Good Life Recovery, Vancouver, BC (2025)

04/19/2025

Thank you all for your birthday wishes. I spent the day in Whistler with my two spiritual sisters and we had a wonderful peaceful time at the spa. It’s a silent retreat and very rejuvenating. The drive home was amazing as the snow-capped mountains created a sensational and breathtaking view. So grateful for my amazing, blessed life.🙏🏼🥰🙏🏼

04/12/2025

I will be doing an hour long FREE webinar on Wednesday, April 16th from 3pm-4pm Pacific with my friend and colleague, Juliet Austin and invite you to join me. I will be sharing my 35+ years of experience in the field helping clients recover and enjoy the freedom waiting for them on the other side

Here is the link to opt into the webinar:

https://mindbodytraininginstitute.com/next-free-support-webinar/

02/25/2025

A few pics to share as I start my journey back to Vancouver. Some ashram friends - beautiful souls; and proof that I really was meditating 🥰. Our Mela camp with meditators practicing Kriyayoga meditation technique. And some last shots of the beautiful India countryside on my ride to Varanasi. I love it here and it is always so hard to leave. And I know that I’m taking so many spiritual gifts home that have changed me. I am incredibly grateful for the privilege of this amazing life I get to live. 🙏🏼🧡

02/05/2025

This is our Mela camp where we gather for our evening meditation class.

01/22/2025

Hello Friends,

I’m writing from Prayagraj, India where I have started my adventure to the Maha Kumbh Mela. This is a Soul Journey to Self-Realization, and I wanted to share my excitement with you. I have travelled to India many times and I have to say, I love being here. The cars are honking constantly, the animals are milling about among us, cows, sheep, pigs and goats living with humans in harmony. There is an unmistakable peace here amidst all the seeming chaos.

I have included a link so you can see for yourself what this auspicious and enormous spiritual event is all about. I will keep you updated with photos and videos of the experience, that I and millions of others are having.

May the prayers shared here create a better world, free from war and exploitation.

With deepest warmth and regard,

Sue

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/9.6614917

01/22/2025

Hello Friends,

I’m writing from Prayagraj, India where I have started my adventure to the Maha Kumbh Mela. This is a Soul Journey to Self-Realization, and I wanted to share my excitement with you. I have travelled to India many times and I have to say, I love being here. The cars are honking constantly, the animals are milling about among us, cows, sheep, pigs and goats living with humans in harmony. There is an unmistakable peace here amidst all the seeming chaos.

I have included a link so you can see for yourself what this auspicious and enormous spiritual event is all about. I will keep you updated with photos and videos of the experience, that I and millions of others are having.

May the prayers shared here create a better world, free from war and exploitation.

With deepest warmth and regard,

Sue

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/9.6614917

01/13/2024

Hi Everyone, If you haven't heard yet, I just published my first book. If you are interested in reading it, it's up on Amazon - for Canadians, go to .ca and if you are in the States, go to .com. I am thrilled with having this done and hope it helps some of you understand and address addiction with more hope. 💜🙏🏽

Canadian link: https://www.amazon.ca/Recover-Good-Life-Clutches-Addiction/dp/1738229408/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2QAPX049QQN44&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TtTL8yUHZ03stI5wtbD6EcIo8A-OeF6YQaGtQ7ezlM7LoilXSfqg2gZmIhPRMY0MlPtquHjt4ssc2AAmDVmcJvDH_qoMh_pFAoUVWVxOgTTlCtGQcDcSJ3X01bwOvfo685nIrpw8Wd2h0uryvt1GwA.XI_LeqE0L3w44r6ogEjKyabWiESxeRqFclr53tn9j-

US link: https://www.amazon.com/Recover-Good-Life-Clutches-Addiction/dp/1738229408/ref=sr_1_1?crid=42Q4VUYKNCKU&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Xp1K0Hfai8fyA-DNmEpNVzksGy2pvrexc2fAmsv48RFKX7EGxZwiXWrwINMDIPt8YgruREJ8WXL7DMbE339O479eSiyx21o9upEDEBjIH4eF_9wRoIQ60-3xapVcv4vO9GcJ1DDs1ecOD4XYy9EIUw.5sDf0xOwBw3BCPdIo494tasA7e7rYcmlO33hqmFRLxw&dib_tag=se&keywords=recover+the+good+life&qid=1705107589&sprefix=recover+the+good+life%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1

01/04/2024

Tip 9: Cultivate Peace Within and Live in the Moment

There is no better time than the holidays to cultivate a feeling of peace within. Most people these days are increasingly busy, making it a challenge to stay mindful and present to our lives. Peace is defined as “freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, or obsession; a state of tranquility or serenity.” This is a must for addicts who are vulnerable to relapse when ‘restlessness, irritability and discontent' takes over our peace.

Being peaceful doesn’t mean you have to be sitting still. Instead, I think of it as an inner shift in the face of our business. It’s the way we stay connected to our highest self, which in turn is connected to the higher source of knowledge, peace, and power. Becoming skilled at doing this, especially when our lives are full, is what helps us maintain a sense of serenity. For me, it is my daily meditation practice that keeps me centered, calm, and ready for each new (busy) day ahead, with all of its many challenges.

https://goodliferecovery.ca/

01/04/2024

Tip 8: Be of Service to Others

Service takes us out beyond our own self-interest and allows us to, often for the first time in our lives, feel like we make a difference in people’s lives. It’s critical because most people in the throes of addiction are ‘takers.’ In early recovery, they think that doing things for others “sucks.”

There is undeniable spiritual alchemy that occurs when we give from our hearts without looking for something in return. It’s difficult to put into words. If we pay attention, we’ll notice that we feel uplifted. We feel as though we finally belong because we have something of value to offer. We have discovered a key to happiness.

Saint Frances said it best: “…it is by giving that we receive.”

Acts of service can be large or small. It can be as simple as a smile for someone on the street. It can be volunteering at a local shelter or helping serve a meal to the homeless. There are so many ways we can make a difference that doesn’t cost a cent, but the rewards to us are priceless.

How will you be of service? Tell us in the comments!

https://goodliferecovery.ca/

01/02/2024

Tip 7: Practice Gratitude

One of the most powerful tools in your recovery toolkit is gratitude. It’s impossible to feel sorry for ourselves when we are being grateful. That does not mean dismissing real emotional pain. There are lots of things that are hard in life. Working these issues through is important to have a life worth living. But often, our ‘stinking thinking’ is what keeps us spinning our wheels. It’s the tendency to see the glass of life half-empty rather than half-full and becoming help-rejecting complainers. We become restless, irritable, and discontent – primed for another drink. And trust me – no one likes being around us when we are like this.

Gratitude, much like happiness, is a state of mind. Cultivating gratitude is a good, intelligent habit in recovery. It gets us focussed on what we do have, rather than what we don’t.

Neuroscience is very convincing on this topic. What we focus on is what we become. When we decide to stay connected to the small and large ways in which we are blessed, our lives improve. It’s an upward-moving spiral.

https://goodliferecovery.ca/

12/31/2023

Tip 6: Get Your Safety Net in Place

Addiction is a disease of isolation. I can’t stress that fact enough. A lack of emotional sobriety is often caused by a lack of social engagement with others who support your recovery. Being toxically independent is an adaptive survival strategy, rather than a healthy way of life.“I can do life alone, thank you very much.” It’s why asking for help seems like a sign of weakness, rather than strength.

Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to heal those of us who suffer from addictions. Human connection is the most powerful antidote to addiction. When our primary attachment relationship is to a bottle, a pill, or a device, rather than to another loving human being, we are incredibly lonely and profoundly out of sync with what is best for us. Our task in recovery is to get connected to a group of like-minded people who understand and have found a solution to our problem. Within that group, we need to select one person to whom we are willing to tell everything. Going it alone will not suffice. It’s a recipe back to relapse.

https://goodliferecovery.ca/

12/30/2023

Tip 5: Define Your Boundaries

Having strong boundaries means holding on to your truth in the face of peer pressure or standing out as ‘different’. The truth is, as someone who can’t drink, in a culture promoting drinking at this time of year, you are different. But, different isn’t a problem if we don’t make it one. It just means we know that what others can do, is off limits for us.

Know what your limits are at this time of year. Maybe leaving a party early is what supports your sobriety. Maybe declining to participate in events that are going to lead to a relapse, is a good decision for you.

Some of us have never contemplated the fact that “no” is a complete sentence. The idea that our value and worth as a friend and/or partner demands that we be ‘all things to all people,’ blurs our boundaries. Life ought to be a choice, not a burden. Stay within the bounds of acceptable choices that support your sobriety, and you will be amazed at how empowered you feel.

https://goodliferecovery.ca/

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Welcome to Good Life Recovery!