Bryan Hullihen

Being in early recovery from alcoholism and/or drug addiction is both an exciting and precarious time. I, Bryan Hullihen , know this from personal experience having been in early recovery more times than I'd care to admit. In active addiction we push all our loved ones away, most of us end up broke, and we find ourselves all alone or around other people who definitely don't have our best interest in mind. Then we come to find a path of recovery from this seemingly hopeless state and begin to feel amazing as our friends and loved ones return, we find a little money in our pockets, we surround ourselves with people who truly care, and we are no longer plagued by an assiduous yearning to get loaded. Too many people get to this place in early recovery and mistakenly assume they "got it" which invariably triggers a mental shift. Prior to this "shift" these folks, myself included, had recovery as the number one priority. Our desire and focus were where they need...

I, Bryan Hullihen , recently watched a podcast by Tim Ferriss where he stated, "You are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with." I like to say, "It's hard to fly like an eagle when you hang with turkeys." Although both statements are profoundly the same, their application to those in early recovery does mean the difference between success and failure or life and death. Coming into recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction we are not so far removed from the people in our lives that support our continued drug and alcohol use. This proximity can make it extremely difficult to break away from the five people that make up our average which has resulted in continued drug and alcohol use for far too long. It is important to not only break away from continued drug and alcohol use but also the people who have contributed to that behavior or do not support our recovery. My mentor from years ago had me construct a list of people that I viewed as...

One of my favorite quotes is from Tony Robbins who is one of my favorite personal development teachers. He says, "If you let your learning lead to knowledge you become a fool. If you let your learning lead to action you become wealthy." Early recovery is a time of immense learning where it is not uncommon to hear popular "sober phrases" repeated by newly sober people. These phrases are so popular because, when remembered, they make the person in early recovery feel better knowing they are not alone as the very existence of these phrases helps them feel understood. For example, a common phrase is "one day at a time." This simple statement says so much to the newly recovering person because in early recovery many of us feel overwhelmed with anxiety about how to stay sober for the rest of our lives. When we are reminded that we only need to succeed in our efforts today and that tomorrow never comes we feel better. This is an example of taking what we learn, ...

My name is Bryan Hullihen and I am not only personally in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction for many years now but I have also dedicated my life to helping others do the same. At one time in my life every waking moment was dedicated to self-destruction whereas now the opposite is true. Now my personal motto is "go further" which I apply to every area of personal development in my life. Physically, mentally, spiritually, and interpersonally I strive to go further and pack what I can into the stream of life. One area that I particularly enjoy is that of physical fitness. I not only enjoy this activity but I also see its significance for those in recovery. Our bodies are the vehicles that, when we are able, must be taken care of to the best of our abilities as physical fitness is one aspect of life that is somewhat controllable. This, of course, is barring only injuries or handicaps that would prevent or limit physical activity. When I say controllable I mean to say ...

Working in the field of substance abuse treatment has afforded me the opportunity to meet so many interesting people. I have witnessed countless people come into treatment with the same broken and defeated expression on their faces to leave a few months later walking tall and feeling capable of living a sober life. I have also had the unfortunate experience of seeing those defeated individuals come into treatment asking for help but, for one reason or another, deny themselves the willingness to receive it. Many of these unfortunate individuals have gone on in their suffering to die a premature death and although they were given every opportunity to get better, left a trail of heartache and suffering in their wake. The main distinction that I have found between these two types o f cases in the treatment setting is the ability to take suggestions. The successful group is typically comprised of people that have been able to, not only form a strong therapeutic alliance with their treatmen...