Maryland Wellness and Recovery

12/15/2025

MDWAR Community: Please note that all Monday OP morning groups will be held virtually until further notice.

If you are scheduled to attend a Monday OP morning group, please reach out to your counselor if you need the virtual link.

Thank you for your flexibility. Any updates or changes will be shared as they become available.

12/12/2025

I know this is just a meme/post BUT this is an accomplishment worth acknowledging even if this isn’t your first attempt.

Just being able to start clearing up old pieces of your life, to finally face the things you intentionally ignored, and to take steps toward a healthier future is a major win.

Life throws challenges at us that we can’t always prevent or control. We’re all human. And when someone pushes through something that once made them feel completely defeated… that is courage. That is growth. That is a victory.

If you recently did something positive for yourself something you’ve been avoiding and you’re proud of it (even if others don’t understand how big it is), CELEBRATE THAT.
It matters.
It counts.
It’s a step forward.

So go ahead and pat yourself on the back.
We see you.
We’re proud of you.
And you should be proud of you, too.

I HOPE PEOPLE SHARE WHAT THEY'VE BEEN PROUD OF!!! NOTHING IS TOO LITTLE OR TOO BIG! You never know who may resonate with your comment and it may help someone feel better! 🙏🙌

🙏🙌💕

12/11/2025

12/10/2025

It's not our place to try and talk someone out of their feelings. There's no "right" or "wrong" way to feel. Meet them where they are, not where you imagine they should be, and just support them as they work through what they are feeling. If you're professing to be there for someone, it needs to actually be about them.

Just my two cents as I decompress following some hurtful family drama.

What are your thoughts?

💙 Leila

12/10/2025

True life stories 🙏🥺🙌🏼

“We were snorting Vicodin off of the back of a Greenday CD case. We were just having fun. No one told us that we were essentially doing he**in.

The Vicodin was replaced with OxyContin and our aspirations were replaced with daily hustling to avoid being sick. Then, we started dying. Kids from my school. Kids I played baseball with. Kids with great families. Kids who could have been anything.

It was no longer fun. It was now tragic. 😟

We dealt with the trauma the best way we knew how — we stayed high. For years. It wasn’t supposed to end up this way. Our guidance counselor used to talk to us about going to college. She never prepared us for what it was like to live as a he**in addict.

I got sober but I will never forget my friends that didn’t. The ones that died. The ones in prison. The ones that are still walking amongst us self-medicated like the living dead. That’s why I never shut up about addiction. I want to make sure everyone hears the things that I needed to hear when I was seventeen.”

12/09/2025

Maryland has made remarkable progress in bringing down overdose deaths, but there’s much work to be done, writes Aruna Miller and Emily Keller.

12/05/2025

Weather Update ☔❄️

Due to today’s inclement weather, our MDWAR offices will be closed.
All groups and individual sessions will take place virtually.

📌 3.1 Patients: A makeup group will be held later this week.
📌 Need a link for group or your session? Please reach out to your clinician.

Stay safe and warm, everyone. ❤️

12/03/2025

So, you finished rehab. You’re sober now. Living in a Sober Living house. Waking up early to catch the bus to a job that barely pays the bills. You’re splitting a fridge with three other addicts, listening to them fight over food or relapse excuses, trying to stay focused on your own lane — your own recovery.

You’re hitting your meetings. Three a week. You’re sitting in folding chairs under fluorescent lights, listening to other people’s pain, trying to believe that maybe… just maybe… one day, yours will turn into purpose too.

And I know there are nights when it doesn’t feel worth it. When you’re sitting on the edge of your bed staring at the same four walls, thinking, Is this really what I got sober for? When the silence gets so loud it starts screaming your name. When giving up feels easier than fighting through another day.

But let me tell you something — it takes a rare kind of strength to do what you’re doing.

Because anybody can self-destruct. Anybody can run. Anybody can hide behind a bottle, a pill, or a pipe. But it takes a fighter to start from scratch and rebuild their life one day at a time.

You’re not weak because it’s hard. You’re not broken because it hurts. You’re becoming. You’re laying the bricks for a life that’s going to mean something.

That bus you’re riding to that minimum wage job? That’s not humiliation — that’s humility. That’s faith in motion. Every mile is proof that you’re not who you used to be.

That sober house that smells like burnt ramen and resentment? That’s your launching pad. That’s where your comeback story is being written.

And those meetings you drag yourself to? Those are your classrooms — where pain turns into wisdom, and strangers turn into family.

Listen to me — what God is building in you right now, in this season that feels small and insignificant, is going to blow your mind when it unfolds. You’re not just surviving this chapter — you’re being prepared for the next one.

You might not see it yet, but you’re a walking miracle in progress. A warrior in transition. A Rockstar in recovery.

So don’t quit now. Not when you’ve already made it this far. The world hasn’t even seen what you’re capable of yet.

I see you.

I’m proud of you.

And I promise you — if you just keep going, it gets better.

Copy & Paste lets keep reaching more, inspiration can come simply with a post.

Getting your life back is not easy but God gives us evidence through other people, he gives hope to the hopeless and life to the lifeless.

11/26/2025

Interesting and good to know. 🤔

Sour candy can literally help stop a panic attack.

According to mental health experts, the intense flavor acts as a grounding technique—its sharp, jarring taste pulls attention away from overwhelming thoughts and into the immediate physical sensation.

This redirection can help interrupt the cycle of spiraling anxiety, bringing individuals back to the present moment. Additionally, the act of chewing and the surge in saliva production may support the body's calming response, offering a sense of control during distress.

While not a cure or replacement for therapy, this sensory-based strategy can serve as a quick, practical tool in moments of high anxiety. As noted by experts cited by Utah State University, sour candy can be particularly helpful in grounding exercises used during panic attacks. However, they caution that frequent or intense anxiety should always be assessed by a healthcare professional to ensure appropriate long-term care.

Source: Utah State University Extension. (2023). Managing Anxiety with Grounding Techniques.

Al-Ghaili O

11/25/2025

Illicit drug overdoses and the deaths they cause are trending down this year, despite spikes in a handful of states, and Maryland has seen some of the biggest drops, according to a Stateline analysis of federal data.