Intuitive Thinking Skills’ Post

Creating a strong support network is crucial for a successful recovery journey. Surrounding yourself with positive influences and understanding peers can provide the encouragement and accountability you need. Here are some tips on how to build a sober support network: - Join Support Groups: Attend local or online support groups like AA or NA to connect with others who understand your journey. - Reconnect with Sober Friends: Reach out to friends and family members who support your sobriety and understand your goals. - Seek Professional Help: Therapists, counselors, and recovery coaches can offer guidance and support tailored to your needs. - Engage in Community Activities: Participate in community events, volunteer work, or sober social activities to meet like-minded individuals. - Stay Connected: Regularly communicate with your support network to share your progress, challenges, and successes. At Illinois Recovery Center, we believe in the power of community and connection. Together, we can build a strong, supportive network that empowers you on your path to lasting recovery. 🌿💖 #SoberSupport #RecoveryJourney #BuildingConnections #IllinoisRecoveryCenter 🌟💪 🔗 Learn More: 1 (888) 510-3133 🌐 More Info: https://lnkd.in/gxmHNvgD #StrengthInStruggle #HopeInHealing #IllinoisRecoveryCenter #OurCommunity #RecoveryJourney #SupportAndEmpower #PositiveVibesOnly #OneDayAtATime #YouGotThis #wedorecover

Great article about 75 year anniversary of Hazelden Betty Ford & how they are safe lives and transforming future for so many addicts and families.

This article is pertinent to Lived Experience advocates as well as GPs. Too often advocates are not paid for reading, preparation time and sitting fees. When we make requests about changes to the way committees are managed, we are often seen as obstructive, problematic, lacking resilience, ‘becoming unwell again’ when what we are doing is truth telling. Over past years I have been on several state & national committees, most paid sitting fees; 2 paid prep time. However, I was sitting on one national committee during my work hours & hadn’t expected to be paid independent of my work. When I announced that I was leaving my job & asked about payment for this committee I was told this Expert Lived Experience Committee didn’t pay committee members. Staff were paid. When I said I would step down to avoid a conflict of interest in advocating for payment for the other committee members the committee was abruptly wound up by a prominent official. Is this a soft form of modern slavery ? have I gone too far? I have if you think about slaves working 24/7 cleaning houses, mustering sheep etc; However if people are asked to be involved because of their LE expertise & aren’t valued enough to be paid; this reflects the ignorant impertinence of people in power; The long arm of the oppressors.

World of Recovery: The US invented recovery, but has assiduously spread it worldwide (albeit primarily to fellow English-speaking and Nordic nations — Mediterranean nations are still having a hard time grasping it). Here are the five characteristics of Recovery/Recovery nations, which agree that: 1. The primary causes of bad behavior, social upheaval, addiction and mental illness are bad substances. 2. We no longer call bad substances “evil.” We have modernized and call them sources of a disease—addiction. 3. The major public health agencies urge people never to drink or take drugs and if they have any life problems to cease drinking or drug use. 4. We discount social inequality (unless we can label it as “trauma”) so that we can claim privileged people are as likely to be addicted and die from drug use as marginalized people. 5. In many remarkable ways temperance has usurped the drug policy reform movement so as to put big pharma, disease doctors, and anti-drug zealots at society’s helm. Here an organ called “alcohol review” portrays substances—beginning with alcohol — as inherently bad and celebrates mass rituals against drug use/drinking (as occurred during temperance when bars and bar owners were assaulted). LIKE TEMPERANCE the recovery movement is most rejective — not of people with substance use problems — but those who enjoy alcohol etc. while being productive citizens and having solid family lives. The US will never lose its temperance brand. And although there remain pockets of resistance — we are successfully spreading it worldwide. https://lnkd.in/eJ7Wd27Y WE ARE NOT DISCOURAGED in the least by drug deaths reaching unimaginably high levels compared with the end of the last century, and that mental health indicators have plummeted — especially among young people — in this quarter century, when medical remedies for both are strenuously practiced and ballyhooed ad infinitum.

Tragic and horrific story when the detail is considered that highlights the absolute need and importance for close multi-agency safeguarding and partnerships, and proactive and caring social work who let's not forget are registered professionals and bound by code of practice. https://lnkd.in/eex7XjVx

For the many, many friends and colleagues I have talked to who are saddened and confused by not being able to get through to often middle-aged or older family members who have disappeared down a conspiriciy rabbit-hole. When the powerful real-world influence of conspiricies began to show in my work, I specifically asked lots of people about this. Participants at dialgoue events would 'do their own homework' and bring in screeds of 'proof' from organisations that sounded believable, using the word 'Institute' in their title for example, but were actually lobbying organisations which worked to keep the status quo or push a certain line. We design Public Dialogue processes to protect against just such eventualities, with skilled scientists, academics and experts in the field working with the public to uncover solutions to complex problems, so, in the end, the people who had been through the process were annoyed at how they had been initially duped by the various things they had found on the internet and had learned how to question the facts. This isn't the aim of dialgoue - the solutions are - but it's a welcome by-product and well worth knowing. I began to specifically ask friends and colleagues about their personal experiences and 9 out of 10 people I spoke to knew someone - a friend or family member - who had, often very problematically, started believing in conspiricy theories. Often men, but not exclusively - leaving the women in the household very concerend about what the men were watching on increasingly large screens, talking loudly about, and what children and other family members were taking in. It was notable that it was often when there was a change in life circumstances - divorce, bereavement, change of job - that the pattern set in. This brilliant article (and associated academic papers) begin to explain why. https://lnkd.in/eMAr3QkP I noticed a similar cycle when travelling/working abroad in the early 90s to mid 2000s. I would be offered Nescafe rather than the (much better) local coffee, because I was seen as special and needed the 'special' coffee, farmers offering Del Monte tins of the same fruit they grew. Pure advertising, but more powerful, because where both TV and advertising landed in country at the same time, it was difficult for people to discern between a drama and an advert - especially when some of the adverts look like dramas (eg Nescafe). There was a tendency also to trust the well-dressed white man ("look, he is successful, if I do that I will be successful too" - I was told). This is in contrast to the British experience, where broadcast TV was largely pioneered in London, thus the population grew and learned with it. Jane Shaw, I think you'll like this one. Melissa Mean, Penny Walker, Rhuari Bennett, Sarah Toy, Sarah-Jane Smart, Andrew Floyer Acland, Mark Leach, Savita Willmott,

Two opportunities to process some grief, connect, build community, and heal together. For folks in/around Melbourne, Australia: https://lnkd.in/e8xJUdid For folks in/around Western British Columbia: https://lnkd.in/euJaY6Ah

When tragic events happen, like the recent incident in Melbourne, the impact can ripple through communities far and wide, even if we’re not directly there. It’s normal to feel a range of emotions, and children in particular can feel more vulnerable, worried or scared after a traumatic event. If you’re looking for guidance on how to navigate a traumatic event, Australian Red Cross has a range of helpful resources to help guide conversations >> https://brnw.ch/21wOdnH Here is one specially for helping children and young people in support of emotional well-being >> https://brnw.ch/21wOdnG

The four goal-striving reasons are (see Figure 1): To avoid self-esteem loss (e.g., avoid feeling like a failure or incompetent) For altruistic reasons (e.g., assisting, validating, or supporting others) For pleasure (e.g., experiencing joy, satisfaction, and well-being) Out of necessity (e.g., avoiding threatening or harmful situations, such as homelessness) https://lnkd.in/dsXkMak2

1 in 4 pregnancies end in a loss. It is a shocking statistic - and only the very tip of the iceberg... Another stat I could bring up to shock you is that 21 babies, children and young people die each day in the UK. It is tough to think about isn't it? Imagine how many families have to face this reality, and how many are in hospital with their child, or looking after their child at home with a chronic condition. How many of your colleagues/employees have experienced some of these situations, or are facing them now? You may not even know... Our Peer Support service is here to help - and we need to make sure EVERYONE knows about it! Please spread the word, and if there is anyone in your organisation who might benefit from getting support from someone who has already walked the walk then please let them know about the Peer Support we provide for free. It is really easy to self-refer to the service here - https://lnkd.in/eii4hrut You also may have colleague who you think would make a perfect Peer Supporter? If you do then pease let them know about the service - we need more volunteers. We provide the training and all the necessary checks to become a Peer Supporter, all they need to do is fill in the form to let us know they are interested, here - https://lnkd.in/e-TGXWE3