Recovery is about mental, emotional, and spiritual growth. Drugs and alcohol were a way for us to stay within our comfort zones. We self-medicated to cope with any and all external stressors and found solace in the immediate comfort provided by...
Addiction Treatment
Change Your Mind, Change Your World
It is easy to fall into unhealthy thought patterns of internal shame and external blame. We never wanted to find ourselves caught so tightly in the grips of addiction that it was impossible to live the lives we expected to have before drugs and...
Kudzu, Addiction, and the Body’s Ecosystem
Kudzu is a perennial vine native to Japan and Southeast Asia. It was originally introduced to the United States in 1876 during the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, then it began being promoted as a great ornamental plant in the 1930’s through...
Can I Quit ‘Cold Turkey’?
Many people are unwilling to go to treatment for drug and alcohol detoxification. They believe that they would be more comfortable detoxifying at home without assistance. There is also the factor of social stigma and people may fear that entering...
What are the Risk Factors for Relapse After Treatment?
Relapse is a terrify but all too common situation that men and women in recovery find themselves facing. Relapse does not mean that one has failed in recovery. It simply indicated that an individual must summon the courage to try again and re-enter...
Why Can’t I Stay Sober After Detox?
Many people have the experience of going through the difficult process of detoxifying their body of alcohol and drugs, only to relapse quickly after leaving treatment. It is not an uncommon situation-- about 85% of people who seek treatment relapse...
The Increasing Rates of Xanax Abuse and Addiction
Although overshadowed by the growing opioid epidemic, the rates of benzodiazepine abuse in the United States have skyrocketed. Often, benzodiazepines are taken along with alcohol, opioids, or other depressants, causing a potentially lethal...
Learning from the Experience, Strength, and Hope of Others
The greatest thing about recovery is the vastness and inclusivity of the recovery community. No matter where we are, we can almost always find a meeting close by or reach out to someone in the recovery community for support. There are even recovery...
Everyone’s Recovery Journey is Unique
While countless recovery programs provide very specific directions on what needs to be done to achieve and maintain sobriety, not everyone will have the same experience with recovery. For some, the process may be easy, but others may require...
Is It Ever Too Late to Recover?
The initial wave of the baby boomer generation turned 65 years old in 2011. Currently, older adults make up 30% of the population in the United States. The rates of older adults are increasing, and so too are the rates of alcoholism and addiction...