How many times have you thought about starting a diet or quitting nicotine or caffeine without doing anything about it? Or lapsed back into bad habits after hitting a speed bump on the road to lifelong addiction recovery? Understanding the stages of change can help you in achieving your goals, particularly when overcoming your destructive...
International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is a global event held on August 31st each year and aims to raise awareness of substance overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have met with death or permanent injury as a result of...
It’s September, and there will be social drinking events. You’ve just started the semester and already you’re beginning to feel that heaviness and exhaustion that is synonymous with relentlessly working toward an education. Maybe it’s been a week or a month and the pressure is beginning to really set in. Pressure from tuition and project...
On September 11th, 2001, the world was shaken by the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania. If you were old enough to remember 9/11, it is one of those days that will be forever engrained in your memory. It was heavily televised – live for the most part – so whether...
If you’re struggling with a drug or alcohol problem, you may also be dealing with feelings of depression, mood swings or anxiety. When you suffer from both a psychiatric condition and a substance abuse problem, you’re said to have co-occurring disorders or a dual diagnosis disorder. It’s common for people with a mental health disorder to...
If you’ve made the decision to get help for drug or alcohol abuse, you’ve conquered one of the toughest challenges on the road to recovery. Before you begin your journey of learning how to live a sober lifestyle, you need to have a clean, substance-free system. Most addiction treatment programs begin with a medically-supervised detox to...
Addiction isn’t the only problem that addicts may be wrestling with when they enter rehab. Many also battle the mental disorder of depression. Some people may be clinically depressed and suffer from concurrent disorders upon entering a drug treatment center. “Mental health disorders and substance abuse commonly go hand in hand. Either disorder can occur...
Your loved one is addicted to drugs and/or alcohol and you are an emotional wreck. You feel a mix of guilt and shame and anger about their addiction, but at the same time, you are terrified that they will hurt themselves or someone else or even die. You notice jewelry or money is missing. The...
