You are probably familiar with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. This is when you have a traumatic experience, but instead of recovering over the following weeks and months, you are plagued by symptoms related to the trauma. These symptoms typically include avoiding anything associated with the trauma, re-experiencing the trauma in the form of flashbacks… Continue Reading What is Post-traumatic Growth?
In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, Congress recently passed the SUPPORT Act, which combines policies from more than 60 pieces of legislation already passed by the House. The SUPPORT Act comes in response to the opioid crisis that gets worse every year and killed nearly 60,000 people in the US in 2017. The act… Continue Reading How the SUPPORT Act Protects People Seeking Addiction Treatment
12-step programs can be a valuable resource for addiction recovery. There are several advantages of attending 12-step meetings as a way of managing addiction. First, meetings are easy to find. Unless you live in a remote area, there are probably several meetings nearby. They are also an easy way to start building a sober network.… Continue Reading When Are the 12 Steps Not Enough?
Valentine’s Day can be challenging for some people, especially if you’re early in recovery. It’s a time for wine and champagne with your significant other, which means an avalanche of posts on social media by friends and family who want everyone to know how happy they are to be in such a wonderful relationship. That… Continue Reading Celebrating Valentine’s Day Sober
A substance use disorder can demolish your self-esteem. It can impair your career, possibly leading to unemployment, it can damage your relationships and alienate you from the people who care about you, and, perhaps most importantly, it can make you feel like you have no control over your life. Recovering your self-esteem is an important… Continue Reading 9 Ways to Improve Self-esteem in Addiction Recovery
While the opioid epidemic has been getting all the attention in recent years, the rapidly growing problem of stimulant addiction has gone mostly unnoticed. While opioids are certainly a bigger problem at the moment, having caused nearly 50,000 deaths in the US in 2017, at the current rate of growth, stimulants will soon catch up.… Continue Reading Future Medications for Treating Stimulant Addiction
From reading the headlines, it’s easy to get the impression that fatal overdoses are almost always caused by opioids, especially heroin and potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil. While opioids are responsible for a large share of opioid deaths, they are rarely the only drug involved and a significant number of fatal overdoses don’t… Continue Reading What are the Most Dangerous Drug Combinations?
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a condition caused by some traumatic event. Although it’s typically associated with combat veterans, it’s actually far more common among civilians. Common causes of PTSD include accidents, assault, robbery, natural disasters, or the unexpected death of a loved one. While it’s normal to experience symptoms for a few weeks… Continue Reading 3 Ways Your PTSD Can Affect Your Child