choice house blog

Although there is no definitive path for receiving treatment of an addictive disorder, the recovery process is most effective when patients are actively abstaining from continued substance misuse. Achieving this initial sobriety to begin treating the underlying addictive and mental health disorders feeding into substance misuse often requires help. Many find themselves experiencing serious withdrawal…

Addiction recovery literature is rife with mentions of codependency with little on what this term actually means or how patients and their support networks can recognize and work toward alleviating the problem of codependency. To better clarify, codependency can be any form of imbalanced relationship—with a partner, family member, friend, or even illicit substance—in which…

Embracing change in recovery is essential to growing as an individual and becoming the person you want to be. However, change doesn’t always seem natural or easy. For example, think about New Year’s Resolutions; most people rarely ever keep them because most people repel change and want to retreat to their comfort zones. Such a…

Making changes to ones’ behavioral patterns or habits is often a difficult process and especially for addiction recovery patients, not fully understanding why those changes need to be made can exacerbate those initial difficulties that arise from making a lifestyle change. Not knowing about the process of change presents the unfortunate illusion that patients are…

While the summer season is a great time to see friends and family, these social occasions could create stressful environments that challenge your sobriety. Therefore, just the thought of attending social events is enough to create feelings of anxiety and panic. If you are worried about attending family occasions, you might feel the urge to…

The methodology behind treating addictive disorders in the 21st century has evolved immensely over the past 100 years through scientific advancements in the field of psychology. Many of these advancements are due to recontextualizing addiction around the 1930s as a medical condition. The inception of new fields of science studying the thoughts and inner workings…

Both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) are two effective psychotherapy treatments that can treat various mental health issues. While they share many similarities, understanding the differences is essential to determine which treatment will benefit your recovery in certain situations. Let’s examine both CBT and DBT, what each one is and how…

Active substance misuse is often depicted as an isolating and lonely experience, especially while deep in the throes of addiction. The longer the amount of time spent misusing substances, the more those with addiction isolate themselves from their friends and family. Some of this isolation is self-imposed to avoid judgment. Other incidents of isolation involve…

After leaving a treatment facility, early recovery can be a confusing and challenging time for many in recovery from addiction. They have to take the skills and healthy behavioral habits learned in treatment and practice them outside of a facility. In addition to maintaining these newly learned habits, they must also deal with the complications…