Restore Counseling & Recovery

12/19/2025

Winter invites us to slow down and lean into comfort. Good food, warm drinks, friendly faces, and quiet moments by the fire (or space heater 😄).

However you spend your weekend, we hope you make space for the things and people that bring you peace.

Wishing you a warm and wonderful Friday! 💚

12/19/2025

📰 In case you missed it - our fearless leader, Thomas Mlodzik, was featured on the news this week to help raise awareness about the growing impact of alcoholism in our community.

Check out the segment from WIFR TV here: https://bit.ly/4pOzSb6

The recently released report shows concerning trends in alcohol-related health issues in Winnebago County, including rising rates of liver disease and ongoing alcohol misuse. Tom joined other local leaders to address this public health concern and call for continued education, resources, and compassionate support.

At Restore Counseling & Recovery, we're proud to be part of the solution. Our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for substance use is here to support individuals who are ready to take that next step toward recovery - with structure, clinical care, and community.
Learn more about how we can help here:
https://www.restorerockford.com/group

📞 If you or someone you love is struggling, please know you're not alone. Reach out. Ask questions. Let's break the stigma - together.

12/17/2025

📺 Our fearless leader, Thomas Mlodzik, was featured on WIFR TV last night discussing important new data on alcohol use in our region.

The recently released report shows concerning trends in alcohol-related health issues in Winnebago County and across Illinois, including rising rates of liver disease and ongoing alcohol misuse. Local leaders are sounding the alarm so we can face these challenges together as a community.

Tom shared insight into how alcoholism continues to be a primary issue in addiction treatment - and emphasized the need for increased awareness, education, and resources right here at home.
Check out the article and video from WIFR: https://bit.ly/4pOzSb6

If you or someone you care about is struggling with alcohol use, our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for addiction is designed to provide structured support, clinical care, and pathways toward lasting recovery.
Learn more about how we can help:
https://www.restorerockford.com/group

❗️ For immediate assistance or to explore community resources, call the Illinois Helpline at 833-657-7147 - free and confidential.

"When I look at death certificates... to see the alarming rate of liver cirrhosis, alcohol cirrhosis, is an alarming statistic," said Winnebago County Coroner Jennifer Muraski.

12/12/2025

Happy Friday, friends!
As the cold settles in, may your weekend be filled with soft blankets, warm drinks, and the simple joy of a good book (or your cozy hobby of choice. 💙)
Take time to rest, reset, and do whatever brings you peace.
You deserve comfort - inside and out.
❄📚☕

12/05/2025

Not every season in life feels warm or welcoming. Some bring silence. Solitude. Stillness.

But even in the coldest chapters, there is beauty. Not in spite of the cold, but because of it.

Every snowflake is formed under pressure, crystalized in freezing air, shaped uniquely by the conditions encountered on its journey.
Just like you.

This time of year, many feel the weight of loneliness, grief, or exhaustion. Emotions that usually stay hidden beneath the surface. But your presence, your perseverance, your ability to stand in the cold, even for just a moment longer, speaks volumes of your strength.

Winter is a reminder that resilience is often formed in the quiet. Even in our coldest seasons, beauty and strength are being shaped within us. 💙❄

08/01/2025

🌻 August arrives with golden light and quiet promise.
It's a month of subtle shifts, of lingering warmth and the first whispers of change. Whether you're holding onto something or gently letting go, may this new month remind you: You are allowed to begin again.

Here's to fresh starts, soft skies, and the wonderful things waiting just around the bend. 💚

07/22/2025

🌞 We often measure wealth by material things, but the truth is, some of the richest moments come from the simple joys of life. A sunny afternoon, time spent outdoors, or the quiet peace of a summer morning.

As the summer winds down, give yourself permission to pause, soak in the present, and cherish the small things that nourish your well-being. 🌻

At Restore, we're here to support you in finding balance and peace, no matter the season. 💚

06/09/2025

Trauma dysregulates our nervous systems. What others experience as excitement, we may experience as warning. Even love, joy, and opportunity can feel like danger when your body is still bracing for what hurt you last.

This is the unseen truth of PTSD: it's not just about what happened. It's about how what happened continues to echo. And healing is not about forgetting the past. It's about helping the body and mind feel safe in the present.

If this speaks to you, you are not alone. You are not "too much," or "too sensitive." You are a survivor navigating a world that doesn't always see what you carry.

💚 This month, and every month, we honor that journey.

05/26/2025

"Yours has the suffering been, the memory shall be ours..."

This Memorial Day, we pause to honor the lives lost in service to this country. Their sacrifice echoes through generations, not only in our history, but in the quiet grief and gratitude held in our hearts.

Grief does not follow a calendar. It lingers in families, in friendships, in communities forever changed. If you're carrying that weight today, whether your loss is fresh or decades old, please know that your sorrow is valid, your silence heard, and your love remembered.

Memorial Day is not only about remembering those who served, but about acknowledging the unseen impact their absence leaves behind. Honor can look like remembrance. It can also look like rest, reflection, or simply giving space for emotions that rise in waves.

To the ones who gave all—and to those who love and remember them—our hearts are with you.

We remember. We reflect. We carry forward. 🇺🇸

Wishing you a peaceful and reflective Memorial Day from all of us at Restore. 🤍

05/20/2025

💧 Kindness rarely makes headlines, but its impact is anything but small.

A gentle word, a returned smile, or an extra moment of patience. Each act lands like a single drop in still water. The first ripple is quiet, but it keeps widening. Comforting someone who feels unseen, softening a stranger's hard day, reminding us that we're all connected in ways we can't always measure.

If today feels heavy, start with the lightest gesture you can carry. Hold the door, send the text, offer your seat, listen without rushing to fix. You may never witness how far your ripple travels, but someone somewhere will feel its wave and that matters more than we know.

We see you, we're grateful for you, and we're right here practicing alongside you. 🌊🫶

05/12/2025

🌦May is Mental Health Awareness month. A time to raise our voices, not just in education and advocacy, but in truth-telling.

Here's mine:
Some days I carry so much that it feels like my heart could split open. Grief, fear, anger, love, hope. They all live in the same place. And even on the good days, there's an ache humming beneath the surface. An ache for what was lost, what never came, what should have been.

Mental health isn't just about diagnoses or symptoms. It's about learning to hold space for ourselves. It's the tension between wanting to give up and still choosing to show up. It's sitting in silence with a friend because words are too hard. It's tending to wounds the world can't see. It's surviving. Sometimes, it's finding one quiet moment that breaks through the noise. A soft snowfall. A shared laugh. A journal entry scrawled in the dark. And letting those moments remind you: you're still here.

This month, let's talk about it all. Not just the strength, but the struggle. Not just awareness, but tenderness. Because healing doesn't always look like progress. Sometimes it just looks like continuing.

To those who feel too much, too deeply: you are not broken. You are human. And that is more than enough. 💚

05/07/2025

🌥Today is National Anxiety Disorder Screening Day. A reminder that many people are silently carrying this weight. It can show up as a racing heart, a cluttered mind, a body that won't relax no matter how tired you are. It can look like canceling plans, avoiding eye contact, or never feeling "caught up."

If that sounds familiar, we want you to know: you're not weak. You're not broken. You are doing the best you can, and some days, that alone is extraordinary.

This quote from Mister Rogers is a soft place to land. A reminder that "your best" doesn't have to be flawless, it only has to be yours. And that's more than enough.

If anxiety is making life feel too heavy, help is available. Screenings are a powerful first step. So is reaching out.

You are not alone. You are deeply worthy of peace, support, and gentleness with yourself and your journey. 💙