The Effects of Substance Abuse on Family Members
Millions of people in United States suffer from substance abuse. In 2017, the United States Surgeon General reported that an American adult dies every 19 minutes due to a heroin or opioid overdose, and the economic impact of drug addiction amounts to $442 billion annually. However, the impact extends far beyond the individually suffering with substance abuse. The effects of drug or alcohol addiction also impacts family members, and it can lead to similarly devastating consequences. Get Help Today Isolation There are many emotions family members experience when a loved one has succumbed to addiction. Fear, hate, resentment and anger [...]
Recovering From Substance Abuse and Recovering Your Identity as a Parent
Substance abuse is known to break apart families because of the emotional distress and lack of dependability that an addiction brings into the household. Taking steps towards recovery can help you heal as both an individual and as a parent. Allow the process of recovery to help you regain your life and relationships with the people who matter most. Substance Abuse Puts Children at Risk The children of drug and alcohol addicts face challenges even though they may not be actively engaged in substance abuse themselves. The shift of a parent’s attention from children to a substance such as alcohol [...]
Repairing Relationships Damaged by Substance Abuse
For many, getting treatment for addiction isn’t what scares clients the most — it is the daunting thought of rebuilding one's life. Recovery does not end when you leave the doors of the treatment center; it continues for the majority of your life as you work to navigate and repair any damage done during the time spent struggling with addiction. One such area that will likely need attention post-recovery (and even during recovery) is that of friends, family and/or a significant other. These people, like some of the ones closest to you, likely felt a lot of the ripple effects [...]
Starting the Conversation About Rehab for Addiction
Many often subscribe to the idea that there are certain things you just don’t talk about. A friend’s personal problems might be one of them. Like most, you might assume that if your friend wants help, he or she will ask for it. Unfortunately – statistically – conversations where that friend actually reaches out for help are unlikely to happen. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports as many as 95 percent of those who need specialty treatment for addiction don’t believe they need it. What this means is if you believe a friend is struggling with an [...]
How to Identify Signs of Drug Use in Young Adults
College is a wildly important time in your development as a person. You're now responsible for your own schedule, you have to ensure you're getting three meals a day and no one but yourself is keeping you accountable to a healthy routine of sleeping, eating and exercising. So much responsibility for a young adult, however, can be truly overwhelming, not to mention the addition of the ever-constant pressure of one's peers. In an environment that usually has less structure than one's home, college can lead to unhealthy choices as a result of unhealthy routines, peers and an overabundance of freedom. [...]
How to Help a Coworker Struggling with Substance Abuse
Addiction is a topic that comes with many different stereotypes and taboos, including expectations of what someone abusing substances is most likely to look like. But the truth is, anyone – regardless of race, gender or career – can become a victim of substance abuse. While there are specific careers that are more susceptible to abuse, even coworkers in your corporate office building may struggle with substances. While it is not your responsibility to fix them, you can be better equipped to help them by knowing the signs of substance abuse. What careers are susceptible to substance abuse? There are [...]
6 Ways To Avoid Relapse Post-Detox
When you are fighting addiction, seeking recovery is one of the bravest, possibly most life-changing decisions you can make. Not only are you rejecting an unhealthy lifestyle, you are opening yourself up to help and healing in a beautiful way. But anyone who has struggled through recovery before will tell you the same thing – it is not easy. Once you have successfully gone through detox, the process of rewiring your brain and habits begins. In order to avoid relapse and maintain sobriety, it is important to put certain practices in place in your life once you have finished detox. [...]
What to Do If You’re Concerned About a Friend Using Substances
Our friendships can add immense value to our lives. Sometimes, though, we find ourselves concerned about a friend and his or her well-being. If you have a loved one who you suspect may have developed a problem with drug or alcohol use, it can be difficult to know what to do and how to go about it. The good news is that your friend already has an advantage in recovery, and that's you. Social support can be critical in mitigating the issues that arise with a substance use disorder, and intervention from loved ones could be the thing that tips [...]
What Is MAT and How Does It Work?
There are many different types of programs for individuals struggling with substance use disorders, and many different viewpoints on what treatment approaches provide the best chance of finding long term recovery from addiction. In fact, one of the biggest challenges you may face (apart from conquering the addiction itself) is deciding which program is the best fit for your needs. While the answer may be different for everyone, recent research and best practices in the treatment field point to the use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) that specifically targets opioid dependency. MAT has been shown to help individuals manage withdrawal symptoms [...]
The Best Sober Activities to Maintain Recovery
Once you choose to maintain sobriety, it becomes important to seek out activities that don't involve alcohol. Especially in the early stages of recovery, it is important to avoid certain people, places and events in order to prevent relapse and keep triggers at bay. Depending on your lifestyle, sober activities may not be things you are very familiar with, or you may struggle to find creative ways of planning a good time without the consumption of alcohol. That's okay! Don't be hard on yourself if you find yourself stuck in this rut – transitioning to a whole new lifestyle [...]
What to Expect When Detoxing From Painkillers
For many, the topic of detox is frightening. Those who have struggled, or do struggle, with addiction, are most likely aware of the unpleasant withdrawal effects the brain and body undergo when they don't take more of a substance before the prior dose begins to wear off. Withdrawal signs manifest as the body adjusts to the lack of chemicals it previously learned to rely on. As those levels change in the body, the body adjusts and withdrawal signs present themselves. This is why the process of detoxing from painkiller medication can be so unpleasant; but with the right detox [...]
A Closer Look at Carfentanil
Street drugs are, unfortunately, a continuous problem in the US. Because so many of them are often crafted in illegal laboratories, they are not only unregulated but are highly dangerous. One batch of a drug may be much stronger than another batch of the same drug, or, the substance may be mixed with something else – something as harmless as baking flour or more potent like cocaine – to increase the amount of a certain batch. Ultimately, there is no consistency in what street drugs include. This is not only risky, it is highly life-threatening due to the potential presence [...]