Does Alcohol Cause Bloating?
After a night of drinking alcohol, you are likely not feeling your best. Most likely, you feel dehydrated, your stomach is irritated and your overall body feels puffy and bloated. Such an unpleasant feeling can lead us to wonder what we drank that promoted such illness – but the truth is, a combination of factors contribute to bloat after drinking. Feeling bloated after drinking alcohol? The feeling of being bloated after drinking alcohol is experienced for a number of reasons, primarily because alcohol is an excellent dehydrator. And when the body is dehydrated, the stomach pulls any possible water [...]
A Closer Look At Hydrocodone’s Addictive Effects
“Hydrocodone is one of the most common pain medications prescribed by clinicians and one of the most abused by patients. It is a relatively potent drug for moderate-to-severe pain control in postoperative patients, patients with trauma, or patients with cancer,” according to an article from the National Library of Medicine. Classified as a schedule II drug by the DEA, hydrocodone has a high potential for abuse even though there are accepted medical uses. What this means is those prescribed hydrocodone need to be aware of the risks and ensure they are adhering to the instructions of the prescription to [...]
A Parent’s Guide to Spotting Laced Halloween Candy
Autumn generally ushers in cool weather, cozy clothes, pumpkin spice everything and of course, the annual arrival of a spooky holiday. While not everyone loves the scary side of Halloween, devouring buckets of candy has a special place in many people’s hearts. Unfortunately, there can be a dark side to something as seemingly innocent as distributing pre-wrapped candy to eager children in creative costumes. Since you’re reading this article, you’re likely either familiar with the concept of laced Halloween candy and are seeking to refresh your memory, or perhaps just heard the phrase for the first time and are wanting [...]
How Do Co-Occurring Disorders Affect Veterans?
For those who have spent time in the military, leaving behind one’s military family, the routines and regimens to re-enter civilian life can be an incredibly difficult transition. Most often, the experiences men and women had in the armed forces leave lasting impressions on them, for better or for worse. The challenges of transitioning out of the military combined with potentially traumatic experiences within the military can have significant impacts on mental health. Sadly, this creates alarmingly high numbers of veterans with co-occurring disorders. What are Co-Occurring Disorders? A co-occurring disorder is when an individual with a substance use [...]
How Athletes are Affected by Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Adolescents and young adults who play high school and college sports face unique stressors that can leave them vulnerable to developing substance use and mental health disorders. In this interview, Dominique Jones shares ways that parents, coaches and professionals can support young athletes who are struggling or at risk. Dominique is a primary mental health therapist at High Focus Centers in Sandy Springs, Georgia. A Licensed Associate Professional Counselor, she earned her master’s degree from Clayton State University. Which behavioral health issues are most commonly seen in athletes? There are particular stressors that come along with playing a sport [...]
Are LGBTQ+ Individuals More Prone to Substance Use?
Social stigmas, discrimination and harrassment put LGBTQ+ people at a greater risk of addiction and other mental health issues than heterosexual and cisgender individuals.
How to Spot A Heroin Addiction in Your Loved One
You can spot heroin use in your loved one by the presence of needle marks, financial issues, secretive behavior, symptoms of withdrawal and more.
Here’s Why You Need Social Support in Addiction Recovery
Your intro to peer groups that encourage social support in addiction recovery, like Alcoholics Anonymous, SMART Recovery, SOS and more.
The Meaning of Co-Occurring Disorders
Learn about co-occurring disorders meaning, and the effect that mental illness and substance abuse can have on an individual.
How Journaling can Enhance Your Addiction Recovery Program
Journaling is a powerful tool you can use to work through confusing or convoluted thoughts and feelings. Journaling gives you a chance to externally process without needing to sound eloquent, well thought out or even polite. It’s a free, safe space to say what you need to say, when and how you need to say it. Why journaling? In addition to being an effective method of processing what’s going on in your life, mind, heart, etc., journaling serves as a kind of documentary. It might tell the story of your battle with addiction, from where it began to where it [...]
Teletherapy and Online Substance Abuse Treatment: What You Need to Know
Teletherapy combines the use of technology with therapy to deliver treatment through video conferencing and web-based tools. In today’s world, it’s increasingly important to provide accessible, safe, and effective treatment options to patients. For this reason, teletherapy is becoming a more common option for patients seeking addiction treatment. It allows a person to receive effective treatment often without requiring them to leave the comfort of their home. It can be easy to think of teletherapy as only being useful for mental health treatment; however, teletherapy is also just as effective for substance abuse counseling and treatment. If you or someone [...]
Being a Family Support System for Your Loved One in Recovery
Recovering from addiction is hard for everyone — it's exhausting mentally and physically for the one actually undergoing treatment, but it's also challenging for the family and friends to sit by and watch. Often, we want to help our loved ones when they're struggling, but when it comes to addiction recovery, you may be stuck wondering how exactly are you supposed to help. True recovery requires guidance from professional therapists — a title most of us don't hold. What many don't realize is that family and friends have the chance to play a significant role in their loved one's recovery. [...]
