Recovery from drug or alcohol abuse or a process addiction isn’t always a neat and tidy process. Relapse is common and many addiction professionals believe it to be a natural part of the process. Just like people with chronic conditions like hypertension, asthma and diabetes slip up in their ongoing recovery regime, so do people…
DetailsMarijuana may be very much in the news, especially following legalization of recreational use in a handful of states, but that doesn’t mean the drug is completely safe universally — or at all, for that matter. Much more research will need to be done before the full extent of the risks and dangers of marijuana…
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September is National Recovery Month, a time to remember that miracles do happen. Just ask the millions of people once held captive by drugs and alcohol who are now living rich, rewarding lives in sobriety. Among them is Abby B., who started drinking at 13 and who remembers feeling so hopeless at the height of…
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Much ado was made about nothing this summer when a video surfaced online of Malia Obama *maybe* smoking a joint at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago. While there are legal and health consequences for marijuana smokers, it’s hard to imagine the media being interested in the video if the young woman didn’t have the…
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Some people who recover from one chemical addiction or compulsive behavior will develop a different addiction while in recovery from the first one. Simply put, substitute addictions, also known as cross addictions, occur when a person “replaces” one addiction with another. Why are some people more successful in recovery, while others may bounce from one…
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No one likes to think of themselves as an insomniac. Still, there are millions of people who struggle to get a good night’s sleep on occasion. There’s usually no long-term difficulty with the rare night of sleeplessness, but if the nights without uninterrupted rest continue for weeks on end, you definitely need some help to…
DetailsWith debates going on in the public sphere over the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use, it is important to be educated as to the impact of the drug on the body and in the brain. Too often people have a relaxed attitude about marijuana. It may not be as harmful as heroin,…
DetailsDrug and alcohol addiction can affect anyone, anywhere — regardless of gender, race or economic standing. It’s a vicious disease loaded with harmful repercussions that can take a physical, psychological, financial and social toll on the person struggling. Unfortunately, centuries of public misconception, stigma and public intolerance have plagued the topic of addiction and made…
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Love addiction isn’t always as easy to recognize as other forms of addiction. While drug addicts and alcoholics frequently show signs of slurred speech, bleary eyes or staggering, love addicts may appear completely normal. Many love addicts go through their lives without ever realizing that they were suffering from a form of addiction. Family members…
DetailsActive addicts and alcoholics typically don’t enjoy being told what they can or can’t do. The reason for this is simple: they’re usually being asked to do the No. 1 thing they don’t want to do: stop drinking or using. It leaves the addict with an automatic bristling when it comes to authority figures. So…
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