The first months of recovery are never easy. There is a focus on progress and even the feeling of changes going on. When this finally stops, it seems you are working towards rebuilding trust with loved ones and things are coming together (finally). You are allowed to miss your addiction. For a little while at…
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Loving someone does not disqualify them from hardship. Even more so, they are likely to experience hard times because they are not immune to the challenges of life, in spite of what may be a loving, caring, family. When someone is loved who deals with drug and alcohol addiction, they can struggle in spite of…
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Going to see family around the holidays can bring out the most challenging emotions for people. It is a great time of celebration, but it is also challenging in many ways. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years can be daunting to face when sober. That first holiday sober can be especially difficult, especially if others may…
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Family programming is an activity that supports loved ones of those in rehab. It brings everyone together and offers them a bigger picture of what life can look like when they work together for the benefit of the person in rehab. Addiction impacts the entire family, so including them is crucial to the process. To…
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With diabetes, drinking alcohol can cause a rise in blood sugar. It may also fall, depending on the person’s metabolism and other factors. Alcohol has a lot of calories. If a person is following a calorie-controlled meal plan, one drink of alcohol should be counted as two exchanges of fat. Drinking alcohol may not be…
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Opana (ER) is no longer in production, but it has had some damaging effects on people’s lives. Opioids act the same, whether it is Opana, or Oxycontin, and they impact the central nervous system. The reason people use drugs is to either get a high from it or relieve pain but become dependent. Medical opioids…
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The opioid crisis has been spiraling out of control for some time. Pain management is a real challenge for some people who cannot find measures that work. They turn to addictive substances in order to curb their pain, alongside opioid addiction, and end up feeling worse off than before. Once people understand pain management, they…
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Salvia is a plant that grows in South and Central America. It comes from Mexico and is typically reserved for use in healing and rituals. The FDA has listed it as a poisonous plant. Salvia divinorum is an herb considered potent for its hallucinogenic properties. It is not believed to disrupt levels of serotonin in…
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Dependence and heroin use has grown a lot over the last decade. Heroin used to be less prevalent, but now dependence is increasing across all age groups, regardless of income or socioeconomic status. Heroin use has doubled among those who used to have lower rates of use (women and people who are white). For some…
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Designer drugs are a certain type of narcotic created from synthetic chemicals to mirror the effects of other drugs. A little chemical modification can change the intensity and potency of the drugs, making them more addictive and dangerous than they were before. The rise of designer drugs is often due to chemicals being used and…
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