The Gift I Didn’t Expect This Year: Giving Myself Permission to Re-Enter a Partial Hospitalization Program
I didn’t think I’d be here again. Not in that dramatic way. No headline relapse. No ambulance. Just a quiet undoing. One small compromise followed by another. A drink I justified as “controlled,” a skipped meeting I promised I’d make up for. Before I knew it, I was sitting in the same silence I knew […]
How to Use a Partial Hospitalization Program to Try Sobriety in a Safe, Structured Way
If you’ve been thinking about taking a break from alcohol or drugs—or maybe just wondering what life might look like without them—you’re not alone. A growing number of people are “sober curious”: not in crisis, not necessarily identifying as addicted, but simply… curious. Curious about waking up clear-headed. Curious about what it would feel like […]
Thinking About a Partial Hospitalization Program During the Holidays? Here’s How It Really Works
If you’re looking into a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) right now, especially during the holidays, chances are something in your life has tipped from “barely holding it together” to “I can’t keep doing this.” That realization can feel terrifying—but it’s also a signal. A flicker of clarity. It means you know. You’re not pretending anymore. […]
I Was Suicidal in Silence. A Partial Hospitalization Program Helped Me Finally Speak
I didn’t realize how long I’d been disappearing. Not physically. Physically, I was still sitting at my desk. Still showing up to family dinners. Still texting people back with emojis that felt like lies. Still laughing at things I didn’t think were funny. But somewhere underneath the surface, a part of me was fading. Slowly. […]
This Thanksgiving, I’m Grateful I Got Help — The Partial Hospitalization Program That Kept Me From Slipping Back
I’ve been sober for a while now. Technically. I haven’t picked up a drink in over two years. But last November? I came closer than I ever had. No one knew. On paper, I was fine. Still employed. Still attending meetings (sort of). Still showing up to Thanksgiving with a pie and a clean shirt. […]
The Day Everything Fell Apart: How a Partial Hospitalization Program Helped Us Put It Back Together
It started like any other argument. Another missed class. Another door slam. Another emotional shutdown. But something shifted that day. My kid—the one I had raised, fought with, cried over, and prayed for—wasn’t just struggling. They were unraveling. And I couldn’t pretend to hold it together anymore. That was the day everything fell apart. But […]
How a Partial Hospitalization Program Helps When Your Social Life Revolved Around Drinking
In early recovery, there’s a strange kind of quiet that shows up. The invitations stop. The text threads go silent. You’re doing everything you’re supposed to—staying sober, showing up—but inside, it can feel like your world has emptied out. At Foundations Group Recovery Center in Upper Arlington, OH, we’ve seen this loneliness up close. We […]
How a Partial Hospitalization Program Supports Real Healing Between Inpatient and Outpatient
When my son first started slipping, it wasn’t loud. It wasn’t police or ambulances. It was canceled plans, late nights, slipping grades. It was a look in his eyes I didn’t recognize and a silence that made my stomach twist. Friends stopped calling. His room stayed dark longer. There were a few excuses, then no […]
How a Partial Hospitalization Program Helps You Rediscover Joy Without Alcohol
It’s strange how something like gratitude can feel fake when you’re no longer sure who you are. You might be standing in a room full of people—glass in hand, laughter loud—and still feel like you’re floating just outside your own body. You smile on cue. You raise a toast. And yet, inside, you’re quietly asking: […]
How a Partial Hospitalization Program Helped Me Parent From a Place of Peace
There’s no heartbreak quite like watching your child disappear in front of you while still living under your roof. It didn’t happen all at once. At first, it was small things—missed calls, withdrawn glances, irritability that felt like typical teen behavior. But then the missed school days turned into weeks. Sleep schedules flipped. The laughter […]