When people hear the word addiction they almost always think of substance addiction first, but behavioral addictions are just as common and destructive. There are many types of behavioral addictions: gambling, shopping, hypersexuality, kleptomania, and even some eating disorders. There is a common misconception that ... Read More
Kratom and America’s Problem with Opiates
For those of you who have followed the news at all lately, you know that the country has been plagued with a problem with opiates, which has been deemed an opioid crisis. However, a smaller contingency of news reports have come out discussing a substance called kratom, which many people claim is a tool in helping them ... Read More
The Benefits of Helping Others
Here's a unique way we can help ourselves: by helping others. It seems counterintuitive to some, but there is enormous psychological benefit to empathy. Helping Others Helps Ourselves Imagine you're in a support group for people struggling with drug withdrawal. A person in that group is looking for suggestions. ... Read More
Overdoses Can Happen To Any User
Pop star Demi Lovato has just suffered from an overdose and at the time of this writing, there are reports that her condition is stable. There were some initial reports that she had overdosed on heroin, although there are some suggestions that may have been misleading. Whatever the drug was, we wish the absolute best ... Read More
What Is Self-Medicating?
Many people have depression or chronic illness. Unfortunately, many people do not seek or have access to adequate mental or physical healthcare. As a result, many people develop bad coping strategies for their pain using alcohol, opioids, or other drugs. This can complicate things and build bad habits which are ... Read More
The Troubling Connection Between Substance Abuse and Veterans
The challenges facing uniformed service members when they come home is enormous. They risk so much and get so little in return. Many vets return to America with trauma to their bodies and their mind. Untreated PTSD and/or chronic pain is a recipe for trouble vis-à-vis substance abuse, depression, and ... Read More
Components of Self-Care
Depression, and compulsive behavior often all feed into each other. A self-perpetuating cycle, they are two sides of the same side, making each other worse. The good thing is that we can interrupt the flow with self-care. Importance of Self-Care There was a line in a book where the lead character could "smell ... Read More
How Much Money Does It Take To Be Happy?
Although we are raised to believe that the more money we have the happier we'll be, studies show that this is only true up to a point. The needs of safety and emotional well being remain consistently important even while there is an upper limit where the effects of money are less important. Gambling ... Read More