Is a Christian based rehab program right for me? When facing addiction, many questions go through your mind. It isn’t easy to decide the best way to recover from alcoholism or drug use. There are many decisions to consider and various treatment centers to select from.

What Is Christian Based Rehab

Christian based rehab programs incorporate the teachings of Jesus Christ into treatment. These programs are available at Christian, secular, and individual churches. As a person in recovery, you may have experienced some feelings of guilt or shame associated with your addiction. A Christian-based rehab program can help alleviate these feelings by focusing on forgiveness and understanding. 

Religious Beliefs Are the Cornerstone

Christian-based programs are based on the belief that people can only truly overcome their addiction by accepting Jesus Christ into their lives. This may not be the right program if you are not a Christian. This is not to say that non-Christians cannot receive help through a Christian-based program, but it will require an open mind and acceptance of the faith.

Spiritual Healing Is a Major Focus

Spiritual healing is a significant focus in faith-based rehabilitation programs. People struggling with addiction have to deal with more than just the physical aspects of getting clean and sober. In many cases, addicts start using drugs or alcohol to relieve emotional pain, including stress, trauma, and other challenging life situations. Faith-based rehab can help them find peace with God and themselves to start living a better life in recovery.

Non-denominational Approach

Many options are available if you prefer to attend a non-denominational rehab program. These programs focus on spirituality without promoting a particular religion or denomination. For many people, prayer and meditation are essential components of recovery. 

Non-denominational rehab programs offer a spiritual structure without forcing participants to follow specific beliefs. Prayer and mediation are emphasized, but there are no religious studies or other practices that could conflict with your personal beliefs.

Christian Faith Leads to a Better Life

The following are some of the benefits that are attending a Christian-based rehab program:

• There is a  greater likelihood of staying sober. It has been shown that individuals who have faith in God have a higher chance to keep their recovery going even after the rehabilitation process has ended. This is because they can now rely on someone other than themselves for strength.
• A higher rate of success. This type of program is more successful at keeping people off drugs and alcohol because it provides them with a spiritual approach to life.

Conclusion

The main difference between a Christian based rehab program and other faith-based programs is that some Christian based rehab programs will incorporate religious teachings into the 12-step program. A Christian-based rehabilitation program is an ideal approach for people motivated by their faith. It can be an opportunity to develop a stronger relationship with Christ and experience the forgiveness he offers. These programs give people the chance to focus on their faith while working towards long-term recovery.

Did you know that over 80% of the world’s food is directly or indirectly the result of pollination? Plants don’t exist by themselves and can only be produced by crops by pollinators. Have you ever wondered which plant is suitable for an environment dominated by rainforests or flowers? Here are some of the best plants for pollinators

Aster

Asters are a group of hardy, fall-blooming plants found in the wild throughout North America. These daisy-like flowers come in various colors and attract butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.

Blanketflower

Blanketflower is a perennial native to the United States. It grows in open meadows and prairies and can grow two feet tall. It blooms from July to September, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.

Blue Mistflower

A native perennial wildflower that grows up to 3 feet tall, the blue mistflower produces long-lasting blue flower clusters that bloom from July to frost. Its nectar and pollen attract bumblebees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Butterfly Weed

The Butterfly Weed is a native plant, making it an excellent choice for pollinators. It is easy to grow and resistant to disease, ideal for a beginner gardener. The butterfly weed is a perennial, which means it will come back year after year without reseeding. This plant grows in clumps that can get up to 4 feet wide and 3 feet tall. 

Columbine

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is a popular perennial wildflower that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Columbine is an easy plant to grow, and ants distribute the seeds. The bright petals open in June, and flowers bloom until fall.

Goldenrod

Goldenrod is probably one of the best plants for bees because it blooms right as many other flowers are starting to die down. Honeybees, bumblebees, and other pollinators will flock to these plants when they want a late-season snack.

Ironweed

Ironweed is an excellent native wildflower for providing nectar and pollen to butterfly caterpillars, bees, moths, and other pollinators. Ironweed is a tall plant that grows to 4-5 feet and has purple flowers. The leaves are dark green and fuzzy. A large field of ironweed looks beautiful in a late summer garden or meadow.

Joe Pye Weed

Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum), which grows to at least 6 feet tall, is an excellent plant for attracting butterflies. It blooms from July through September and prefers well-drained soil and full sun. This plant is an excellent nectar source for hummingbirds, honeybees, monarchs, swallowtails, and other pollinators.

Conclusion

Pollinators are critical to the survival of many plant species, but they’re also crucial to human survival. These pollinators contribute to at least 75% of the earth’s flowering plants and more than two-thirds of all crops, providing 90% of our food. The decline in pollinator populations is a complex issue, but it’s clear that human activity has played a significant role. By planting even one or two flowers from this list, you can help these beautiful creatures survive—and in turn, we’ll all benefit. Contact a native plant nursery for some of these varieties.

The modern world can be hectic, with our daily lives often filled with work pressures, family challenges, and calendars overflowing with activities. It can be difficult to maintain a sense of calm when you feel the weight of life’s pressures, but there is hope. By prioritizing <a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-care”>self-care</a>, you can feel your best and be equipped to tackle any issue that life throws your way. Consider these top self-care strategies to help you find success and happiness in your day-to-day life.

Be Physically Active

With so many people working in front of a computer all day, the adverse effects of a sedentary lifestyle are increasingly commonplace. Your body is not designed to sit in one place for long stretches of time, and if you don’t move and stretch enough, health problems can occur, including:

• Weight gain
• Muscle and bone weakness
• Higher risk of diabetes
• Sore back and neck
• Increased risk of heart issues
• More depression and anxiety

To avoid these issues, integrate exercise and movement into your daily life. For example, if you need to travel a short distance, consider walking or biking rather than driving. Also, be more active during the workday by using a standing desk and taking hourly breaks to stretch and refuel.

You should also exercise regularly if you want to feel and look your best. Experts suggest that you aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week, as well as two days of strength training. While you should keep these guidelines in mind when choosing a workout, it’s also important to select an activity that appeals to you to increase the likelihood of consistency.

Prioritize Sleep

The quantity and quality of your sleep have a profound impact on your health. In fact, getting enough sleep impacts everything from your risk of chronic illness to the state of your mental health.

To prioritize sleep, maintain a consistent schedule for both bedtime and waketime. Also, increase your odds for good sleep by avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and blue light late in the day.

Eat Well

A healthy diet is also critical for looking and feeling your best. Avoid eating processed foods, and instead, aim to get plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates every day.

Think Positively

It’s not only what you do but also how you think that makes a difference in the quality of your life. Dr. Jason Campbell contends, “positive thinking and imagery are a type of self-care in themselves, because they can benefit your mental health.”

By developing a more positive way of thinking, you can motivate yourself to exercise, find the courage to take risks, and view all of life’s events in a more positive light. From a practical angle, what can you do to create positive thoughts? Helpful techniques include:

• Starting a daily meditation practice that helps you center your thoughts
• Listening to music that speaks to you on a deeper level
• Recording what you are thankful for in a gratitude journal
• Using imagery to create a happy, calm mood

With overpacked schedules and mounting pressures, life can feel overwhelming at times. But luckily, self-care can help. By developing healthy habits and taking the time to look inward, you can find a sense of peace that helps you face anything.

Getting involved in an auto accident can be very traumatizing, and you can be left stranded, not knowing what to do next. Below is a compilation of some of the things you should do after getting involved in the accident, during that very moment, and some days afterward.

Check Whether Everyone Is Safe

You need to check whether you and other people around you are safe before anything else. If you are seriously injured, don’t make any movement as it can make matters worse. Instead, wait for help from health personnel. 

If you are not severely injured, check around and see whether everybody is safe and if you need to provide some help. Call emergency services in case someone is seriously injured. 

Move To Safety

Moving to safety protects you from further injuries. If you are not badly hurt, move to the roadside or any other safe place. You can also ask for help from bystanders or call emergency services. Additionally, you can move your vehicle to the side if the accident is minor. Remember that your hazards lights should stay on and put flares or set reflective triangles to show drivers an accident has occurred.

Contact the Police

You need to call the police after being involved in an accident, whether its minor or major. It is crucial, and in some areas, it’s a legal requirement. The police will document the scene and fill out the accident report. 

Make sure you note the name of the officer, their contact information, and badge number. Also, request them to give you a copy of the accident report form. 

Exchange Information

You need to exchange information with the other party that has been involved in the accident too. Some of the most important information you should exchange include:

• Their full name
• Contact information
• Their license number 
• Type, model, and color of their vehicle
• Their insurance policy number

Avoid discussing too many details of the accident, especially when the other driver shows aggression. 

Document The Accident

You should record as much information as possible after an auto accident. Documenting the accident is key as it helps you protect yourself. Some of the things you can do include taking photos of your vehicle from different angles and taking photos of the other vehicle’s license plate using your phone. You might need the photos when making a claim with your insurance company. 

You also need to record the date and time of the accident. Additionally, you can check whether there are witnesses who are willing to give you their contact information. 

Get Medical Attention

If you are severely injured, you need to seek treatment even before doing anything else. However, if you have a minor injury, you can carry out the above processes, then go to a doctor. It’s crucial to seek treatment even when you feel just fine and don’t have symptoms of an injury. Some injuries don’t show symptoms immediately but do so after a few days or even weeks. By the time you develop these symptoms, the injury will have gotten worse. 

To avoid all that, go for a check-up to ascertain that you’re fine and get treated in case of any problem. 

Inform Your Insurance Company

It can be tempting to settle for a cash deal instead of making a claim with your insurance company. That may seem to be the easy way out, but it’s not advisable as it can make you liable for the damages caused by the accident. 

Instead, talk with your insurance company, and inform them about the accident. You need to tell them the truth about how things transpired. If you lie, they may find out and deny you coverage.

Contact An Attorney

Consider hiring an injury attorney if you suffered serious injuries in an auto accident. You can also hire them when making an insurance claim. Attorneys can help gather evidence to prove the other driver’s negligence and negotiate with your insurer on your behalf. This can greatly help when you need to relax and recover from injuries. Also, if a loved one passed on due to auto accident injuries, you can involve a personal injury attorney to obtain the rightful compensation. 

An auto accident can leave you worried and traumatized, making things even worse. Knowing what to do after an accident can save you from troubles such as delayed treatment and problems with your insurer. Since insurance companies are well-known for denying compensation, a car accident lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve.

Getting your finances in order is not something that just happens. You have to adopt some measures and be disciplined. Whether you want to get out of bad debt, have more savings, or be able to maintain your lifestyle without problems, here are some of the things you can do to put your finances in order.

5 Tips to Get Your Finances in Order: Avoid Financial Problems

1. Read About Personal Finance

Reading should not just be for passing exams in college. Adopting a habit of reading about personal finance can greatly make a difference and help you become more disciplined about your finances. Reading can help you develop better spending habits and give you investment ideas. There are several books you can read. Additionally, you can read from reputable blogs such as the Current blog. Remember to implement what you read to benefit from it.

2. Reduce Your Bills

If you go broke after paying bills, reducing them can save you from financial problems. Of course, there are some bills you cannot reduce, such as rent. Look for which bills to reduce. If you buy your food from expensive stores, you can switch to more affordable ones. For example, if your lights are always on even when no one is using them, switching them off when necessary can help reduce electricity bills. Also, you can replace your home appliances with more energy-efficient ones to save money on energy.

3. Create An Emergency Fund (And Maintain It)

Always make sure you have an emergency fund. The higher the amount, the better. Although no one expects bad things to happen, sometimes, they happen. For example, if your car needs some repairs and you don’t have any funds to service it, then you’ll be in trouble.

 If you were unable to work due to an illness, would you have enough funds to see through until you feel better and go back to work? If you are fired from your job, will you struggle to pay your rent and other bills without struggling? Having an emergency fund comes in handy in such situations

4. Create A Budget and Stick to It

It’s crucial to create a budget to guide you on how to use your money. However, don’t just create it. Stick to it too. Buying things impulsively can land you in trouble. For example, buying something very expensive can hurt your finances and make you forego getting the basic things you need. Before buying something, ensure it’s been budgeted for. 

5. Save For Retirement

Of course, you are going to retire at some point. Ensure you have enough savings to see you through your retirement years. This is especially important if your employer doesn’t offer a pension. However, even if your employers offer a pension or any other employer-sponsored savings plans, you can still keep something to boost the amount you’ll get after retirement. 

Getting your finances in order is crucial as it saves you from many problems. If you can get your finances in check, you also solve most of your problems. You only need to take a step at a time, and within no time, you will be financially disciplined and making smart moves to live a quality life and secure your future. 

If you’re like most people, you feel overwhelmed by the choices you have to make in your personal and professional lives. Perhaps you feel like you can’t keep up with the demands of your job without going all in, or you’re not spending enough time at home. So how can you juggle your career with other aspects of your life? Here are some tips to help you get started.

Choose the Right Career

If you haven’t decided on a career yet, it’s important to choose one that is flexible enough for you. It’s okay to give your job your undivided attention for a while, but you should be able to loosen up and attend to other matters shortly after. James Mellichamp started as a professor of music at Piedmont University and then worked his way up to being president of the school, all while being a concert organist on the side. He gets to explore his passion while working towards his career because his job gives room for growth and freedom. Also, when your profession is rewarding, it’s less likely to ruin your appreciation for other things in life.

Balance Work and Family

Balancing work with family is crucial to making the most out of life. You need to be able to put in a good amount of work, but you also need to have time for yourself and your loved ones. There are many successful business people who, despite their achievements, don’t spend much time with the people they care about. It’s good to schedule your time so that you can achieve your professional goals without having to sacrifice family time. This should keep you on track and help you stay on top of both worlds.

Make Time For Yourself

When you’re overwhelmed with the choices you have to make, it can be tough to find time for yourself. But by planning a break beforehand so you can have some alone time, it should be easier to manage your life and career. You can take a walk in the woods, read a book, meditate, listen to your favorite music, etc. Then when you return to your affairs, you might have a fresher perspective on things.

Take Care of Your Health

When it comes to balancing your career with other matters, another important thing you should never neglect is your health. Make sure you’re eating the right food and that you’re getting enough exercise. Quality sleep is also important since it should help you feel refreshed and motivated the next day. Keeping your mind and body in the right condition will make it easier to get your projects done in a timely manner, which means you’ll have more free time. Good health should also improve your focus and decision-making in the long run.

A good career is important in the modern world, but it shouldn’t engulf the rest of your life. You should get a chance to enjoy the fruits of your labor sometimes. The right planning should help you achieve your goals without neglecting important things.

Like most things in life, teamwork is a learned skill. Take two seconds to observe a room full of toddlers, and that becomes ABUNDANTLY clear.

Thankfully, by the time a child is entering kindergarten, they’re old enough to understand the basics of teamwork. They may not like it, but their brains are developed enough to know it’s something they can and should do. 

But those skills don’t just appear. Parents are the ones who start introducing kids to the concepts of teamwork and fair play.

Here are some ideas for you to try out. (These skills might not come naturally to your child. They might fight you. That’s okay, though. These concepts will eventually cement themselves inside your child’s brain if you are diligent.)

Ways to Foster Teamwork With Young Kids

1. Emphasize that everyone has a role. Teams are more than just their strongest members. In group activities, work together to find a role or job for everyone playing. Let your children take the lead in picking their contribution, too. That fosters creativity as well as identifying personal strengths. 
2. Focus on the effort they give, not achievement. Understanding the importance of hard work and cooperation is WAY more important than prioritizing “winning is fun.” It’s way better If kids are rewarded and praised for the effort they put into a task than just for accomplishing something. (Kids can grow up to become the “never try, never fail” adult if they are rewarded only for the latter.)
3. Show them how to encourage teammates. Even as adults, we know that teams made up of people who encourage and support one another are far better to be on than teams made of people focused on themselves and their achievements. Praise your kids for specific things they have done well, and have them do the same for their siblings, friends, or teammates. 
4. Encourage fair play. Honor ground rules that promote fairness and being kind, and don’t ever bend in those regards. However, if you have a little negotiator who likes to question the rules, hear them out and discuss as a group if you all think the rules should be changed to benefit everyone. (Emphasis on the EVERYONE.)
5. Don’t reward arguing. Fighting, calling names, or stomping off in anger are NOT ways you want your kid to handle difficulty or losing. Teach them to negotiate and, if that still doesn’t work, to accept the bad news or loss with grace and a handshake. 

Whether they end up in team sports or whether they are navigating a group project at school, being a team player and valuing good teamwork are skills that every child can benefit from. Be mindful of the ways you and your family can instill these values at home so your kids can see early how valuable being a team player really is. 

For more parenting tips check out our blog or read some of the resources below:

What Is Social Emotional Learning? 

It’s Mine! – How To Teach Kids About Sharing

Help Your Kids Practice Patience

Learning to play the piano can have benefits at any age. Some of these benefits will surprise you since they may not be related to the piano at all. Here are some of the benefits you can expect.

1. Improves Math Ability

Music skills in the brain are closely connected to math skills. Counting beats and notes helps you to learn about fractions as well. As you become more competent on the piano or practice using free online piano, you will increase your ability to do math. 

2. Develops Appreciation for Music

When you learn to play the piano, you will be playing music from many different genres of music. You may not have been exposed to such music styles as jazz, opera, classical music, folk music or rock music, but playing these types of numbers on the piano during your lessons at Forbes Music Company will help you to appreciate them.

3. Increases Memory

The repetitive playing of songs during practice will soon lead to memorizing the songs. Also, when you play in a recital or concert, you will have to memorize the music. This memorization of songs during music practice will exercise your memory skills, and your brain will become more skilled at memorization in general.

4. Helps With Language Skills

Playing the piano uses the same parts of the brain as speaking a language. So, if you play the piano, you will exercise these areas and become better at expressing yourself in language.

5. Improves Social Skills

Taking piano lessons means you need to interact with your teacher in order to learn. If you play in a concert or with an orchestra, you will have to learn to cooperate with many different people. This practice is a good way to enhance your social skills. Learning to work together with others can benefit everyone, children and adults.

6. Develops Patience

Learning piano does not happen quickly. There is a lot of practice involved. At first, you may be very clumsy at it, but eventually, you will get better and become a competent player. This process will teach you to be patient with yourself when learning something new.

7. Helps With Self-Esteem

Learning a complex skill such as playing the piano is not easy. You need determination and persistence. Once you have mastered piano-playing, your self-esteem will go up since you know that you have accomplished something great.

8. Prevents Memory Loss

Learning to play the piano is especially helpful to the brain functioning of the elderly. It will help to prevent memory loss associated with age. The more you practice, the better you will exercise your brain.

9. Enhances Motor Control and Coordination

Playing the piano will help you physically, too. It will strengthen your motor control and enhance your physical coordination skills. Piano playing changes your brain to make coordination and fine motor skills easier for you.

With the many benefits that playing the piano brings, it is a good idea for anyone to take piano lessons. The skills you learn will enhance your life and bring new richness to your daily experience.

Creating a house that feels like a home is a lifelong endeavor. Half of the fun of owning your own home is creating an atmosphere that you and your guests feel comfortable in. The home itself is the perfect expression of what you value as a homeowner, be that decor, comfort, color, or a mixture of all three. Letting your taste be expressed while also maintaining a relaxing atmosphere for you and your guests is one of the best ways to decorate your home. If you’re looking for tips on how to create more comfort in your home, this article is for you. 

Keep It Smelling Great 

Even if your house is as beautifully designed as possible, a sour-smelling room will always kill the atmosphere for new guests immediately. Everyone is familiar with the strange house smell, so it’s important to remove this as a potential vibe killer. Old houses, stale smoke, and pet dander are just some of the scents guests pick up on when first entering a home. If you want to avoid the awkward sniffs and questionable looks from guests, it’s a good idea to concentrate on making your home smell and feel pleasant and clean for your guests. If you want to freshen up your home, the first priority should be a deep clean. Deep cleaning the home and adding a whole house air freshener is an excellent option to give your home a wonderful scent without overpowering the senses. Guests will appreciate avoiding unwelcoming smells, and you’ll feel much more comfortable in your home knowing that it looks and smells great to new guests. 

Add a Fresh Coat of Paint 

If you have a big family, you’re likely already aware of how easy it is for the walls to get messy. Paint over a few years old commonly collects scuff marks, dirt, and difficult-to-remove mystery stains. To avoid the dingy look of years old paint, keep your home looking fresh by adding a new coat of paint. It might even be a good time to reconsider your paint choices and opt for a brighter or lighter paint for a fresher and more calming atmosphere in the home. Not only will a fresh paint of coat make your home look and feel cleaner, but it’s a great way to restyle a room on a budget. 

Style With New Decor 

If all else fails and your home still feels like it still needs a sprucing up, it may be time to invest in different decor. Try rearranging your furniture to fit a different style, and create spaces for more people to sit. Depending on the number of guests you usually have over and the kind of activities you’ll engage in with your guests, it may be a good idea to concentrate on the specific rooms that you’ll use the most when guests are over. Have a ton of foodie friends? Concentrate on sprucing up the kitchen and dining room to accommodate more guests. Kitchens, living rooms, and dining rooms are all party favorites, so concentrate your efforts on creating more space where people can flow freely from one room to the other.

“I am afraid that my son is a teenager: who will he relate to? Will he fall into drugs? ” These are some questions felt, silenced, spoken, and heard from friends. They are even reasons for consultation of parents with anticipatory anguish in relation to the character or social behavior of their adolescent children. This is especially true when they become a reason for consultation due to behavioral problems, drugs, aggressiveness, school dropouts, and even dysfunctional behaviors at home. Help is usually requested, and the emotional manifestations they experience are varied: from anger, concern to fear. There is even a kind of hidden or obvious guilt as an expression of their anguish.

Where are the roots of the problem?

Guilt as a mode of complaint becomes a kind of posture that favors family paralysis, twisting in the excuse of the suffering and lament itself. In young people and adolescents, many times we find ourselves before the quiet voice of obstacles: “my mother is afraid”; “My parents are to blame”, ins and outs where our children escape and allow their unhealthy behaviors –which are also reinforced. Where are the roots of the problem? It comes in the shared responsibility of the values ​​that we transmit and the responsibility of our children to read reality in many ways other than our good intentions. Many times, we have said or heard the phrases like: “We are not born with a parenting manual under our arm” or that “we do our best.”

What do the experts say?

Ideally, when you are young, your parents and teachers know enough about emotions to help you navigate them. There has been a great failure of society: we have left parents very helpless, we forced them to get little degrees for everything except to have children and to understand how they function emotionally. In clinical observation, we do not find the ideal. It is inevitable to find varied profiles of families that repeat themselves accompanying their children who suffer from an emotional disorder or who take drugs. There are patterns of family behavior that are NOT conducive to education. It is important to clarify that when we refer to harmful styles; it is about what stands out unipolarly, accentuates, or abounds as the form of relationship between parents and their children. Here is the big difference between: “I want the best for my children” and “I want my son to be the best.”

The Nuances

This educational style has several nuances, although it basically refers to those parents who plan their children and their future from their own expectations “that they are the best.” It is a selfish, limited position on the needs of your children. Many times, the kids are subjected to an overload in studies, languages, reinforcements, and parents have little communication with them, little time to be interested in their tastes, interests, feelings, to share their free time in a relaxed way. There tend to be highly demanding and authoritarian family environments where the lack of specific competence is underestimated, while the non-expression of weaknesses, disabilities, or limitations is promoted. 

Natural Affection

Even, and this is the most harmful of all, children can read and/or interpret that to win the love of their parents, clouded by the cold demand, they have to be as their parents wish. However, this can be a long-term, stressful, tense, and chronically dissatisfied long-distance race because love has nothing to do with being the best. It’s never been like that. We don’t need to be the best. Instead, we need to be loved without condition, simply because of who we are. This style ends up undermining the purpose of natural affection, necessary while human affection is developing.

Conclusion

In short, future reflections come from the contemplation of human suffering, not from the symptoms. As parents, you will continue to share this type of pattern that influences family dynamics. There are patterns that become classic about the maintenance of a sick family system: “be the best, do not make mistakes, do not speak, do not feel, do not trust, do not lose control and do not seek help outside”. It does not have to be like that. If it is, then the whole family needs therapy and counseling. 

Helpful Resources

Sunrise House Treatment Center

OASAS Addiction Treatment Center

Serenity At Summit

Banyan Treatment Centers

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