Have you ever heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”? Well, it takes that same village to help you through your recovery phase. As social creatures, humans thrive on interaction. It’s the reason why friendships are so sacred, relationships are so common, and family members are so close. When dealing with…
Most addiction recovery plans and treatment options focus on one thing: preventing a victim of addiction from ever touching the substance they were addicted to again. Actually, if the plan works well enough, the ultimate goal is to dissuade the victim from having any inclination to touch any illegal substance, and to have no interest…
Drugs themselves can be neither good nor bad. In fact, research indicates that drugs are actually more involved in the preservation of lives than they are in death, although some may argue that culture seems to suggest otherwise. When prescribed by a physician, (or taken over the counter in the prescribed doses), drugs can be…
The hardest part of any addiction recovery effort is often not the treatment itself. Rather, it is the mindset of the individual receiving the treatment. Because addiction is essentially a hijacking of the mind, individuals will often face their biggest battles in recovery when their will comes to a crossroads with the disease and what…
Throughout history, drug use has been associated with a number of incredibly horrible side effects, ranging from anxiety and confusion to manic depression, paralysis, and death. In fact, in the 1800s, the presence of opium in China led directly to two wars! Though there are two centuries between then and now, drugs are still a…
Drugs– like guns, gambling, and other vices– are inanimate objects or concepts that, in and of themselves, can do no damage. However, we as human beings are quite the opposite. We are quite capable of doing horrible and irreversible damage on our own– and we often use inanimate objects like drugs to do so. Studies…
Addiction, like many chronic illnesses and diseases, is an issue that affects a lot more than just the victim. In many cases, in fact, the victim may be the only one that does not have a problem with the disease and its debilitating effects. Family members and loved ones often tend to be the most…
Far too often, those suffering from an addiction to any one of a number of substances, attempt to downplay the severity of their dependency by ignoring addiction. Unfortunately, studies have shown that many of their would-be saviors do, too. Is it a coping mechanism? An attempt to err on the side of caution, in case…
Like most things, addictions is often the culmination of a number of other issues that have been around for much longer than the drug abuse has. While researchers have worked for decades on a way to determine the definitive cause of addiction, the simple fact of the matter is that there is relatively little that…
Most people grow up with what they consider to be a “basic understanding of drugs”, based on many common myths. “Marijuana isn’t so bad,” they say. “Natural drugs aren’t as harmful as synthetic ones.” Here are 5 of the most common myths about drugs and addiction… and their startling truths. Sharing prescription medication isn’t really…