Blog

After five years in recovery the one thing I remind myself each day is powerlessness is not the same as helplessness. I admit I am powerless over my disease to create an opportunity for something bigger than me (my Higher Power) to lead me through my sobriety.
11 Jan 2018

Powerless

On July 28, 2012, I was at a complete loss. Despite years of trying to control my drinking, I had yet again approached a social situation with intentions to "just have one," only to wake up that morning with no recollection from the night before. All I knew was...

Walking through the quad at CH
5 Jan 2018

Cumberland Heights Designated an Aetna Institute of Quality®

Nonprofit treatment center Cumberland Heights has been designated an Aetna Institute of Quality® for Behavioral Health - Substance Abuse. Aetna makes information about the quality and cost of health care services available to its members to help them make informed decisions about their health care needs. In line with this...

7 Ways to Avoid Stress During the Holidays
13 Dec 2017

7 Ways to Avoid Stress During the Holidays

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it. – Sydney J. Harris Stress and anxiety can ruin your holidays and your recovery. Setting realistic goals, seeking support and planning ahead can help to lessen the stress this holiday season. Check out the following 7 ways to...

1 Nov 2017

Components of a Continuing Care Plan

When I was a patient at Cumberland Heights the idea of leaving the bubble to begin life in recovery was overwhelming. Luckily, I did not have to figure out how to live life on life's terms alone. I had a counselor and case manager who collaborated on a Continuing...

Eclipse
22 Aug 2017

Eclipse at Cumberland Heights

I've just come down from the big slope and hill at the front of Cumberland Heights after watching the Eclipse. Along with everybody else, we've all been talking about it for weeks. The science, the mystery, the spirituality of it all. Metaphors abound. At the simplest, the Eclipse shows how...

17 Aug 2017

Courage in Recovery

Poet E.E. Cummings once wrote, "To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." I have that quote hanging by my...

10 Ways to be of Service to Others in Recovery
14 Jul 2017

10 Ways to be of Service to Others in Recovery

When I was discharged from Cumberland Heights I knew one thing for certain...treatment may have been complete, but recovery was just beginning. Today, there are many ways I'm active in my recovery and one of the most rewarding is what I'm able to do for others. Service work is...

26 Apr 2017

How a Sponsor Strengthened My Early Recovery

In the days and weeks after leaving Cumberland Heights for a new adventure in early recovery, I discovered I was painfully shy when it came to meeting new people in the rooms. Initially this made it difficult for me to make the meaningful connections so necessary for someone in early...