The Benefits of Residential Treatment Programs “Residential treatment” refers to a type of medical and behavioral care that takes place in a private facility. The type of care is similar to inpatient treatment, with the benefit of taking place in an environment where patients can live and treat like home. Aside from the location, residential…
DetailsHow Substance Use and Addiction Affect the Brain Long-term substance abuse can have serious damaging effects on the brain, affecting the communication of neurons with neurotransmitters. Some drugs, such as heroin, essentially mimic the brain’s natural chemicals. This affects the overall communication system between your brain and body. Here we will break down the parts…
DetailsThe Power in the First Step: Accepting Powerlessness One of the most critical, and perhaps controversial, steps in the 12-Steps for recovery as per Alcoholics Anonymous is admitting powerlessness. In fact, it may seem counter-intuitive: don’t people need willpower to defeat the struggle of addiction? The concept of powerlessness is frequently misunderstood. Rather than being…
DetailsHumans are wired to strive for intimate connections with others. Most people, at some point in their lives, will feel a desire to find a companion that they can experience life with. However, this can be concerning for individuals in the beginning stages of their recovery journey. There is no question that dating in recovery…
DetailsWhen you choose to commit your life to recovery, there are bound to be bumps in the road. There will always be inevitable struggle and stress from time to time, especially when you find yourself in situations where drug and alcohol use is normalized. If you’ve completed a treatment program, you have likely been taught…
DetailsFor those in recovery, you may feel overwhelmed as summer approaches. Many people correlate the summer months with festivities and parties, which can be problematic for a person that is working to achieve and maintain sobriety. There are still so many reasons to be excited about summer, especially if you are struggling with your sobriety.…
DetailsLife is constantly flowing. For many of us, one of the only times that we take the opportunity to slow down is when we lay down to sleep at the end of the day. Even then, sleep is viewed more as a habitual process than a conscious opportunity to slow down. Ask yourself this question:…
DetailsThe family unit is often recognized as a person’s main source of learning as they develop and mature from infancy into adulthood. Families become the first place where a child learns how to manage their emotions and communicate with others. However, it is important to recognize that there is no such thing as a “perfect”…
DetailsThere are many skills that are learned during treatment and recovery for substance use disorders like addiction. Similarly, every treatment center offers unique programs and therapies to help clients to achieve these skills. One popular treatment modality is the 12 Steps, which acknowledges recovery as an ongoing and continuous process. The 12-Step philosophy helps clients…
DetailsBeing a partner of someone who has an active substance use disorder (SUD), or who is in recovery from one, can surface many emotional and interpersonal challenges. If you have not directly experienced a substance use problem in your lifetime, you may take the consequences of your partner’s SUD personally from time to time. You…
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