“One thing that addiction does, it freezes you. You don't develop. You don't learn the skills by trial and error of having experiences and learning from them and finding out what it is you want and how to go about getting it by relating to other people. You short-circuit all of that stuff and just go for the button that says 'This feels good' over and over again. So you can wake up, as I did, at the age of 36, feeling like you're still 17.” —James Taylor, singer and songwriter  Read more in "Addiction Freezes You." When we face fear and troubled times, how often do we find ourselves to be completely overcome by the emotions? The anxiety and the pain and the worry become the ruler of our lives. We experience flight, fright or freeze while our fear increases and our worries consume us. So what do we do about it? We need to seek hope because that is where strength comes from. We need to trust that we will overcome the obstacles. We need to have faith that support will be brought into our life to help walk us through it. We need to understand that life's battles are merely a challenge to walk through and that with courage and support, we will find a way through them. RENEW EVERY DAY The Failing Stigma and Treatment of Mental Illness What is wrong in the world when we’ve seen so much violence and so many lives lost as a result of untreated and avoided mental wellness issues? What is the stigma people look to avoid that turns into untreated symptoms that results in mass chaos and destruction? Telling Our Stories Heals Us It might seem like our story doesn’t change, but if you have been around for a while, you realize that your story — and other people’s stories — actually do change. That’s the reason we can stand to keep hearing them over and over. Build Good Habits to Repair Your Addiction-damaged Heart Although drug and alcohol abuse can weaken the heart as well as other organs, good practices can help stop further damage or even heal it a little. The important thing is to quit the addiction and build new, better habits.  Renew provides relevant and engaging information and resources to help individuals recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and their loved ones create and embrace a healthy lifestyle. Share Tweet Forward

This email was sent to recoveryfriends@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Renew Media LLC · 22 Fecamp · Newport Coast, CA 92657 · USA