Steady Bearing

ChartPassage plan

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Passage plan32 pagesFive legs

Getting help and staying well is a passage, not a single step

A plain-language, sourced library on recovery from alcohol and drug problems. Read it in order, leg by leg, or jump to the page you need. The editors explain what treatment involves, what therapies and medicines are used and what the evidence says, including where it is thin.

Start at leg 1Skip to the therapies

A compass roseA drawn compass rose with a magenta north point, eight points, a ring of tick marks and a dashed bearing line leaving the center. N

Each leg below is a stage people commonly pass through. People move back and forth, and nobody has to do every leg. Every page ends with a link to the next one, so the whole library also reads as a single route.

  1. Leg1

    Reach out

    Asking for help and finding care.

    A buoy and a harbour lightA striped marker buoy floats on open water, with a dashed line running to a pier that carries a small lit lamp.

    Most routes into treatment start with one conversation. These pages explain what an assessment is, what levels of care exist and how to read an overview of services.

    1. 01What happens when you ask for helpAssessment, levels of care and what treatment generally involves.Guide
    2. 02Mental health facilities in New York CityA sourced overview of how public mental health services are organized in the city, with child and adolescent psychiatry.Guide

  2. Leg2

    Steady

    Withdrawal, detox and medicines.

    A boat made fast to a quayA small boat held to a stone quay by a short line tied to a bollard, on flat calm water.

    Some people need a safe, supervised start before talking therapies can do their work. This leg covers withdrawal, detox and the medicines used in treatment.

    1. 01Withdrawal and detox in outlineWhat withdrawal is, why some kinds need medical supervision and why detox is not treatment on its own.Guide
    2. 02Medications used in treatmentMedicines for opioid and alcohol use disorders, described the way public health bodies describe them.Guide

  3. Leg3

    Work on it

    The therapies, one by one.

    A ship's helmA ship's wheel with eight spokes and a magenta hub, drawn flat like a woodcut.

    Fifteen approaches, from the best-studied to those with thin evidence, each described plainly with what the research says and where it runs out.

    1. 01Cognitive behavioral therapyTriggers, thoughts and coping skills: a widely used talking therapy for substance use.Therapy
    2. 02Motivational interviewingA collaborative conversation style that works with mixed feelings about change.Therapy
    3. 03Contingency managementRewards for verified goals, and what the evidence says about them.Therapy
    4. 04Dialectical behavior therapySkills for strong emotions, adapted for people who also use substances.Therapy
    5. 05Acceptance and commitment therapyMaking room for cravings and thoughts while acting on personal values.Therapy
    6. 06Mindfulness-based approachesPaying attention to urges and feelings without acting on them, and where the trials stand.Therapy
    7. 07Rational emotive behavior therapyExamining the beliefs behind upset feelings, and its place in substance use care.Therapy
    8. 08Solution-focused therapyA short-term approach that starts from goals and exceptions, not problems.Therapy
    9. 09Narrative therapySeparating the person from the problem and retelling the story.Therapy
    10. 10Psychodynamic therapyExploring the past and patterns that sit beneath substance use.Therapy
    11. 11Interpersonal therapyWorking on relationships and role changes that shape mood and use.Therapy
    12. 12Equine-assisted therapyTherapy that involves horses, and the limited research behind it.Therapy
    13. 13Music therapyListening, playing and writing with a trained therapist.Therapy
    14. 14Art therapyMaking art as a way to express what is hard to say.Therapy
    15. 15Holistic and complementary approachesYoga, acupuncture, exercise and more: what has evidence and what does not.Therapy

  4. Leg4

    Stay well

    Relapse prevention, groups and everyday skills.

    A lighthouse on a rockA striped lighthouse on a rock, its lamp lit in magenta and two beams of light reaching out over the water.

    Recovery is mostly a long stretch of ordinary days. These pages cover relapse prevention, mutual-help groups described neutrally and the questions people ask most.

    1. 01Relapse prevention strategiesTriggers, plans and the difference between a lapse and a return to regular use.Guide
    2. 02Mutual-help groups, describedA neutral description of peer-led groups and what research says about them.Guide
    3. 03Common themes in recoveryWhat public health definitions of recovery have in common.Question
    4. 04The 3 Ps of recoveryAn informal phrase with no official list, and the ideas people usually mean by it.Question
    5. 05The five recovery skillsA reasonable grouping of the coping skills that treatment manuals teach.Question
    6. 06Life skills built in recoveryEveryday skills that support stable recovery.Question
    7. 07Cognitive skills in recoveryNoticing and testing thoughts, planning ahead and handling cravings.Question
    8. 08Are there rules for recovery?Why there is no universal rulebook and what programs usually agree with a person.Question
    9. 09Enjoyable activities in recoveryWhy substance-free enjoyment matters and what the evidence says.Question

  5. Leg5

    Alongside

    Other conditions, trauma and family.

    Two boats on a shared lineTwo small sailing boats side by side on the water, joined by a dashed line, one slightly ahead of the other.

    Substance use rarely travels alone. Here are co-occurring conditions, trauma-informed care, psychoeducation and how families can help.

    1. 01Co-occurring conditionsWhen a mental health condition and substance use occur together.Guide
    2. 02Trauma-informed careAn approach to services built on the effects of trauma.Guide
    3. 03PsychoeducationLearning how substance use and recovery work, for people and for families.Therapy
    4. 04Supporting a family memberCommunication, boundaries and looking after yourself.Guide

How this library works

Every page names its sources, and the method page explains how they were chosen and dated. Steady Bearing is independent: it runs no groups, offers no counseling and recommends no providers. If something here is wrong, tell the editors.