Positive social interaction is instrumental in maintaining abstinence from alcohol and drugs. In isolation, individuals are more susceptible to relapse, may experience worsened symptoms of depression, and are much more likely to quit rehab early. While there are many challenges associated with rebuilding your social life during and after treatment at a rehab center, it’s well worth the effort to do so.
Shehan Karunaratne
Why Gender-Specific Treatment Works
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, women are just as likely as men to become addicted (and vice versa) but that doesn’t mean they experience addiction in the same way. Men and women use drugs differently, have unique responses to them and face different obstacles while in treatment.
Are You Enabling a Loved One’s Addiction?
When a loved one is struggling with addiction, everyone in the family suffers as well. There’s no escaping the effects of addiction, yet too many family members engage in behavior that allows the addict to avoid facing the consequences for his or her actions.
How to Get a Loved One Into Rehab
If your loved one is suffering from addiction, you’re likely wondering how to get someone into rehab.
What Is Trauma-Informed Care For Addiction?
Did you know nearly two-thirds of all individuals receiving treatment for drug abuse report being physically, sexually or emotionally abused as a child? While this statistic can’t be attributed as a singular cause for drug abuse, research shows that traumatic childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, crime, or accidents can lead to addictive behaviors later in life.
5 Key Components of a Relapse Prevention Plan
A relapse can’t be contained to one single event. It is an ongoing process that is experienced by a person in recovery and marked by significant red flags or warning signs. These warning signs can cause a person to return to their drug or alcohol abuse. A relapse prevention plan is a great tool that can be used to recognize and manage the warning signs of relapse and sustain a healthy, sober lifestyle.
Do I Need Drug and Alcohol Rehab?
It can be very difficult to admit there is a substance abuse problem in our own lives or the lives of others close to us, but recognizing the problem is the first step to recovery. If you are concerned that you or someone you love may need professional addiction treatment, here are some important signs to look for, as well as more information on treatment options and how to get started.
How to Overcome Being a High-Functioning Alcoholic
Millions of Americans can drink socially without encountering too many negative consequences, other than the occasional hangover and acting like a fool on the rare occasions they imbibe too much. Some, however, consider drinking so much a part of their life that they automatically think of ordering a drink when in a social situation or unwinding after a day at work or school. While they haven’t crossed the line into full-scale alcohol addiction, they may be well on their way. They may, in fact, be high-functioning alcoholics.
How to Support An Alcoholic In Recovery
Knowing how to support a recovering alcoholic or drug addict isn’t always easy. When a loved one or relative enters recovery, it can be a time of great joy as well as simultaneous doubt and confusion, perhaps even a little fear on the part of everyone concerned. While you want the best for your recovering relative, you may feel unsure of the most appropriate approach to take. So how do you support an addict in recovery?
The Importance of Recognizing and Treating Trauma
Survivors of trauma are everywhere among us, sometimes in our own families. Whether the trauma involved witnessing or experiencing a violent event, surviving a natural disaster, returning home after serving our country as a member of the armed forces in an area of intense, unrelenting combat, struggling to come to grips with life after prolonged domestic or partner abuse, or trying to put the pieces back together after childhood years of physical and/or sexual abuse, neglect or abandonment, the result is the same: trying to mend a life shattered by trauma.