When struggling with addiction, I thought the hardest thing I would ever do was to take those first steps to recovery. I had an anxiety attack on my way to rehab. I just kept telling myself that it had to get better from there, that having hit my lowest point in my life, I had…
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I felt like an abject failure. After 30 days in rehab, I relapsed in just six days. I lost my job, and my parents told me I couldn’t see my children until I got my life together. What was wrong with me? I had every opportunity to change, and it didn’t work. I couldn’t even…
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Alcohol is the most commonly consumed substance in the world and while harmful, it is not only socially acceptable, but expected. Studies show that 56% of the U.S. adult population drinks regularly with some 86.4% drinking at least occasionally. Alcoholic beverages like beer, win, spirits, and liquors are so commonly accepted that you are unlikely…
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Heroin is one of the most popular street drugs in the United States, used every day by thousands of Americans. Despite being illegal, more than 690,000 people use it every year. Sadly, the average rate of abuse is going up, with data showing increases of over 50% between 2002 and 2012. Unfortunately, heroin hurts users,…
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Finding a rehab program means choosing a therapy method that works for you and deciding whether you want to attend an inpatient or outpatient program. While there are pros and cons to each option, most people should choose inpatient or outpatient rehab based on personal factors, the extent of their substance abuse problems, and the…
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As parents, none of us ever imagines that we might one day be the parent of an addict. Yet, millions of mothers every year are faced with the undeniable fact that their child suffers from a substance use disorder. Unfortunately, over 24 million people in the United States are addicted to an illicit substance at…
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With the prevalence of marijuana use displayed in pop culture and on social media, it’s easy to believe that using it carries no side effects. It’s true that marijuana typically doesn’t carry the same risks as harder drugs like heroin or crack cocaine. However, that doesn’t mean the answer is “no” when asking, “Is weed…
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It’s hard to remember a time where there wasn’t a problem with opioids. While issues with drug use have persisted throughout the years, things began escalating in the early 1990s. That’s the part of the opiate overdose timeline where there was a rise in deaths related to natural and synthetic opioid abuse. The next wave hit in…
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Group therapy typically consists of having a professional therapist offering treatment to two or more individuals in the same setting. Many group therapists conduct substance abuse group therapy activities to encourage each member to bond and open up to each other. That offers them the opportunity to form a support network and learn from each other’s experiences. Group…
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Substance abuse takes over a person’s life and damages their mind, body and relationships they once considered important. Many people spend everything they have supporting their habit. When the money runs out, they turn to other means, often illegal, of getting their substance of choice. Those actions put them and sometimes those they care about in…
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