A New Year means a new resolution, and many people will be hitting the gym as a result. However, if you are in the midst of early recovery, paying attention to your health and fitness levels can be important for other reasons as well–one of which is the physical impact on the body of the active addiction. While there are treatment centers that provide analysis of a newly recovering persons’ health and provides fitness options, many cannot afford this type of treatment and are left wondering where to begin.

This is a difficult choice for those who have not been in the best of health to begin with. However, it is an important feature to address in early recovery. Because they may have many addictions to contend with, such as nicotine addiction, sugar addiction, caffeine addiction, and others that impact their health, but are not primary to their treatment regimen, they will have to structure their recovery to accommodate these things. Many who are addicted to drugs and alcohol will remain smokers and eat or drink things that are unhealthy and detrimental to a strict workout regimen.

While they may one day address these secondary addictions, their initial plans for improving their health through exercise will be less stringent for obvious reasons. Of course they will want to monitor their health by visiting a physician and following the recommendations given after ascertaining their basic good health, a beginning may be found in simple exercise that will be as innocuous as possible in order to avoid injury and danger to their health.

Walking is a good way to begin. Improving one’s breathing capability and heart rate is optimal for nearly anyone, but especially those who have been doing little physical activity and are feeling the discomfort of early recovery. The human body will go through many side effects during the process of recovery, but the early days will sometimes be acutely uncomfortable for nearly everyone. Obviously, the first days of withdrawal from medications and alcohol will be closely monitored by the agency they are in, or in a hospital setting, or by their family doctor. Medical assistance is highly recommended for withdrawal from substance abuse. At the point where the body is free from the effects of early withdrawal and is healthy enough to participate in activity of a physical nature, walking is a good way to calm the nerves that are heavily impacted by that physical withdrawal. As they heal mentally and physically, walking will give nearly anyone a more positive outlook on their process. If walking outdoors, the sunshine and fresh air are bound to increase feelings of wellbeing and happiness.

Learning to breathe, as in a yoga setting will also enhance early recovery. Toxins have been eliminated from the body and breathing deeply to continue the cleansing process is beneficial. Stretching and easy yoga poses are also good for helping to further cleanse the liver, kidneys, lungs and other vital organs after the detoxification process is complete. Most will feel more confident and energized by a simple stretching routine as found in beginning yoga classes.

The challenge for many addicts, who can often be classified as “all or nothing” types, is to moderately exercise. They will start out with a routine that is far too taxing for them, then fail to continue when they injure themselves or feel pain in muscles not used properly for some time. It is important to begin with small amounts of beneficial exercise and to grow a practice from there. It is not recommended that they begin with running a marathon, or even a mile, but to slowly develop a short walk of around the block and a few minutes of yoga breathing and stretching into longer periods of exercise over some time.

Kelly McClanahan has an MSW in clinical social work, with a specialization in substance abuse treatment. Having worked in this field for over 20 years, she is currently working on her certification as an addictions’ counselor.

There are a lot of time consuming aspects of being an addict in active addiction. It seems that every moment of your day is spent thinking about drugs (wishing you had them, or how to go about getting them), finding drugs, using drugs, or recovering from using drugs. With so much time dedicated to the activities of active addiction, one of the biggest challenges in recovery is how to fill up the time that was spent dedicated to perpetuating the cycle of addiction.

Recovery is about getting to know who you really are while remaining clean and sober. Part of discovering who you are is by trying new things. Make a list of new things you would like to try – a hobby you have always wanted to take up or visiting places you have always wanted to go. Boredom in recovery can be alleviated by learning more about yourself and the things you enjoy.

Goal setting in recovery can also be helpful in fighting boredom. Now that you are clean and sober, what would you like to accomplish? Perhaps you would like to take a class at a community college, or go back to school to earn a degree. Maybe you want to dedicate yourself to being a better parent and spend more time with your children. Your goal can even be as simple as improving your physical health by eating healthy, exercising, and getting adequate sleep. Whatever your goal, focusing on the things you want to accomplish will not only keep you motivated, but fight boredom as well.

While conquering boredom by working on enhancing your mind and body are important in recovery, honoring your spiritual self is just as important. If you already have a connection to your concept of spirituality, your time can be spent doing things to strengthen this connection and make you feel more at peace. If religion and spirituality has never been your thing, start thinking about your concept of a higher power, or what having a spiritual life means to you. Connecting to a power greater than yourself is one of the biggest gifts of recovery; taking the time to find it and develop it can be a major task in recovery.

Another way to fight boredom in recovery is by taking the time to give back to others. One of the most helpful things you can do in recovery is to make a list of all of the things you are grateful for. This not only serves to give you a new positive perspective on your life, but may inspire you to show your gratitude for these things by volunteering your time to help others, or even just saying thank you to those that have helped and supported you when you needed it most.

While feeling bored is quite normal, especially in early recovery, it is important to know what to do in order to deal with these feelings and refocus your energy on something positive in order to avoid relapse. Overcoming boredom in recovery might not just serve to change your life for the better and keep you on track, but may also be able to positively affect the lives of others as well.

Jessica Parks is a certified alcohol and drug counselor in the state of Illinois and has her M.A. in art therapy counseling.

The most essential benefit employed people enjoy is “Health insurance coverage”. It is also the single most expensive for self-employed entrepreneurs. So what can you do to lessen ever increasing costs of health care coverage?

Here are a some of the important tips for you.

1. If a medical bill seems excessive, try negotiating

Your doctor or the office manager who handles billing will probably be flexible, provided you make a valid case. When one woman in Texas was charged $900 for surgery and “consultation,” she explained that she had visited the hospital just once, for surgery; her bill was promptly cut by $370.

2. Contact a medical bill “auditor”

Several services have a medical bill “auditing” system that evaluates your medical bills to determine if errors occurred in the billing process. Considering that 97 percent of hospital medical bills contain errors, it’s no wonder why out-of-pocket medical expenses are on the rise for consumers. Because the typical hospital bill is extremely complicated, often containing several hundred line-item charges, there is ample opportunity for computer mistakes and accidental human error. Do a Google search for medical bill auditors to find companies offering this service.

3. You may get a tax break on your medical bills

Keep all your medical bills together and add them up at tax time. If they exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income, you may deduct the excess. Please note that these items also may be included in the total: the cost of eye glasses, contact lenses, physical therapy, x-rays, hearing aids, psychiatric care, insurance and transportation to the hospital or doctor’s office (at 30 cents a mile). There are phase-outs in some cases based on adjusted gross income. Check with your professional tax adviser.

4. Deduct 100% of your healthcare costs from your taxes

The IRS allows all self-employed to deduct 100% of health care costs from their taxes by using Section 105 of the Internal Revenue Code. To receive this deduction, you must do the following:

a) Hire your spouse as an employee of your business.

b) Have your spouse receive health insurance in his or her name, and include the family on the policy.

c) Pay your spouse a salary that will cover the costs of the insurance.

d) Talk to your tax professional about planning for Section 105 on your taxes.

We all know your spouse is active in your business. Now, you can equally recognize their contribution he or she makes – and get Uncle Sam to give you a tax break.

5. Help for families with kids — CHIP

All states have established new programs that help lower income families with children to pay for health insurance for their kids. Financed partly by the federal government, the Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) operate either as an expansion of the state’s Medicaid program or a subsidy for basic private health insurance. Eligible families may be able to access coverage for their children at greatly reduced premiums which will vary depending upon family income. Contact your state Department of Health or Insurance for more information.

6. Shop around

Hospital costs vary widely, especially between urban and rural facilities. If your doctor has admitting privileges at more than one hospital, find out if you can be admitted to the one that’s less expensive. Keep in mind that hospitals operated by non-profit foundations are usually less expensive than investor-owned, for profit hospitals. To find out how much your local hospitals charge, ask your doctor. Many states have Health Services Cost Review Commissions, which compile such data.

7. Check for free clinics in your community

You and your entire family can save hundreds of dollars by taking advantage of the many free screenings, immunizations, and other health clinics offered by your local community or a town near you. Numerous community hospitals and social services can provide blood pressure checks, shots for your children, free contraceptives and/or advice, and other preventative health care at little to no cost.

8. Get a second opinion out of town

Believe it or not, your chance of undergoing an expensive surgery or preventative procedure may depend solely on where you happen to live. Statistics show that the frequency in which certain medical procedures are performed varies widely from location to location. For example, residents of New Haven, Conn., are twice as likely to undergo a coronary bypass operation as residents of Boston, Mass. What’s the reason for this discrepancy? One Dartmouth Medical School expert, John E. Wennberg, M.D., M.H.P., explains that certain operations are simply more fashionable in some parts of the United States than others. So, if you plan to get a second opinion prior to surgery, consider going to a specialist in another city. In addition, try to find out what the surgery rates for your procedure are in different cities. HealthAllies.com also offers this service online at www.healthallies.com. To get the names of second-opinion doctors in your region, call the U.S. government’s toll-free second-opinion hotline at 1-800-638-6833.

9. Don’t pay double for a second opinion

As you make arrangements for a second opinion, ask your doctor to send copies of your medical records, x-rays, and lab tests to the second-opinion doctor. These tests don’t need duplication; your second doctor will have the information he or she needs – and you don’t pay double.

10. Emotional stability

Your mental health is equally important as your physical health. Do you have blue days once in awhile, or struggle with gray winters? St. John’s Wort, an over-the-counter herbal supplement, has been proven to increase positive moods. Before rushing to your family physician for medication to make you feel better, try supplements with a combination of expressing your feelings with friends and a healthy lifestyle. Mood stabilizers are some of the most costly medications on the market today. However, you should be aware of the signs of stress or even depression. Give yourself a simple screening test:

Do you have feelings of sadness and/or irritability?

Has there been a loss of interest in pleasure activities you once enjoyed?

Have there been changes in your weight or appetite?

Have you noticed changes in your sleeping pattern?

Are you feeling guilty?

Do you have the inability to concentrate, remember things or make decisions?

Are you fatigued or have a loss of energy?

Do you experience restlessness or decreased activity noticed by others?

Do you have feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness?

Do you have thoughts of suicide or death?

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, consider consulting your family physician. If they recommend mental health treatment, it is more cost-effective to have your family physician prescribe mood stabilizers instead of seeing a psychiatrist. However, follow your doctor’s instructions on counseling and referrals to mental health professionals.

11. Order your prescription drugs by phone, web or mail

There are many discount prescription drug benefits available for a modest cost. Communicating for Agriculture and the Self-Employed offers a free prescription card through PCS. This program saves its members up to 40 percent at over 55,000 pharmacies nationwide. On average, CA members save $9.39 per prescription order. You can enroll free on their Web site at www.selfemployedcountry.org.

12. Ask your doctor to prescribe generic drugs

Medicine marketed under its scientific name is usually 50 percent cheaper and just as effective as brand-name versions. In addition, look for generic drugs in the medicine you purchase over the counter. For example, 100 generic aspirin may cost $1.79; the same ingredients packaged under a well-known brand name can cost more than $5 for 100 tablets. Consider, also, just how important the new easy-to-swallow products are to your comfort. The lesser price of some medicines may be comparably easier to swallow when thinking about your budget.

13. Get enrolled in a group plan

For self employed people including those involved in small businesses, individual health insurance can be extremely costly – sometimes as much as 30 percent of your take home pay. By joining associations like National Association for the Self Employed (www.nase.org), you have the opportunity to enroll in a group insurance plan with unique built-in cost controls.

14. Choose a higher deductible

Often for the healthy family, the number of visits to the doctor totals less than $250 a year, a normally low deductible rate. This low deduction rate, however, can end up costing you more in the form of higher premiums. If your family has enjoyed good health for a number of years, you may want to switch to a higher deductible of $500 or $1000. You’ll notice greatly reduced premiums.

15. Pay premiums annually

You avoid the service fee and may also receive a discount from your insurance carrier. Check with your insurance agent about how much money you can save if you pay your premium one time during the year.

16. Make sure there’s a ceiling for out-of-pocket expenses for catastrophic illnesses

About half of individual policyholders lack this important provision, according to insurance experts, who recommend a major medical policy with a stop-loss clause limiting policyholder payout to $2,000 or $3,000.

17. Get educated about your health

Invest in your health by becoming information-rich. Read publications about health care. Pay special attention to free wellness publications like Inside Mayo Clinic at www.mayo.edu/healthinfo/public.html or have on hand a book on medical self-care, like The AAFP Family Health and Medical Guide and The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. A wealth of information is also available on the Internet.

18. Take advantage of free health advice

For free information booklets from the U.S. government about nearly every health care topic you can imagine, simply write to the Consumer Information Center in Pueblo, Colorado. The government offers several dozen booklets on topics ranging from nutrition, medical problems, mental health, to drugs, exercise and weight control.

19. Brush up on first-aid skills and become CPR certified.

Proper treatment of various accidents may reduce the number of visits to the doctor, and can save lives in an emergency. It’s important to always keep an updated medical kit in your home or office.

Here are the basics for your first-aid kit:

bandage supplies, including a roll of 3 inch wide gauze, individually packaged 4 inch sterile gauze pads, a roll of 1 inch bandage tape, butterfly bandage tape, and scissors

elastic bandages

cotton swabs

sterile dressings or towels

pain reliever (acetaminophen or ibuprofen)

anti-inflammatory medicine (ibuprofen)

ipecac syrup (for use on advice of medical professional to induce vomiting)

tweezers

hydrogen peroxide

skin creams, including hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion and antibiotic creams

an antihistamine (diphenhydramine for allergic reactions)

flashlight

eye patch

arm sling

tongue depressors (to be used as a finger splint)

ice pack

re-hydration fluids (such as Pedialyte or Infalyte)

20. Take a lifestyle approach to wellness – every day

Take charge of your health by making simple changes in your lifestyle. By following these seven basic rules of good health, you’ll improve your chances of living a long, healthy, active life.

Get eight hours of sleep per night.

Eat breakfast every morning.

Cut down on snacks between meals.

Keep within 10 pounds of your recommended weight range. If you’re unsure what your weight range should be check with your doctor.

Exercise aerobically for at least 30 minutes three times per week.

Avoid the bad habits such as smoking and consuming alcoholic beverages. Have vitamin and other supplement tablets as per the recommended dosages.

In recent times, as anyone who has had to pay for health insurance can tell you, the cost health insurance for a family of 4 members have increased extremely high over the last ten years. Many small and medium size industries can no longer continue to provide their workers with expensive health insurance benefits. In recent years, employees have had to pay a larger percentage of their health insurance costs, and many businesses have terminated their health insurance benefits, altogether. Other companies have cut down on the number of full time workers hired, so that they can save the cost of providing health insurance for their employees.

Should you find yourself in the unfortunate position of working for a company that does not provide health insurance benefits, most likely you will either have to purchase an expensive major medical policy on your own or do without. Because the high cost of major medical insurance can be out of reach for many, some families will choose to go without these important benefits entirely. The cost of health insurance can take a big bite out of a middle income family’s budget. These families are truly caught between. They earn too much to qualify for Medicaid and other government assistance programs, but do not earn enough to afford the high cost of health insurance. Even if an individual can afford the high price of health insurance, if a patient suffers from a chronic illness like diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, high cholesterol, or heart disease, he or she can be denied coverage. People have even been turned down for excess weight and prescription drug use. It seems like the big insurance companies are looking for reasons not to insure people, so those individuals who need it most may find themselves without any benefits.

Discount Health Plans

Fortunately, discount health plans offer families a way to save money on their health care costs. But what are discount health plans, and how can they be used to help families and businesses?

Discount health plans can be used in several different ways. For those individuals or families that lack dental or health insurance, discount medical plans can be used as stand alone health programs. These discount plans provide needed savings on all medical and dental services. Consumers can even save money on medical costs not normally covered by traditional insurance such as cosmetic surgery, cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, orthodontia, Lasik eye surgery, and even alternative medicine. Unlike traditional insurance there are no limits on visits or services, no waiting periods, no age limits, and ongoing conditions are accepted.

Businesses can save money by purchasing a high deductible health savings account or hospital only plan. A discount medical plan is purchased along with the high deductible plan. These supplemental benefits provide savings on routine health expenditures while the catastrophic insurance provides a safety net for lengthy hospitalizations and complex care. By combining a high deductible plan with a discount health plan, companies can save money on their health insurance benefits while providing their valued employees with needed financial security.

The discount dental plan is probably the most popular discount health program. Statistics show that seven out of ten Americans do not have a dental plan. Among the 30% that do have dental insurance, most are underinsured. Many dental plans do not provide treatment for ongoing conditions, have expenditure limits, waiting periods, and often don’t provide for even necessary procedures such as orthodontic treatment. Cosmetic dentistry and implants are usually not covered.

Discount dental plans provide the consumer with an excellent choice for saving money on dental care. These affordable dental plans are reasonably priced alternatives to expensive dental insurance plans. Savings can range from 25% for specialist treatment to 80% for exams. Most major dental procedures such as fillings, root canals, dentures, crowns and bridges, and orthodontic treatment are available through plan dentists at a 50% to 60% discount–literally cutting a family’s dental bill in half. In addition, patients with pre-existing conditions can qualify for these plans, and there are no limits on visits or services. Often these affordable dental plans offer value added services such as a prescription card, discounts on eyeglasses and contact lenses, and savings on chiropractic treatment.

Many discount health programs also offer a basic health plan which provides savings on medical examinations and physician visits. Ancillary services such as laboratory tests, imaging studies (MRIs, CAT scans, mammograms), physical therapy, diabetic supplies, hearing aids, and mental health services are also provided at significant discounts. A 24/7 nurse line and wellness programs may also be included in a good discount health program. Should hospitalization become necessary, the patient will be assigned an advocate who will negotiate the hospital bill and work out a payment plan based on the patient’s ability to pay. Hospital bills have been drastically reduced through these advocacy programs. One company, AmeriPlan® USA, has even added a prescription advocacy program. This program takes advantage of patient assistance programs available through major pharmaceutical companies. Individuals with over $90 per month of prescription expenses, who meet income eligibility requirements, may be able to receive all or most of their medications for just the cost of a small monthly service fee.

Lots of discount health plan companies also provide the both medical and dental discount plan. This program combines ancillary services, dental, vision, prescription, chiropractic benefits with discounts on physician visits, lab tests etc.,