Welcome, Superstar. I’m grateful you’re here.

Supporting someone with an addiction can be challenging. If you’re here, you’re probably carrying a kind of heaviness that most people can’t see. Maybe someone you love is struggling with addiction or in early recovery, and you’re trying to hold it all together. It’s a lot when you’re trying to help, support, and care for your loved one and not lose yourself in the process.

I can empathize. That’s why I created this space.

I’m Laura. I’ve been clean for over 30 years, but I’ve also been the one sitting in the dark, wondering what my partner was doing, worrying if I said the right thing, googling “what is hypervigilance?” I know how complicated and isolating this journey can feel.

Ah, communication. That magical word that’s supposed to fix everything. Yet, somehow, it’s the very thing that makes us want to tear our hair out when we’re arguing about who left the wet towel on the floor… again. Add recovery from addiction into the mix, and suddenly that wet towel represents everything wrong in the universe. Good times, right?

This bonus workbook complements Tuesday’s post on how to manage triggers when you’re feeling angry. It has easy-to-use exercise and optional deeper dive exercises for those that want to take a look at self-doubt and obstacles.

Anger is one of those emotions that can hit like a freight train. It can barrel towards you fast and overwhelmingly. For those in addiction recovery—and for the people who love them—anger can be more than just a bad mood. It can be a trigger, a dangerous pull toward old coping mechanisms that promise relief but come with a cost.

What do you do when anger flares up? How do you keep it from dragging you down a path you’ve worked so hard to leave behind? That’s what we’re talking about today: real, practical ways to manage anger and its triggers, whether you're in recovery or supporting someone who is.

This may be a hard pill to swallow…no one can make us feel anything.

Ever had someone ignore your kindness when you held the door open for them, and suddenly, your blood pressure is through the roof? Or maybe your boss gave you that “Are you serious?” look during a meeting, and you spent the rest of the day convinced you’re one typo away from unemployment.

We’ve all been there, convinced that other people’s actions made us mad, sad, or just plain bananas. But, and This may be a hard pill to swallow…no one can make us feel anything. Not even that jerk who didn’t say, “Thank you.” (Yeah, I know. I don’t like it either.)

Let’s be real: boundaries can feel as fun to set as putting together the breadbox I got from Amazon yesterday—no instructions, random pieces, and the possibility of becoming frustrated on the floor. But if you’re navigating recovery from addiction and healing, boundaries aren’t just helpful—they’re essential. Think of them as your GPS, steering you away from the potholes and speedbumps and toward a healthier, happier life that calms the chaos we sometimes feel in our brains.

Today, in another installment of my series on triggers, I focus on one of my topics: boundaries! You’ll rock at boundary-setting by using these tips and the attached worksheet. (Here are the first , second and third posts).

How often have you read here about how important it is to practice self-care and have tools while on your journey of recovery and healing? It would be helpful to have it in one place. I'll update it as I think of more, so keep checking back!

In my last post, we did the first half of the Setback Prevention Plan. This plan is designed to help you have a proactive approach toward your recovery versus a reactive one. This is a great way to handle challenging moments, urges, situations, and emotions that may lead you to a setback in recovery and healing.

If you have a setback, come back, and evaluate what needs to be adjusted in your Setback Prevention Plan. Remember, this is a no-shame zone. Dust yourself off, learn from the setback, and keep moving forward.