month.

We live in a world that has too much anxiety, fear, depression, sadness, and worry.

Every once in a while we need to learn to find something to laugh about, something that brings us joy.

Mental Health Awareness Month is filled with amazing activities and events designed to help bring better awareness to mental health struggles while also removing their negative stigma. 

World Laughter Day is just the beginning.  

If “laughter is the best medicine”, we need to find more time to allow laughter in our lives.

Laughter releases important chemicals, like dopamine, into your body. These chemicals help to relieve stress and heal the mind and body.

The Commitment House is an Alcohol and Addiction Treatment Program and we know how important mental health is.

Most people who become addicted to something are trying to self-medicate their mental health struggles. Drugs and alcohol often provide temporary relief for mental health symptoms. 

Today, we want to let you know that it is okay to talk to someone about your struggles. Don’t let pride or ego get the best of you. 

Be vulnerable.

Allow yourself to talk to someone about what you’re struggling with and get help, today!

We hope you will participate in various Mental Health Awareness Month activities in your area; don’t forget to laugh today!

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Comfortable with the Uncomfortable”.

What does that mean?

We are all comfortable with some part of our lives. 

We typically eat the same food at the same places, talk to the same people, listen to the same music, watch the same shows and movies, and follow the same routine almost every day. 

Being comfortable isn’t necessarily a bad thing until you think about what you might be missing out on by staying comfortable. 

Staying comfortable means you might miss out on being good at or enjoying other things you’ve never tried before. 

We need to start getting comfortable with being uncomfortable if we want to grow and acheive more than the limits we’ve put on ourselves.

Getting uncomfortable simply means stepping out of your comfort zone to try and experience something new and unfamiliar. 

Uncomfortable can be scary. We don’t know what to expect or what might happen, but what if we turned that fear into excitement? 

What if we started seeing unfamiliar situations and opportunities as an exciting chance to be better and experience a better life than the one we were comfortable with? 

Turn fear into excitement. Turn failure into growth. Turn confusing into a challenge. Turn comfortable into uncomfortable. 

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees.