Bryan Hullihen

My name is Bryan Hullihen and I have had the pleasure of working in the field of substance abuse treatment for several years now and I have had the experience of early recovery on a personal level several times throughout my life. On a personal level the decisions I’ve made in the past were largely dictated by my subconscious or a desire to achieve some goal. Many times, those goals were in the pursuit of things ranging from pleasure to purported responsibility. Other times I was pursuing escape from fear or feelings of inadequacy and didn’t even realize that was the case. This haphazard and capricious way of making decisions ostensibly works for some people, however, for those who are in early recovery a more concrete approach to decision making is required. One method that was given to me which I use with those whom I work with in creating their recovery goals and objectives is to ask a simple question; “Is this decision going to bring me closer to, or further from, my recovery?” ...

According to Viktor Frankl in his book, Man's Search for Meaning, if one had no hope for the future or ability to find meaning in the present the chances of survival in a concentration camp was not possible (Frankl, 2006). Frankl observed fellow prisoners during the holocaust and noticed that some prisoners looked to the past, as if their best days were behind them, for inspiration while others looked for meaning in their suffering and had hope for the future. Frankl discovered that those who were stuck in the past did not have the will to live and died in much greater numbers than those who had faith in the possibility of a great future. My name is Bryan Hullihen and I too have witnessed this same deleterious mindset affect the likelihood of someone in early recovery achieving long-term sobriety. This statement is in no way comparing addiction to the horrors Frankl lived through, however, the observations are very much the same. When individuals are in early recovery and believe...

For many individuals in early recovery from drug and alcohol abuse identifying one’s values and morals can be a difficult exercise. From a dialectic perspective it makes sense for a therapist to do this with their clients as it allows one to see how they have not been living in accordance with their ideals. This process can be the beginning of affecting lasting change in an individual’s life by allowing them to exhibit behaviors more indicative of their virtues. In theory, and practice, this idea makes a lot of sense, however, for many people in early recovery the identity comprising the individual from their own perspective is more closely aligned with thoughts that are diametrical to their professed values and morals. So how can one once again see that they are, in fact, worthy of their virtues? A practice that many begin this process, which can be done by anybody at any time, is telling one’s “life story” using only successes in two minutes. No talk of death, divorce, failure, or h...

Being in early recovery with the holidays approaching is typically a scary time for most individuals. Many people will be attending their first sober Christmas and New Years after several years of active drug and alcohol abuse and the importance of a solid holiday plan cannot be understated. Recognizing this as a high-risk situation can start the process of employing a relapse prevention plan that may save the life of the individual in early recovery attempting to navigate the holidays. My name is Bryan Hullihen and I have assisted countless families and individuals through this process. Although the people and situations have broad variability the plans themselves remain consistent. In some cases, usually extreme, spending the holidays with the family is not a good idea. For these folks it is typically recommended that they schedule their time to be with their sober support group, especially during the days and times they will likely be most vulnerable and susceptible to relapse. Fo...

The trite expression of “old habits die hard” could not be any more true than it is for those in early recovery. When an individual is learning how to live a life of sobriety after several years of self-centered thinking their new life is often viewed through a lens of distorted perceptions. Attempting to let go of the things that we think we know about what we need in this process was the hardest part for me. When I, Bryan Hullihen , was in early recovery I still thought that I knew best regarding what I needed to be successful in beating my addiction. I can laugh, to myself, when I am working with someone in early recovery when they say the same things I did when I was where they are. I often hear, “I just need to finish college, get a job, meet a nice girl, and hang around a better crowd”. Although all of these things are good they were not what I “needed”. It wasn’t until I had undergone a paradigm shift where my new declaration of what I needed became, “I just need to focus on m...