Making the transition from life in treatment or a sober living home back to life on your own can be tricky. If you have been used to living in a structured environment around sober people, the sudden freedom and social pressures of normal life can be difficult to navigate. One solution to this problem is…
Drug courts are courts specifically for drug-related offences. Defendants who end up in drug court will have the option of entering treatment or beginning a 12-step program in exchange for a dropped or reduced sentence. They agree to the terms of drug court rulings, which typically include periodic drug tests to ensure the defendant is…
There are many aspects of sports that would seem to protect you from addiction. Regular exercise improves your mood, emotional regulation, and self-control, protecting against the depression and anxiety that often lead to substance use. Team sports add an element of social connection and a sense of belonging that can also protect against addiction. Perhaps…
For most people in addiction recovery, their instinct is to keep it to themselves. They may have become quite comfortable talking about their active addiction history with a therapist, group, and certain family members, but they are usually aware that addiction, especially to drugs like cocaine, meth, or heroin, is beyond the ken of most…
There are many faith-based roads to recovery. Most famously, AA and other 12-step programs involve turning your life over to a higher power. These programs have helped a lot of people. This is because belief in a higher power addresses two of the biggest needs of people in addiction recovery. The first is the need…
“Addiction” and “dependence” are often used interchangeably to mean someone can’t stop using a substance. Sometimes “dependence” is used when a term with a more clinical sound than “addiction” is needed, but now the preferred term is “substance use disorder.” While addiction and dependence are closely related, they are not quite the same. “Dependence” or…
Safe injection sites, or supervised injection sites, are a harm reduction strategy that’s gaining attention in many US cities. Right now there are at least 100 safe injection sites worldwide. Most of those are in Europe, Canada, and Australia. The idea of safe injection sites and other harm reduction strategies is to minimize the damage…
As the holidays approach, one hazard to beware of is the anniversary effect. The anniversary effect is when a certain time of year reminds you of a difficult experience. For many people, the first holiday season without a loved one can renew the pain and grief that had started to subside. Or it could be…
Hypnosis has been around for centuries and has long been a staple of TV and movie plots. You may also have seen stage shows in which unassuming audience members were made to believe they were chickens or Robert De Niro. As entertaining as these depictions are, they are not an accurate representation of hypnotherapy, or…
More than half of people with substance use disorders also have a mental health issue. Common dual diagnoses include depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and schizophrenia. Many people with these disorders will try to mask the symptoms with drugs or alcohol. This works temporarily, but in the long run,…
We are a Platinum Provider with Optum/United Healthcare and in-network with BCBS & AETNA!