Since the 1990s, the behavioral science of addiction treatment has grown and evolved. Very recently, the American Medical Association recognized substance addiction as an actual disease, similar to diabetes or heart disease. This has opened doors for better healthcare for patients who want to overcome their addiction. Because of the AMA’s designation and the Affordable…
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Anxiety can be a very common contributing factor to addiction. Some people turn to drugs or alcohol as a way of self-medicating and trying to cope with the symptoms of their anxiety. This can increase risk for developing a substance use disorder. While everyone gets anxious or nervous sometimes, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have…
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“Fun” is not typically the first thing that pops into people’s minds when they think of sobriety. Making the choice to quit drinking and put your well-being first is a life-changing decision, but one that is worth it. Now that you are in recovery, you will have to come up with different things to occupy…
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It is a joyous day when you find out a loved one has completed rehab and successfully conquered their addiction. Now that they’re clean, it’s time for them to come home. While it may seem like the hardest part is over, there is still a lot of work to be done post-rehab. Once former addicts…
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Once you’re on the road to addiction, it is difficult to stop. The longer it goes untreated, the more intense it becomes. That is why you need to stop an addiction from happening in the first place. If you want to protect yourself or others from falling into the spiral of addiction, then you will…
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Summertime is supposed to be fun. School is out, the pool is open and there is plenty of time to work in a road trip or a family vacation. While summer can certainly be fun, however, it can also be stressful. The everyday pressures of your professional life may not end, to say nothing of…
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All of us experience stress from time to time—from work, from our relationships, or from something else entirely. While stress cannot always be avoided, it can be properly managed—ensuring that it does not have an adverse mental health impact. In order to manage your stress effectively, it is smart to have a stress management plan…
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So much stigma still exists surrounding addiction—and because so many of us are reluctant to speak openly about this topic, we also tend to harbor misconceptions and misunderstandings. Perhaps none are quite so serious—quite so dangerous—as the misconception that addiction is somehow a failure of moral will; that people who struggle with addictions have made…
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Let’s begin with a little bit of brutal honesty: Recovery can sometimes be difficult. Before you enter recovery, the prospect is daunting; once you’re in recovery, you’ll encounter new challenges each day. That can make some people dread the prospect of addiction recovery, yet in many ways that’s the wrong attitude to have: There are…
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Addiction has always been with us—but for many generations, it was something people did not talk about much, a taboo topic best left unaddressed. That is because, frankly, addiction was seen as a choice, a personal failing, a kind of weakness. Thankfully, we have evolved in our understanding of addiction, and now understand it for…
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