We are excited to help support Alcohol Awareness month this month. And today's alcohol awareness activity is to share our Alcohol Awareness t-shirt -- and to give all proceeds to the Gene Duffy Foundation. (Get one for ourself and then a few copies for your friends, so they can also support Alcohol Awareness month.)  Alcohol Awareness T-Shirt: $25 This beautiful, custom design features this year’s theme, “Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow” with the design resembling the sun rising over the ocean. This imagery symbolizes the new life experienced by those of ... Read More →

Held every April, Alcohol Awareness Month is a national effort to highlight the effects of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. At Duffy's, we are passionate about helping those who are struggling with alcohol, so we are excited to participate in this special month on our blog.  Who Sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month? The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) What is the Goal for Alcohol Awareness Month? The goal for Alcohol Awareness month is to raise awareness and to support recovery.This is a time dedicated to support prevention, research, education, intervention, treatment and recovery from alcoholism and ... Read More →

A New Obsession I'll never forget the first time my friends and I got a case of beer and got drunk together. I loved it. I wanted more. Nothing was ever the same after that because unless there was booze and drugs involved I wanted nothing to do with it. The booze and drugs took hold of me from day one. I never knew what would happen. . . I could hook up with a pretty girl, get in a fight or black out and wake up covered in vomit. But I still loved it. It was adventure in a bottle ... Read More →

Despite my experience with recovery and the 12 Steps, when difficulties arise, I still occasionally catch myself falling into old thought patterns. Some of those thoughts are a gut-level emotional response to the situation. Some are my attempt to find a quick solution to a problem. Neither is particularly productive nor useful. Fortunately, my experience with recovery helps me find my way through those uncomfortable moments back into the light. Here's my story from when three things disrupted my lovely, tranquil world early in 2012, each devastating in its own way.   Three Disruptive Moments  The first disruptive moment came ... Read More →

Valentine's day is a great day for those of us in recovery to remember those around us. Have you shown your love to someone today? Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the romance of Valentine's day, we simply forget the human desire to be loved. You don't have to be in a relationship to share your love today. Help someone today!   ... Read More →

It is generally not a good idea to enter into a dating relationship if you've just started your recovery. . . but knowing how to handle a breakup in recovery is a good thing to know too. The reality is that at some point you will probably start dating someone in recovery and knowing how handle a breakup without triggering a relapse is important. Why are Breakups Harder in Recovery? Breakups might seem harder in recovery because those of us in recovery want to latch on to someone and not let go of the emotional attachment. Often we want to let ... Read More →

Focus on Fixing Your Life, Not on Finding Love People with a healthy view of relationships are not obsessed with finding love. When you’re spending all your time looking for someone to date, you aren’t spending the necessary time working on your own life to become a better person to date. Maintaining a healthy relationship requires working to improve your own character, not obsessing to find someone who can make you feel better about yourself. Healthy emotional skills are needed to develop successful relationships. But for those of us in recovery, these skills can be ... Read More →

The family at Duffy’s would like to wish you and your loved ones a very happy Chinese New Year! This year’s animal is the year of the snake. If you will turning 12, 24, 48, 60, 72 (or any multiple of 12!) then this is your year! Background The date of Chinese New Year is based on the lunisolar calendar and lasts 15 days. (Think Christmas that lasts 15 days!) It is the biggest holiday of the year, and family and friends gather from across the country to feast on traditional Chinese New Year food, reunite with family, visit friends, give gifts, and set ... Read More →

Even though many of us in recovery are lonely, jumping into a dating relationship isn't always the wisest idea. Dating in recovery can actually easily trigger a relapse--or a new addiction: to relationships. Because It's easy for relationships to become just as addictive as substance abuse, it is not uncommon for those just starting out in recovery to end up in addictive relationships. How Do Addictive Relationships Work? Addictive relationships often start with immediate and intense gratification. Then, in an effort to control circumstances to maintain that high level of gratification, you becomes obsessed, resorting to manipulation and ... Read More →

So you’re in recovery and you’re getting your life back on track. You’re making progress in your personal growth and you’re dying to know “is it safe to start dating yet?” While there is no magic formula to tell you when you can successfully wade back into the waters of romance, if you want to continue growing and improving your life, there are some things you need to evaluate before you start navigating the choppy waters of dating in recovery.  Before dating, you need to heal When you&rsquo ... Read More →