For one who has suffered from drug or alcohol abuse, the first step to recovery is seeking professional treatment, as addiction recovery centers have the resources and expertise to guide you to the best possible treatment plans. After initial treatment though, the heat is on you to remain focused and diligent until you’re fully recovered.…
Just like with everything, recovery is a step-by-step process that is at its most efficient when it can be tracked and monitored. Setting realistic goals for your recovery and celebrating milestones of your journey will allow you to reflect on progress and make changes that will help you enormously down the road! Studies indicate that…
Just like with any illness or disease, the best way to treat addiction is through the combination of a number of different approaches. Research shows that exercise is one of the very best natural approaches to treating recovery there is. When it is combined with a powerful recovery program, support groups, and a can-do attitude,…
Recovering from any normal illness is a battle in and of itself. Waking up lethargic, unmotivated, and aching doesn’t exactly inspire you to try to get better. In fact, sometimes the most enjoyable thing to do when you’re sick is to stay right there, sedentary, and leave treatment for another day. Fortunately, everyone knows that…
It is important to note that drugs in and of themselves serve a multitude of purposes, and not all are bad. In fact drugs statistically save more lives than they take on an annual basis. When prescribed by a physician and used correctly, drugs can aid in the body’s natural healing process and make the…
Research done over the past twenty years has shown a definitive correlation between substance addiction and mental illness. The National Bureau of Economic Research indicates that “mental health disorder patients are responsible for the consumption of 38% of alcohol, 44% of cocaine, and 40% of cigarettes.” Additionally, according to the report, those that may not…
While pursuing professional treatment for an addiction is almost always the best option for an individual suffering from even a mild drug or alcohol addiction, the very real question that usually accompanies a decision to pursue treatment is what costs are associated with it, and how expensive the final bill may be. In fact, some…
Through engaging in a 12-Step recovery program, we begin to feel a connection to a power greater than ourselves for the first time. This can alternately be described as a “psychic change”—our thoughts and behaviors have shifted to a point where we no longer feel the need to use drugs or alcohol. This “spiritual experience”…
Mental illness and drug use seem to go hand-in-hand. Usually, mental illness leads to drug abuse as an attempt to self-medicate symptoms. However, using drugs also can lead to mental disorders by causing drastic changes in the chemistry of the brain. These brain changes can either cause mental disorders later in life, or cause latent…
Sobriety can seem like a scary prospect. After all, we have spent so much time in a state of addiction that we don’t know any other way to live. For most of us, drugs and alcohol were a way to control our emotions and problems—without these substances, what are we to rely on to make…