8 Ways to Keep Motivated in Recovery

By Jennifer McDougall “If who you are and what you have is what you want, that’s perfect. Keep doing what you’ve been doing and you’ll get more of it.”― Chris Prentiss, Be Who You Want, Have What You Want: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life The majority of people who get outContinue Reading

7 Ways to Create Your Personal Philosophy

By Jennifer McDougall “A strong personal philosophy does more than sustain us through the tragedies of life. It also stains us daily in everything we think and do. It gives us optimism and hope.”― Chris Prentiss, Zen and the Art of Happiness When you think about the way you view the world,Continue Reading

5 Spiritual Tools in Addiction Recovery

By Jennifer McDougall “It takes practice, feeling happy about the ever-unfolding events of life, and, because of all the conditioning we have undergone before this, it may be very difficult to make the change, but if we take the saying to heart and practice it, as the days unfold weContinue Reading

The Four Causes of Addiction

There are only four causes of all addiction. It may seem as if there are hundreds, but there are only four.  You have quit many times, only to relapse, even if there were long periods of sobriety. What draws you inexorably back is the unresolved conditions produced by one orContinue Reading

ALCOHOL - WHAT IS IT?

By Chris Prentiss It’s the drug, “Ethanol,” the intoxicating ingredient of alcoholic beverages. Ethanol and alcohol; two different names for the same thing. There are other types of alcohol, but ethanol is the only one you can drink. Ethanol is what we put in our gas tanks to drive ourContinue Reading

The Secret of Your Addiction is Within You

By Chris Prentiss The secret of what has caused and is keeping your addiction alive and active, making it seemingly impossible for you to quit, is within you. Learning the techniques of relapse recovery is important; learning a new philosophy of life and how to live it is important; discoveringContinue Reading

Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on the Brain

Drugs and alcohol are made of a variety of harmful chemicals that have many troubling effects on the body and brain. When a person consumes drugs and alcohol, chemicals make their way to the brain impacting how a person feels, thinks, and behaves. When someone is under the influence ofContinue Reading

Staying Physically Active in Residential Rehab

By Jennifer McDougall As a client at Passages Malibu, you will have access to a pool, jacuzzi, tennis court, 1/2 basketball court, backyard putt-putt course, and a fully-equipt fitness center on-site (with your own personal trainer). Being physically active during residential rehab is an important aspect of getting clean andContinue Reading

Break Free from Addiction - End the Cycle

By Jennifer McDougall Falling into the cycle of addiction can happen to anyone and when treating a substance abuse related issue, one-sized-fits-all recover models simply are not the most effective way of healing. This is why at Passages, we customize a program tailored to each client’s individual needs. Our non-12Continue Reading

By Jennifer McDougall Imagine for a second the perfect life. Imagine yourself living as your most healthy, stable, and spiritual self. This reality is possible when being healing from the underlying causes of your drug and alcohol addiction related issues. At Passages, we provide holistic therapy for substance abuse relatedContinue Reading

How to be Happy Alone and Overcome Loneliness

by Jennifer McDougall For many, being alone is a challenging and uncomfortable feeling. We crave connection and in order to stay sober, happy, and healthy its helpful to surround ourselves with positive influences. That doesn’t necessarily mean these people need to be physically around you 24/7. There is often timesContinue Reading