There is a misconception that sober life is boring or that everyone replaces their time spent getting high or drunk with time spent in AA meetings and therapy. While group meetings and therapy are an important part of maintaining lasting sobriety, people have a whole lot more time on their hands now that they are…
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is now often referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) as an inclusive way to discuss the broader range of developmental disorders that can occur as a result of children exposed to alcohol while in utero. Risk factors to keep in mind include a long history of alcohol abuse, poor…
There are many reasons why people decide not to go to rehab. Too often the decision to avoid rehab is made for problematic reasons. In some instances, individuals are under a false assumption that they will not be able to afford rehab. Rehab facilities like Oasis Recovery in North Carolina work with clients to ensure…
If you have made the important step of accepting that you have a problem and the hard decision to enter a rehab program, feel confident that any employer worth working for will be willing to accommodate your situation. There are some protections for employees who decide on their own to enter a drug addiction rehab…
In a TedTalk given in 2015, British-Swiss journalist and writer Johann Hari stated that the opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is human connection. This TedTalk has since become increasingly popular, and this phrase and idea of the importance of connection in relation to addiction has grown in traction. Isolation is a common part…
Addiction is defined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as “a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking, continued use despite harmful consequences, and long-lasting changes in the brain. It is considered both a complex brain disorder and a mental illness. Addiction is the most severe form of a full spectrum of substance…
Research published by the Center for Disease Control in 2016 showed that 45.8% of the U.S. population used prescription drugs in the past 30 days. While not all prescription drugs are addictive, many are. Even those that are not addictive can pose problems if a person abruptly stops taking them, so it is important to…
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, anywhere from 40-60% of individuals struggling with addiction will experience relapse. Though by no means a necessary experience on the path to recovery, it is nonetheless a very common one. It is important to know that relapse does not indicate that a person will never be able…
Stimulant abuse has become increasingly problematic. After the crack down on pseudoephedrine that was used for a long period of time to create “street meth”, powerful drug cartels have created large-scale operations using alternative techniques. Studies have found that methamphetamine (meth) involved overdoses have tripled in recent years. The study notes that aside from the…
Withdrawal effects vary from drug to drug. Cocaine withdrawal is known to have a particularly unpleasant “come down”. Those who abuse cocaine are known to try to offset the negative feelings associated with stimulant withdrawal using anti-anxiety medications like benzodiazepines (benzos). Adding another drug, in this case a depressant or downer, introduces further complications and…