How Good Health Habits Help You in Recovery As a recovering addict, your body has likely been through a lot of abuse. In addiction, we don’t care about things like blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease. The only focus is on getting high or drunk. It takes precedence before any other obligation or responsibility in your life. Starting… Read More
Understanding Rehab Lingo. What Is Dual Diagnosis? Going to rehab is a great step in getting healthy and sober. It can also be overwhelming and scary because you are stepping into the unknown. When you first arrive, you will be hearing a lot of rehab “lingo” that will sound completely foreign to you. One common one that you’ll… Read More
What Are Synthetic Drugs and Why Are They So Dangerous Years ago, there were only a handful of recognized drugs. Pot, cocaine, heroin and LSD are all substances that have been recognized for generations. In the late 1900s, Molly, ecstasy, and MDMA started getting mixed into things, and new concoctions were born almost daily. What are synthetic drugs… Read More
The After Detox Detox: Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome The detox process is uncomfortable and painful. But for patients who are dependent on certain drugs (like alcohol and benzodiazepines), it can be fatal if not done properly. Individuals are relieved when the process is over and the intense symptoms of withdrawal disappear. Some patients who successfully detox from alcohol or… Read More
Most detox facilities and treatment centers offer testing for the hepatitis C virus and for HIV for their patients— especially those who engaged in intravenous drug use during active addiction. In my own experience, each rehab facility I entered tested me for both of these illnesses upon intake. Although I was always relieved to receive negative results, I… Read More
When Life Gives You Lemons in Alcohol Addiction Recovery… Individuals with an addiction to alcohol know what to do when times get tough. It’s as simple as reaching for the bottle to drown your sorrows away until consciousness and reality reappear in the morning. Addicted individuals use their drug of choice to run from emotions and consequences of… Read More
Four Phrases That Might Indicate Addiction Denial The biggest reason why people who suffer from addiction don’t get the help they need is denial. Addiction denial comes in two forms. The first is when a person knows they have a problem with addiction and completely deny the fact when confronted. The second is when an individual honestly believes… Read More
Recognizing the Signs of Addiction in a Loved One… And What You Can Do Active addicts live a life of secrecy and lies, which makes it difficult for the people who love them to recognize the signs of addiction. As difficult as it may be to identify a problem, there are things you can look for that are… Read More
A New Method for Addiction Treatment: Neurofeedback Therapy Addiction is a disease, but its treatment is quite different from other medical conditions. Unlike many health issues, there is no cure or addiction “fix” that heals all pain brought on by addiction. Addiction is a psychological issue; a disease of the brain. If the underlying root of addiction comes… Read More
What Being a Parent of an Addict Taught Me I am the parent of an addict. A heroin addict, to be specific. No one can prepare a mother for this kind of lifestyle. However, as moms around the world tend to do, I stepped up to the plate and dealt with the hand I was given. Baseball games… Read More