When You Need Someone To Care…

Welcome Lauren Haarlow to the NCDP

By Bill Claytor, DDS, MAGD

Executive Director, NCCDP

Welcome Lauren Haarlow to the N. C. Caring Dental Professionals!

I hope everyone is enjoying this Spring! I am pleased and honored to introduce to the North Carolina dental community NCCDP’s new Clinical Director, Ms. Lauren Haarlow. As a therapist / social worker, Lauren has joined the NCCDP with a plethora of knowledge and resources available to those dental practitioners who may need help dealing with stress, anxiety, burnout, or substance use (alcohol and drugs). I would encourage all dental healthcare workers to take advantage of Lauren’s experience and input in this area of our wellbeing.

Dear NCCDP Community

By Lauren Haarlow, LCSW, LCAS, CCS

Dear NCCDP Community

I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new Clinical Director of the North Carolina Caring Dental Professionals Program (NCCDP). It is an honor to join such a dedicated organization committed to supporting wellness and education in the dental community.

With over 20 of experience treating professionals with mental health and substance use disorder challenges, I bring a deep understanding of the challenges of recovery and resources available to dental professionals.

One Alcoholic’s Management of Stress in Sobriety

By a Grateful Recovering Alcoholic

Managing stress is one of the most challenging, if not the most challenging, aspects of living a “whole” life in sobriety. Does anyone do this perfectly? No. Do I have answers or suggestions that others do not have? Probably not. Some of these I have learned “in the rooms”, some I have learned in therapy, and others I have learned in the examination of what is important to me as a human being. Some have been handed to me time and again and have been stored as tools that would not be needed… until they were. Read More

Who's Handling Who?

By a Grateful Alcoholic

Asking me to write about how I am handling stress in my life today begs the question, am I handling stress or is stress handling me? To best explain my ability to handle stress today, I must first recall how stress affected my every fiber whilst in the throes of addiction. A life in addiction is not serene, it is not calm, it is a hurricane of mental, emotional and physical reactions that are destructive and demeaning. In active addiction, stress definitely had the upper hand.

How Are You Dealing With Stress In Recovery Life?

By A Grateful Recovering Alcoholic/Addict/Dentist/Dental Hygienist

There are several ways I am handling stress in my recovery life. Overall, by incorporating these strategies into my daily life, I have been able to better handle and manage stress in my recovery journey.

Developing a routine: I have found that having a structured daily routine helps me stay on track and feel less overwhelmed. For me, this includes setting aside time for self-care activities and relaxation. Time for exercise is a must and I make sure that I always have this planned into my day or week, especially when I know that other stressors are coming be it travel, busy times in my office or a difficult patient or family situation.

WORK, EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT.

From a Grateful Recovering Dentist

I used to focus on the weight of the daily grind and live for the weekends. I was in a dark, depressive state and didn’t care if I lived or died. I was overwhelmed and exhausted myself every day. Work was hard, but my attitude made it harder. I needed an intervention. Luckily, the dental board came to me and let me know I needed a lifestyle change. I surprisingly felt a great sense of relief. Something was going to change. Read More

Serenity Is A Gift

By A Grateful Recovering Addict

Serenity is a Gift. Thinking back, one of the best gifts that I have been given in my journey of recovery is the understanding and the realization that serenity is not only possible, it’s real. When I was in the throes of substance abuse I tried to control everything. I found out later just how bad I was at it, and how little control I actually had over my life. Read More

What to Lose, What to Gain?

By A Grateful Dentist in Recovery

Every day didn’t start the same, but they all were the same. From the time I woke up to some point in the morning, my thoughts were consumed with remorse, regret and self-loathing. It didn’t matter that I had patients to see; they were inconvenient and were treated as such. It didn’t matter if I had business to manage, that could be postponed. Read More

How Are You Handling or Dealing with Stress in Recovery Life

By A Grateful Dentist in Recovery

I started my recovery journey in late 2020 and realized I did not know how to handle or deal with stress in an appropriate way. In the dental field as well as in regular life, stress is unavoidable. I learned about many techniques through different types of therapy sessions, talking with others in recovery, and Caring Dental Professionals. The real work was finding what worked for me and learning to incorporate those techniques in my daily life. Read More

Great Ways I Have Found to Handle Stress In My Recovery

By A Grateful Dentist in Recovery

Prior to Recovery, I had plenty of stress in my life and a fail proof way to handle it. My substance of choice was the perfect way to unwind and avoid thinking about stress. As they say in the Rooms, “ it worked until it quit working”.

Recovery has given me a new life and with that new life, new ways of handling my feelings, particularly the feeling of being stressed. Here are my favorite ways to combat stress in my life. Take what you like and leave the rest behind. Read More

The Paradox of Stress Management

By A Grateful Dentist in Recovery

Life can be a handful. Even when things are going their very best we have all sorts of things to sort out, decisions to make, regrets to experience, all that. Every day is a journey and a lesson.

When we are able to manage the challenges of the day these stresses keep us going, keep us healthy. We look back at what we accomplished with satisfaction.

However when we get into a situation where a solution is just not evident we can feel confused, overwhelmed, even scared. This is an important part of life’s journey. Read More

Reminder

Representatives of the NCCDP are always available to share the history and mission of the NCCDP with various groups, including hygiene schools, dental schools and any other professional dental organization.

Please call us to schedule a presentation: 1-980-295-2055

North Carolina Caring Dental Professionals Program

PO Box 2987

Shelby, NC 28151

(980) 295-2055

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