The many downsides to addiction are well known. Addiction can damage your health, stall your career, undermine your relationships, ruin your finances, lead to mental health issues, and even cause death. No one with even a vague awareness of the problems addiction typically causes would choose addiction. Millions of Americans struggle with addiction every year… Continue Reading Is There Anything Good About Addiction?
The recovery process can be a complicated one, and it is a lifelong commitment that lasts long after we’ve completed treatment. When we’re recently finished with a treatment program, we can be presented with unique challenges that can threaten our sobriety. We’re reintegrating into our regular lives, with the old routines, lifestyles and relationships that… Continue Reading Why Should I Consider Outpatient Programs After Treatment?
It can take a lot of time and effort to convince a friend or family member to enter treatment for addiction. Many people find it difficult to accept they need help. While entering treatment is a big achievement, it’s only the beginning of recovery. There’s a lot of work left to do and studies have… Continue Reading Why Do People Want to Leave Addiction Treatment Early?
There are several factors that can increase your risk of addiction. Genetics is a big one. If you have a close relative who has struggled with addiction, you are more likely to struggle with addiction too. Mental illness is another major risk factor. Depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other mental health… Continue Reading Why Do LGBT People Have a Higher Addiction Risk?
After years of struggling with the painful effects of addiction, we’d like to think that our recovery will magically solve all of our problems and lift our depression right out of us. The recovery process, however, is not as simple as that. Recovering from our addictions means healing from the deep mental and emotional health… Continue Reading I’m in Recovery – Why am I Still Depressed?
Upon entering addiction recovery treatment, group therapy may be a new experience for many of us. We’re more used to traditional therapy, where we work one-on-one with a psychologist. Group therapy allows us to explore topics in a group setting that we all have experience with. When it comes to addiction recovery, there are some… Continue Reading The Benefits of Group Therapy
After leaving treatment, attending mutual aid meetings are a great way to continue your recovery. You meet other people who are also in recovery, which helps you build your sober network. Attending meetings also gives you a chance to review what you learned in treatment. At the very least, attending regular meetings is a good… Continue Reading What’s a Refuge Recovery Meeting Like?
While it may feel like addiction is one person’s problem, it is really a problem for everyone around her too. Not only do the consequences of addiction radiate outward to your friends and family, but dysfunctional relationships may also contribute to the development of addiction. Treatment for addiction can’t just focus on one thing. It… Continue Reading Why Family Therapy Makes Addiction Recovery Easier
For many of us struggling with addiction, our fears that our children are being affected by our addiction can be a major catalyst for us to finally get the help we need. We worry that our issues are adversely affecting our children, even when we try as hard as we can to keep them separate… Continue Reading How Does Addiction Affect Our Children?
After completing addiction treatment, joining a mutual support program is a good way to start building a strong sober network and to keep the lessons you learned in treatment fresh in your mind. 12-step programs like AA are the best known of these groups, but they may not work for everyone. Some people prefer a… Continue Reading What are SMART Recovery Meetings Like?