The American Dental Association (ADA) has entered the ring in the fight against opioid abuse. Recent mandates outlined in a new ADA policy urge dentists to limit, if not discontinue opioid prescriptions for dental pain and educate themselves on opioid abuse and the use of alternative pain medications. The Use of Opioids for Dental Pain…
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By Tiffany Dzioba, PsyD, LMFT, Executive Director of Promises The clients we serve suffer from significant mental illness, many times with a co-occurring addiction, and most have experienced profound trauma in their lives. They’ve spent much of their lives struggling with pain that has compromised their functioning and taken away hope. The healing process is…
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People think about death differently. Some are so terrified of it they develop thanatophobia (death anxiety). Others experience debilitating grief over a loved one’s passing and become clinically depressed. Still, others find peace and happiness as death approaches. Recent research suggests people’s attitudes toward death have a lot to do with their proximity to it.…
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By Tiffany Dzioba, PsyD, LMFT, Executive Director of Promises Malibu Vista Many people with mental illness or addiction feel trapped in their lives. They repeat the same behaviors, think the same thoughts and experience the same pain every day. Sometimes this goes on for years. Several patterns cause people to lose hope and turn to…
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By Tiffany Dzioba, PsyD, LMFT, Executive Director at Promises Malibu & Malibu Vista For many people, spirituality is a loaded term. It’s a word that is often closely tied to religion, dogma and doctrines. Some people find the word intimidating. However, when it comes to addiction recovery and mental health treatment, one of the most…
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We live in a time when we know the dangers of a highly addictive prescription drug entering into the mainstream. We’ve seen it before with amphetamines in the 1960s. And we see it now with opioid painkillers. With all this wisdom and knowledge, can we prevent it from happening again with Adderall? The real issue…
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One of the hardest parts about getting sober is learning how to cope with all the stress life throws at you without using drugs. In drug rehab, people learn to deal with this stress by developing new coping mechanisms. Different tools resonate with different people, but here are 10 of the go-to coping skills for…
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Nicole drank until she blacked out every night, but managed to drag herself out of bed each morning and go to work. Because she continued to work and pay her bills, she spent years denying that she had a drinking problem. Denial and other defense mechanisms are particularly strong among high-functioning alcoholics (HFAs). “HFAs may…
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Anthony decided from a young age that he was going to stay away from substances. With a family history of alcoholism and drug addiction, he wanted to be the “good kid.” He steered clear of experimentation all the way through high school. However, in college he began hanging out with friends who enjoyed going to…
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It is often said that any one of us is just a surgery away from an opioid addiction. That is what happened to Kevin, who after eight years in recovery relapsed into painkiller addiction following two unexpected abdominal surgeries. Kevin’s first surgery was an emergency surgery. He got through it and followed the diet and…
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