Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is a condition characterized by intrusive, unwanted thoughts and rituals meant to relieve the anxiety created by those thoughts. Typical obsessive thoughts include fear of germs or contamination; unwanted taboo thought, often about sex, religion, or harming oneself or others; or having things perfectly symmetrical or in some specific order. To…
It’s normal to be disappointed if you relapse, especially if you’ve been sober for a while. You may feel like you’ve wasted all your hard work and disappointed the people who care about you. You may feel an impulse to punish yourself, either by beating yourself up emotionally, or engaging in some other self-destructive behavior.…
A substance use disorder can have many negative effects on your life, damaging your relationships, finances, career, and health. Perhaps most disturbing is the way substance use changes your brain. Your neurotransmitter levels change to adjust to the presence of the substance and brain imaging studies suggest the structure of your brain actually changes with…
Substance use disorders are complex and unpredictable. If two people have similar risk factors for addiction, one may have a serious problem while the other doesn’t and the reason for the difference may not be apparent. While there probably isn’t anyone with zero risk for developing a substance use disorder, there are certain people with…
Recovery Ways is excited to announce we are going in-network with Tricare. This means that our intensive outpatient program, or IOP, as well as our partial hospitalization program, or PHP, will be covered as in-network for patients with Tricare. Tricare is a program that covers the civilian healthcare component of the US Department of Defense…
It’s hard to overestimate the importance of staying positive in addiction recovery. A positive, optimistic attitude promotes happiness and persistence, while a negative, pessimistic attitude promotes depression and resignation. There will always be challenges in recovery and a positive attitude will help you stick with it even when you feel like you’re struggling. Pessimism and…
One of the most common fears people have when they’re considering getting help for addiction is that sobriety will be boring. They worry they will never have fun again. Drinking and drug use has been their focus for so long that it’s hard to imagine anything else could be as fun and satisfying. What’s more,…
Depression and addiction often go together. While about 10 percent of the general population will develop a substance use disorder, in people diagnosed with depression that number is around 30 percent. The connection between substance use and depression is complicated. Depression can lead to addiction as a form of self-medicating and addiction can also lead…
Every year, millions of people attend Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, including visitors from all over the US and all over the world. It’s a unique cultural event that features prominently on many bucket lists, but it’s also an event primarily known as a giant party. Drinking is a major part of Mardi Gras,…
Depression affects about 16 million Americans every year and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. While many people with depression can be treated effectively with medication and psychotherapy, as many as 30 percent of people don’t respond well to conventional treatment. A new study shows promise for treating severe depression with deep brain electrical…
We are a Platinum Provider with Optum/United Healthcare and in-network with BCBS & AETNA!