Cravings for drugs or out of control carb cravings are very similar in their neuropathway manifestation. This is also why you typically see recovered drug addicts dealing with food issues after they leave rehab.

Thriving in recovery is not exchanging one addiction for another.

It is critical to understand that you need to re-balance your biochemistry, so you can slowly begin to find pleasure in normal behaviors again. Not always searching for that extreme fix - basically living life like a junkie, even after having detoxed from drugs: overspending, endless one-night stands, 12 cups of coffee with sugar a day, over-performing, workaholic, 3 packs of cigarettes daily, constantly on your iPhone to distract yourself from life etc.

Living life as a junkie is not limited to being on drugs.

In fact, today with all the technology, most of us have a very, very short attention span. This makes it difficult for us to bond with other people and also to create that mind-body connection and listen to our inner wisdom. When we have zero intuitive feel going on, we let our surroundings manipulate with our needs and wants.

This crushes our soul.

I want you to think about how you are living your life today - which self-care routines do you have in place that nourish you? Is everyday a struggle for you to get through? Are you busy always white-knuckling it, and looking for that next socially somewhat allowable fix - whether in the form of excessive behaviors or distractions maneuvers leading to the attention span of a 5-year old?

A daily self-care routine is something most people have, when not dealing with self-destructive behaviors.

That's why it is important when learning to let go of your old ways of dealing with life and stress, to pin-point some routines you can incorporate daily to slowly build up a system that will support you in your new way of living. You need a daily support system in place. We all need that.

Keep in mind, though, that in the beginning this will feel forced upon.

It will not feel natural. You want to choose some self-care routines that are reasonably compatible with your lifestyle and which you might see yourself enjoying at a later point in time - even if the first couple months seem, like they are just another thing to check off on your to-do-list.

A self-care routine could look something like below - simply take a piece of paper and write your own routines on it, just whatever sounds like something you might enjoy at some point. Make sure to hang it on your fridge, as to remind you of taking those small breaths in every day. Otherwise they tend to get lost in the intention stage. Always take action, action, action... and do it immediately.

---------------------------------------------------Cut here------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------Cut here---------------------------------------------------------

And yes, your fridge door should look like a big memo-board of life affirmations and reminders of how-to-create-new-habits.

This is your life - so take charge and create one that you will thrive in every day. Take the steps today, that will make the change tomorrow... lasting.