As 2025 comes to an end, we thought it would be nice to look back over the last 12 months of blog posts and share a highlight from each month. We covered a lot of topics—more, even, than will be represented here—and we will link you to the original posts so you can check them out (or reread them if you have been following along all year).
January: Reading Resources
In the first month of the year, we offered three reading lists in a post titled “A Recovery Reading List.”
We pointed you toward some great books about mindfulness, a set of memoirs by folks who have faced the same sorts of struggles you have, and a list of books that can help you explain a substance use disorder to a child.
February: Focusing on Growth
In a blog titled “Choose a Growth Mindset in Recovery,” we looked at two different ways of looking at your potential. The first is with a fixed mindset—meaning that you believe people are born with a set supply of talent and intelligence. The second is a growth mindset—meaning that you believe you can make progress in a whole range of areas of your life because you can learn and practice and move forward.
We argued that a growth mindset serves you well in recovery, while a fixed mindset might put your recovery at risk.
March: Keeping a Calendar That Serves Your Recovery
In March, we wrote about the ways in which an overly busy schedule can lead to increased levels of stress—which can in turn start to undermine the foundations of your recovery. We also encouraged you to ensure that activities that support your recovery (like 12-Step or other recovery meetings) should absolutely be in your schedule.
You can see our full advice in a post titled “Schedule Some Time to Think About Your Schedule.”
April: Recovery and Mental Health Go Together
Mental health disorders are often tangled up with substance use disorders. That means improving your mental well-being is an important way to support your recovery. We explored a variety of mental health challenges in a post titled “Good Mental Health is Essential to Your Recovery.”
May: Reclaim Your Story
We often turn to pop culture as a way to talk about issues related to recovery. We went straight to the biggest pop culture personality in a blog titled “Inspiration from Swift’s ‘Taylor’s Version’ Project.”
We used Swift’s project of rerecording her early records as an example of how you can reclaim the things that are important to you. When it comes to a substance use disorder, your personal project is all about a lasting recovery that gives you back your life.
June: The Importance of Your Community
In a post titled “When Everything Seems Awful, Rely on Your Recovery Community,” we took a deep dive into the people and programs that can make up your support network as you work to leave drugs and alcohol behind.
From recovery meetings and therapy to supportive friends and family, your community is a strong pillar of support for your recovery—even (or especially) when things are particularly challenging.
July: A Healthy Eating Series Gets Underway
Eating healthily is one of the best things you can do for yourself in recovery—and we devoted a series of blog posts to the topic, starting with July’s “Healthy Eating Supports Your Recovery Part One: An Overview of Healthy Food.” Additional entries here, here, here, and here.
August: You Can Quote Us
Sometimes, a quick bit of wisdom from someone you admire can be a great motivator. We shared a collection of quotes related to recovery in “Sometimes a Good Quote Can Provide Your Daily Quota of Motivation.”
September: Healthy Habits
In “Lean Into Your Routines in Recovery,” we looked at habits that can provide support for your ongoing recovery. From practicing mindfulness to having a hobby to sleeping restfully and more, we encouraged you to build up the kinds of habits that will help you leave the habit of using drugs or alcohol far behind you.
October: The Importance of Gratitude
Among the best things you can do for yourself in recovery is to cultivate a spirit of gratitude. Doing so reminds you of all the things you can enjoy now that you are no longer under the influence of drugs or alcohol. We offer advice for building a gratefulness practice in “Reflecting—and Acting—on Gratitude in Recovery.”
November: The Value of Laughter
We offered up a list of benefits that come from a hearty chuckle in a post titled “Laughter Can Be Good Medicine in Recovery.” Increased emotional well-being and improved cognitive function are on that list, along with a number of other positive outcomes.
We note in that post that we are talking about good-natured laughter rather than the mean-spiritedness so often on display in what people consider funny these days.
December: A Pop Culture Trifecta
We mentioned above that we love a good pop culture reference. In December, we have really leaned into that with posts built around Mission: Impossible, Disney heroes, and Lady Gaga.
We Are Always Here to Help
No matter the time of year, Wooded Glen Recovery Center in Henryville, Indiana, offers top-notch treatment for substance use disorders.