Earning Back Trust from Loved Ones During Recovery
During active addiction, most people using drugs or alcohol are not fully aware of their actions and rarely have the ability to see the impact their actions are having on the people around them. Addiction is a highly self-focused disease, meaning it does not make room for the considerations of loved ones. The result? Friends and family members may struggle with trust, become resentful or withdraw from a relationship with the one battling addiction. The impact of addiction on relationships Because people struggling with substance use are not in a healthy mental state – certain drugs even directly impact [...]
How to Speak to Your Loved Ones About Addiction
Admitting that you are struggling with an addiction is one of the hardest things a person may need to do in their life. Not only is the topic of addiction one of many negative connotations, but it is also often emotional, confusing and downright hard. Admitting to yourself that you're struggling is hard enough — admitting to a loved one what is going on may prove to be even more difficult. But talking to a loved one — be it a sibling, parent, friend or significant other — can make a huge, positive difference in your recovery process. For this [...]
Why Knowing Your Triggers is Crucial to Recovery
Recovery is an especially vulnerable time in the life of someone overcoming an addiction. Not only is it hard to reset the lifestyle you spent so much time living in, but it's also difficult giving your brain the time and space it needs to rewire itself after the influence of substance abuse. Throughout recovery, you learn about triggers, what they are and how they can compromise your recovery. Many people relapse during the first few months – not because they don't desire recovery – but because triggers are so much more daunting when you're actively working to avoid them. Knowing [...]
Maintaining Sobriety While Making the Most of Your Summer
The summer months offer plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities, time to catch up with friends and the joys of summer vacation. If you are newly sober, however, these activities can sound more stress-inducing than relaxing. After all, how are you supposed to have fun if you can't even have a drink? The answer is, actually, a lot of ways! By taking the time to be creative and explorative, you'll be able to make the most of your summer without ever needing a drink to enhance the time. Fun sober activities Taking the time to look around your local [...]
Anxiety and Substance Abuse: Are They Related?
Learn how anxiety and substance abuse are related and the science behind this relationship. Discover how dual diagnosis treatment helps people recover.
The Role of a Parent in Substance Use Prevention
High school years are a time of self-discovery and exploration – a reality with both a positive and a negative side. While it is important for any developing person to explore who they are, what they like and who they want to be, it can come at a costly price when said exploration includes diving into substance use. Peer pressure plays a huge role in high school culture, and often is a leading reason for why a teen begins using substances in the first place. Parents during this time play a crucial role in educating their kids about the [...]
Teen Substance Abuse: Knowing the Signs Can Prevent Consequences
Learn about the high crime incidence related to teen substance abuse. Find out more about legal consequences and why teenagers may need professional help.
Is My Loved One Abusing Drugs?
No one wants to find out that their friend or family member is struggling with substance abuse. Sadly, though, it is a reality that a number of families and loved ones have been forced to deal with. The ease with which many people are able to obtain substances, such as prescription opioids, has made substance abuse a common mental health disorder. For those struggling with substance abuse, the most important step in ensuring their health and safety is getting them the help they need – mental and physical. But in order to do that, it is important to make sure [...]
How Can I Help My Addicted Spouse?
When you have a spouse who is struggling with addiction, it's normal to feel helpless and powerless. However, there are a number of things you can do to get them the help they need. Addiction can be an emotional rollercoaster, but it's possible for you and your spouse to get through this challenging period and emerge with your marriage intact. With the right addiction treatment and your ongoing support, your spouse can break free of addiction and turn their life around. Consider the Relationship Dynamic Before you approach your spouse, it can be helpful to think about the current dynamic [...]
Finding Drug or Alcohol Treatment in New Jersey
It is a crucial moment in your life. After ignoring or denying it for such a long time, you have accepted that there is potential to be significantly better off than you are right now. Relationships with friends or loved ones are damaged, and they’ve been begging you to get help for a long time. You don’t feel as well as you used to – physically or emotionally. Your mind is consumed with getting high – not because you are getting that same euphoria you used to get, but only because it makes your withdrawal symptoms go away. You [...]
What Can I Do to Prevent Painkiller Addiction?
People may need to take pain medication for a number of reasons, including post-op care or chronic pain relief. And while relieving one from pain is a good thing, especially if that pain is debilitating and chronic, it does not come without its risks. Many of the long-term pain-relieving medications on the market today are addictive and can lead to drug dependency and/or addiction if not carefully monitored. Not everyone who uses painkillers will become addicted, but as a friend or family member, it's important to know the signs of painkiller addiction in order to help prevent or address a [...]
13 Tips to Responsibly Care for Your Prescription Medications
Like most people, you have a mini pharmacy of outdated prescription drugs in your medicine cabinet in the bathroom. If you use painkillers and/or other prescription drugs, they could be life-threatening should they accidentally be ingested or misused. So, how do you keep yourself and others safe from developing or feeding a drug addiction? It’s all in how you use, store, and dispose of your prescriptions, and these 13 tips make living with prescription medications in your home much safer. Responsibly using your prescription pills Take as directed No more, no less. If instructed to take with food, never take [...]