The misuse of prescription drugs in America is on the rise. For a country with just 5% of the world’s population, we consume our share of medications and then some – three-quarters of the world’s prescription drugs! And in 2010, enough prescription painkillers were prescribed to medicate every single American adult every 4 hours for … Continued
Striving for Perfection In our minds, we all have an idea of what life is supposed to be like. These ideals can extend into various aspects of our lives – from our relationships to our families, to our children, our work and more. Striving for perfection is a noble endeavor, but only if we are … Continued
If you’re a recovered alcoholic or substance abuser, you know that escaping your addiction through rehab and recovery gave you a second chance at life. It’s a cause for celebration, after struggling through addiction and completing a rehab program successfully. You deserve to be acknowledged for your success! However, it’s also important to remember that … Continued
How does one learn to be helpless? Learned helplessness…sounds like an oxymoron, right? The idea of ”learned helplessness” originated from experiments on animals. Researchers would put a hapless creature in a situation where they were faced with unpleasant stimuli from which they tried but could not escape. Eventually, they just accepted their situation and stopped … Continued
The impact of addiction is felt well beyond the person struggling with the disease. Family, friends, co-workers, and even neighbors can be impacted by the many problems addiction brings. Lies, violence, legal troubles and more bring hardships to those around you — and many times those with loved ones abusing drugs or alcohol suffer a … Continued
You’ve done everything you can. And, finally, you got the result you hoped for. Or so you thought. Finally see a loved one make it to — and through — a rehab program can bring relief to many families. But making it to rehab is not the end to the long road to addiction recovery. … Continued
What happens if it happens? While rehab can lead to recovery, it is certainly not without struggle. Many recovered users experience a relapse during or after the addiction recovery process. That’s why it is important to understand that relapse is a process, not an event. In order to understand relapse prevention, you have to understand … Continued
It’s a long road back from addiction. While recovery is different for every individual, one thing remains the same: all persons in recovery need the support of others. And these others need to be intimately familiar with what it means to be an addict. Recovering addicts can experience agonizing doubt, fear, cravings and rocky instability … Continued
Tenth Step: We Continued “We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, we promptly admitted it.” “Ugh, I’m so tired of looking at myself! When do I get a break? How much longer do I have to do this stuff?” Since we’ve made it this far, it only makes sense to go … Continued