Addiction is a disease of the mind. It causes obsessive thoughts and makes you act compulsively, despite knowing the consequences of such behaviors. A person in the depths of their addiction lacks responsibility for their actions. They think all their problems are someone else’s fault. Now that you’ve decided to get clean and sober,…
When you picture a drug addict you may picture someone living on the streets, in trouble with the law, stealing to feed their addiction, and generally hopeless. What about the drug addict that still has a stable job, a home, a family, and decent health? Can you be a drug addict that hasn’t yet…
How can someone avoid addiction relapse? By knowing and planning for the stages of relapse: emotional, mental, and physical. Self-care is the biggest step toward emotional healing in addiction recovery. It may sound like jargon, but it’s actually a meticulous therapeutic process made up of lots of small, calculated steps. When you’re stressed, frustration, or…
Addiction and mental health issues usually go together. Someone suffering from an addiction is twice as likely to suffer from at least one more mental health issue; and vice versa. Co-occurring disorders are now a common diagnosis in the medical field; the recognition is somewhat new but undeniably important. If a person with depression and…
In 2016 the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the American Bar Association produced on of the largest and most in-depth studies on the prevalence of substance abuse in law, The New York Times reports. Just 175 lawyers short of 13,000 responded to questions for the analysis. Of that 12,825, a mere 3,419 lawyers chose…
Self-sabotage is part of the experience of addiction. Every time an addict earnestly attempts to recover, then makes up a story of why they couldn’t recover, shouldn’t recover, or why using is better than recovering, they are sabotaging their opportunity to recover. Once they pick up a drug or a drink again, the sabotage is…
Addiction takes over all life skills. Many people don’t realize how intimately addiction weaves its way into their lives until they start living life and doing things sober. Budgeting, grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking- health, wellness, and nutrition is not often a focus for people who are completely overwhelmed by their chemical addiction to drugs…
We don’t always want to own our addiction or our recovery. Going to treatment for drug and alcohol addiction comes with a lot of shame because of the stigma associated with addiction. In time you’ll find that your addiction isn’t something to be ashamed of, nor is your recovery. You can own the fact that…
Treatment is a time to learn, grow, and heal. Here are the five most important ways to make the most out of treatment so you can live a happy and healthy life in recovery.Take every opportunity to ask questions: Now is not the time to have any shame or humiliation about asking a “dumb” question.…
A new study from a major insurance provider has revealed that opioid addiction is still on the rise and that, sadly, many who are struggling with opioid addiction are not getting the care that they need. Blue Cross Blue Shield released data analyzing the number of diagnoses for “opioid use disorder” between 2010 to…