A new study reveals that watching just a five minute video may help reverse memories of former drug use with past heroin addicts. It could also help ease cravings and the process is quite simple, says David Epstein with the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and co author of the study.

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Drug rehab is tough – but actually the first weeks and months post-rehab might be even tougher. In rehab there was a 100 percent supportive environment committed to your recovery and well-being. After drug rehab, life in all its complexity is there every morning and evening loaded with triggers that can trip up all your best intentions. Just accepting that this is how life is can be a major step toward staring down the fear and anxiousness that normal life can bring. Still, there are a few practical strategies that can also help make the passage smoother.

1. Enlist the help of another

Call this person a sponsor – or don’t – but, find someone you can trust whom you can call when life’s pressures feel like they’re pressing down on you.

2. Use HALT

Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired – each of these can be a trigger for an intense emotional reaction and therefore for a relapse. Eat well, get plenty of regularly scheduled sleep, stay around encouraging people and deal quickly and appropriately with anger.

3. Find somewhere to give

Giving to others is fulfilling. Find a place to volunteer feeding the hungry, visit the elderly, take time to engage with the handicapped. If you can’t volunteer, be sure to build one new friendship – thinking of how you can be the giver in the relationship.

4. Have some fun

Take an exercise or art class and just have some fun. Take the dog to the park at least twice a week and throw a Frisbee or play fetch. Attend free library events. Share the funny papers with someone. What did you enjoy when you were a kid? Can’t you still enjoy it?

5. Improve existing relationships

Find ways to work on relationships that were damaged during your addiction. Confess to the person how your choices hurt them and allow them to tell you more. Verbalize your strong commitment to making changes beyond drug rehab. If their words are too painful at first – contact your ‘sponsor’ for some support.

Those on the road to recovery from a substance abuse problem would like to believe their journey to wellness will follow a straight and true path to its final destination. The reality is, however, that there are many forks and unexpected detours on this long and twisting road, which makes it incredibly easy for recovering addicts to stray off course.

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The hottest movie in theatres today is The Hunger Games, a futuristic tale of thirst for violence run amok. Actor Wes Bentley plays the man responsible for the games around which the story revolves. The movie marks his first major screen appearance since his famed role as the shy neighbor boy in the Oscar-winning film American Beauty. In between the two films the now 33 year old actor spent roughly 10 years spiraling downward into alcohol abuse and drug addiction. Now, he’s older, sober and back with another attention-getting role.

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Drug rehab is a process that helps to heal the body physically, mentally, and emotionally. In the acute stage of withdrawal, the body undergoes physical withdrawal symptoms. After a few intense weeks where the body physically readjusts, the mind then begins its long journey of healing. This post-acute withdrawal stage lasts much longer than the acute stage and requires patience and perseverance to heal without falling into relapse.

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After a person completes drug rehab one of the first things they will want to do is to re-enter the workplace. For a number of reasons finding and holding a job can be a significant test, but experts agree that engaging in meaningful work is crucial to successful recovery.

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It’s one thing to be around supportive individuals and counselors when you are in rehab for alcohol or drug abuse and have ready help to deal with cravings and urges that rock your world. It’s another to have to actually deal with them once you’ve completed treatment.

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Art galleries are often quiet oases where people gaze and contemplate. Patrons of the arts consider not only what the art form says to them, but often attempt to discern what the piece of work reveals about the artist. Art therapists capitalize on this revelatory aspect of artistic expression and use it to help people recover from all sorts of hurtful experiences. Art therapy has been a recognized recovery tool since the 1940s and since that time has grown in scope and popularity.

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