Creating a healthier body, mind, and soul is hard when it feels like you just waged war against all parts of yourself going through rehab. Addiction recovery is challenging for the body because the entire body, mind, and soul have been through a lot. A healthier rhythm means looking at how to move through your…
The first months of recovery are never easy. There is a focus on progress and even the feeling of changes going on. When this finally stops, it seems you are working towards rebuilding trust with loved ones and things are coming together (finally). You are allowed to miss your addiction. For a little while at…
Family programming is an activity that supports loved ones of those in rehab. It brings everyone together and offers them a bigger picture of what life can look like when they work together for the benefit of the person in rehab. Addiction impacts the entire family, so including them is crucial to the process. To…
Rehab is the best place to get drug and alcohol treatment. Not everyone likes thinking about rehab, but it is helpful for so many people because it is a safe space to be vulnerable and think about their addiction while healing their bodies. Group therapy is a helpful part of the process because people get…
Brain injuries impact millions of people around the world. What is less discussed is the impact of mental health issues and addiction on people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). the number of people who suffer from a substance abuse disorder is higher than some might think. Alcohol use, in particular, can get worse in the…
The body needs to get rid of drugs and other things from the system. Detoxing is key for individuals battling substance use disorder. To try and begin counseling people with substance abuse while the toxins are in the system is not going to work. That is basically setting them up for relapse. Drug detox is…
Professional help for addiction is available but not every person is ready to take the leap. It is an important step in the journey, but a person has to be ready to take it. Other decisions they have to make might include where to get treatment, how long to be in the program, and the…
Dating in recovery is one of the biggest challenges there is at this sensitive time in life. It is not as if relationships are banned, but recovery is about focusing on healing from addiction. After all the work and effort, a relationship can throw everything off. If it does not work out, it may result…
Heroin and other drugs do not directly cause a high for people. It is the effect of these substances on neurotransmitters that cause feelings of pleasure or euphoria. The chemical substances the body uses to send signals and get things done suddenly are lighting up in the brain. Manipulating these is dangerous. It is essential…
Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) can happen to people going through withdrawal from substances. After detox, the second phase of withdrawal kicks in. Depending on how long the person used drugs, the second phase can last for weeks, even months. PAWS is a collection of symptoms that persist after all physical traces of drugs have left…