Addiction

family

How Do I Talk to a Family Member with an Addiction?

It is painful watching someone you love go through an addiction that is possibly ruining their lives and affecting those around them. While you know that you have to confront them about their condition, it can be nerve-wracking to figure out how the subject should be approached. Confronting someone about their addiction is a delicate…
friends

How Do I Cut Out Old Friends That Encouraged My Addiction?

Recovery from addiction can affect your social life, as you find that some people may have been encouraging your addiction. As you take inventory of your friends, you may decide who to keep in your life and who to cut. Recovery can be challenging when you find that you need to cut people out of…
stages

What Are the Stages of Addiction Recovery?

Recovery is hard work; ask anyone that has gone through it. However, you’ll find that those who have gone through it and have been sober for many years will tell you that it was the best thing they ever did for themselves despite the difficulty they faced. Recovery is a daunting process. It appears as…
dual diagnosis

Understanding Dual Diagnosis Treatment

When a person has been diagnosed with a substance use disorder in addition to another mental health disorder diagnosis, this is called a “dual diagnosis.” Dual diagnosis treatment can be a little more difficult because the addiction and mental illness are being treated simultaneously. However, this form of treatment will give you the best chance…
trauma

The Connection Between Trauma and Addiction

Trauma can change your life forever. Whether it be an event during childhood, your teenage years, or in your adult life, trauma has the ability to change your outlook on life and the world. This is why it is not uncommon for many individuals who have gone through a traumatic experience to develop a drug…
OCD

How Do OCD and Addiction Go Hand in Hand?

Addiction often does not occur on its own. Many addicts also suffer from co-occurring mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, etc. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 17.5 million Americans, 18 or older, have had a severe mental health disorder in the past year. Four million of those…
men

The Importance of Gender-Specific Treatment for Addiction

Unfortunately, the statistics concerning those struggling with drug or alcohol addiction in the United States are high. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, these statistics also show that men and women are equally likely to become addicted to drugs or alcohol. However, this does not mean that the experience of substance abuse is…
Stress and Addiction

Stressful Vulnerability: How Anxiety Can Weaken Our Immune System

There are many reasons why anxiety is bad for our bodies, and we are aimed at avoiding all of them if we can. Our bodies can be completely derailed by anxiety, and the physical consequences of stress are a huge burden to bear. One of these effects is the impact it has one the immune…
Man Reading in recovery

Books to Read in Recovery

For years, books have inspired the human race to overcome numerous obstacles and to pursue their dreams. Addiction recovery is no different. No matter what book you read, there’s a specific intent and purpose that the writer is trying to convey. You have to consider if that purpose is in line with what type of…