Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Trauma, and Addiction The link between trauma and addiction can present itself as a destructive cycle. The risk of substance abuse increases as a result of trauma. It’s important to note that substance abuse also heightens the chance of being re-traumatized. Individuals abusing drugs or alcohol are less able to cope…
4 Commonly Overlooked Signs of PTSD Most people link post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to flashbacks, nightmares, and dramatic outbursts. These are easily recognizable effects of past trauma. However, PTSD can manifest in a host of other ways that are often overlooked. These lesser-known symptoms impact a person’s everyday life and range from overall mood to…
How Psychological Trauma Relates To Depression and Suicide When trauma, depression, and/or anxiety occur simultaneously, the results can be devastating. What is psychological trauma? Psychological trauma is an injury from a life-threatening or fearful experience that alters one’s perception. This injury causes changes in the brain and can impair cognitive functioning. Psychological trauma can include…
Can your parents addictions still be impacting your mental health years later as an adult? Simply put, Yes most definitely. Let’s take a look at what some of the more common ways this can show up in your life can be. Children of alcoholics and addicts often experience chaos, inconsistency, volatility, and unreliability. They may…
The Link Between Anxiety and Addiction Anxiety contains a wide range of symptoms and conditions, and it affects millions of people across the world. When confronting anxiety in tandem with addiction, it is important to grasp the full scope of anxiety and how it’s linked to substance abuse. For most people, the concept of…
Alcohol and the Brain It is well-known that excessive consumption of alcohol has an adverse impact on the liver, heart and digestive system. It is important to note, the effects of alcohol on the brain are also serious. It can result in structural damage, cognitive deficits and changes in mental health status. Alcohol blocks chemical…
Kids and Alcohol: You Can Make a Difference Kids navigate the maze of life by using two “stars” or guideposts. Their world is split roughly in half by the influence of both parents and peers. The more power of influence you have as a parent, the less peers will have and vice versa. In a…
Let’s face it. Drinking, drug abuse, anxiety, and depression soar over Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s. The holidays can be stressful under normal circumstances. With the 2020 triple pandemic (COVID-19, social/racial injustice and mental health), and election fatigue, the risk for holiday blues is even higher. The good news is that during this time…
Fentanyl is the drug most responsible for the increase in overdose deaths in recent years. It is “a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent,” explains the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “It is a prescription drug that is also made and used illegally.” Illicit fentanyl is…
Emotional self-regulation is a crucial life skill. Our ability to modulate our emotions keeps them from becoming excessive, counterproductive, or inappropriate. We cannot help having emotions, of course—and they are quite important after all—but when we let our emotions control our decision making, we tend to run into trouble. It’s quite normal to be temporarily…
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