Thanks to a growing body of research, addiction is now understood as an acquired disease of the brain. But it’s a finding that many still have trouble wrapping their minds around. To those on the outside of the illness, addiction seems pretty straightforward: A person indulges too much in a substance that boosts their mood and …
How do you get someone into rehab? You’re not the first person stumped by this question.When a loved one is in the grips of addiction, family and friends often find themselves stuck in a cycle of fear, panic, anger and despair. Desperate for the addict to change, loved ones may try a myriad of …
How NOT to Get Someone Into Rehab–Are You Doing This? Read More »
Each year, an estimated one in four U.S. adults deals with a mental health issue, and at last count, close to 22 million people met the criteria for a substance use disorder. That’s the bad news. The good news is that fewer of us have to go it alone when facing such problems thanks to …
4 Tips for Making the Most of Your Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Benefits Read More »
It’s no surprise that an addict’s behavior affects people around her, but did you realize just how much it impacts your family? Whether the addict is a parent, a child, a spouse, a sibling, or an extended relative, the addiction causes serious and lasting changes to everyone involved. If someone in your family is struggling …
Five Ways Addiction Could Be Damaging Your Family Read More »
Going to drug rehab for your addiction is an important step. Once you realize you have a problem with drug use and that it is detrimental to your health and your well-being, you are ready to accept treatment. You are also ready to be successful at treatment. Drug rehabilitation statistics show that many people who …
While your spouse is in rehab for addiction, you may feel helpless and lost, unsure of what to do to help him or yourself. Instead of stewing in sorrow, self-pity or guilt, take action and take steps to heal and to be prepared for his return after rehab. Addiction doesn’t just affect the addict. It …
Going to rehab for addiction is an important step in learning to live a sober life, one that is satisfying and full without drugs or alcohol. In rehab you will learn how to let go of your addiction, how to dig deep inside and find your motivations for abusing substances and how to move past …
There are certain things you can count on as you go through life sober, and one of them is that you will feel stressed from time to time. Sooner or later things happen in life that challenge your feeling of serenity and leave you feeling overwhelmed and anxious. The question isn’t if you will experience …
In 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, each of the 12 steps contains words such as “we,” “us” and “ourselves.” These words help to remind each individual in the program that recovery is not a solo journey and that together we can do what none of us can do alone. In order …
Getting sober can be a scary experience. In order to live a life that doesn’t include drugs or alcohol, you have to give up the substances that have been giving you at least some degree of relief from the uncomfortable feelings that often happen in life. You may also have to give up habits, such …