I cannot imagine what our family’s life would be like today if a friend had not insisted that I go to that Al-Anon meeting last fall. I was sick and tired of talking and worrying about addiction, living with an addict, and didn’t want to be around pitiful loved ones of alcoholics. In my usual manner, I was cocooning and not…
Group meetings are one of the best ways to maintain sobriety. They act as a safety net, giving us support and guidance at all times.There are no concrete rules for what you should share at a group meeting, or how you should share it. The reality is, at least at first, sharing may be difficult. In general, the trick is to…
Unfortunately, mixing alcohol and opiates isn’t an uncommon practice. Alcohol is a drug that is commonly mixed with others, because, well, it’s a lot easier to make poor decisions–like mixing in another drug–while drunk. In 2010, nearly 19 thousand people who entered alcohol rehab also abused opiates, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services administration. On…
When something goes wrong — horribly wrong — it makes us feel horrible. When we feel horrible, we desperately want to channel those emotions somewhere. All of us, especially addicts, do this. The Vicious Cycle Even if you know, deep down, that your disease is nobody’s fault, the temptation to blame someone is strong, and the mental fog that alcoholism creates…
I started drinking at the age of 13. It wasn’t in a closet or hidden from the world but rather whenever my friends and I could sneak some liquor off the top of someone’s parents liquor cabinet. It was the occasional venture to the forbidden for me. This continued until I was 15 and a freshman in high school; I was…
Between the ages of 24 and 50, most men lose about five pounds of muscle. Their biceps and triceps shrivel away leaving only a jiggly mess of skin and fat trailing from the shoulder to the fingertips. From 50 and on, men lose about 1 percent of muscle every year. Muscles are important for more than just appearance. They spell a…
Before we answer this question, let’s clarify exactly what we’re asking. The question is whether or not THC is addictive—not whether marijuana should be legalized. That’s an important distinction to make, so as not to deter readers from learning, understanding, and accepting the answer: Yes, THC is addictive. Marijuana is addictive. What Is THC? THC—or 9-tetrahydrocannabinol—is the principal psychoactive constituent of…
In the US, the drug Suboxone is prescribed to help with opiate addiction by preventing withdrawal symptoms. It’s used to help both acute opiate withdrawal (the initial, most intense withdrawal period) as well as long-term withdrawal. Why Does Opiate Withdrawal Happen? Opiate drugs—heroin, morphine, codeine, OxyCodone, and so on—are highly addictive, sometimes after just one use. Very quickly, the central nervous…
Like most drug addictions, behavioral addictions have gained a lot of acceptance in recent years. However, internet addiction doesn’t appear in the latest addition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the bible of mental health conditions for the whole field of psychiatry. In this day and age, that’s somewhat of a surprise, because most of us can admit…
Veggies get you full quickly, and they’re highly snackable–but few people snack on carrot sticks and cauliflower. The biggest players in the snack-food world are barbecue chips, chocolate chunk cookies, cheesy crackers and the like. It’s not fullness we’re after. It’s warmth, it’s distraction, and it’s habit. Know What You’re Up Against Junk food addiction is the most common, and costly,…
Marijuana addiction is real, believe it or not, with real withdrawal symptoms. Putting down the glass bowl for good can be a real struggle for some people. Besides group meetings and therapy, the following are a some tips for resisting the urge to smoke. Ditch the paraphernalia Any glassware or smoking devices, no matter how expensive or artistic, need to go….
Sometimes, all we can do is let an loved one addicted to drugs hit rock bottom.If rock bottom fails to deter them, further action becomes necessary, often in the form of a stiff, painful ultimatum.Although the popular A&E program Intervention makes this process out to be messy, painful and dramatic, an intervention is actually a well-organized, highly successful tactic when handled…
Tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug abuse costs the US about $700 billion annually, according to a study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). It’s become a national crisis that affects everyone–the rich, the poor, the young, the elderly. Still, finding out that a loved one is suffering from drug addiction can catch you off guard. Even if you’ve…
Methadone belongs to a class of synthetic-agents called “opiate analgesics.” Essentially, these drugs distract certain brain regions that keep us hooked on opiates: namely, the parts responsible for the euphoria.Methadone is often a godsend to those determined to quit. The prescribing of methadone is common practice; however, doctors must be registered with the DEA as part of the Narcotic Treatment Program…
Detox and therapy are vitally important but they are only step one of a very long process. Addiction is a disease you will fight your entire life and staying clean and sober is not always easy. Maintaining a support structure once leaving rehab is one of the best things you can do to provide yourself with this support. For most recovering…
Crack is a powerful drug that alters the brain processes responsible for behavior, thought, perception, and emotion. As the body adjusts to the presence of cocaine in its system, the user requires more and more of the drug to feel stimulated—or even stable. When this dependency develops, crack detox becomes for a successful recovery.The longer a user continues this vicious habit—the…
Luxury rehab facilities, like the ones that cater to celebrities and that are often depicted in popular culture, do exist and a rehab program at one of those facilities might look like a 4-week spa vacation to anyone who is not familiar with addiction recovery. Inpatient drug treatment programs, whether at a luxury or any other facility, almost always involve intensive…
People travel from all over the country to camp out, socialize, and dance at music festivals for days on end. With electronic music rising in popularity, these festivals are garnering more and more attention—and not just from fans. While many celebrate these events as the ultimate form of escapism, law enforcement is becoming increasingly worried about the mechanics behind it.Dance music…
Addiction recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. Successful marathon runners know that focusing on the entire distance in front of them can foster fears and concerns about whether they can endure through the entire race. Rather than focusing on that distance, they break the race into smaller parts and complete each part in turn. Make it to Midnight The same…
Crack Cocaine dependency is an intimidating illness to take on. Hundreds of thousands of addicts butt heads with the first stages of detox when they run out of cash and find themselves doing whatever they can—whatever it takes—to get more crack. The term crack has become an exaggerated adjective synonymous with “highly addictive.”If you or someone you know is suffering from…
An individual who is in an addiction recovery program may be overwhelmed by the many elements and aspects of that program, and he may not want to add any secondary or extraneous pieces into the mix. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet should be viewed as one of the primary components of the program rather than a secondary component or an…