The first step to recovery is, of course, admitting you have a problem. Thousands of alcoholics are completely unaware that they even have a drinking problem. Be it due to a lack of information, general denial or surrounding cultural and social influences, not being able to recognize problematic, alcoholic drinking can prolong a dangerous drinking career, preventing a very possible life…
Enduring the long term stay for receiving treatment at a residential rehab center can be very trying. At some point you might get impatient and want to get back to your own home, family and life. Most residential rehab programs run from 30 to 90 days. Your counselors will tell you that just as no two addiction problems are alike, no…
Internet gamers, FaceBook or Twitter users, and Reddit aficionados have all reported losing track of time and space as they dive deeper down the rabbit holes of their preferred digital channels. Internet addiction is not currently recognized as a disorder in the latest DSM, but if you have experienced any psychoactive loss of time and space while pursuing your internet interests,…
The kitchen is often referred to as the “heart of the home.” It is a place to fellowship, work, and nourish the soul. This has been exactly the case at The Last Resort. Since we first opened, clients have always played a role in preparing meals for each other as a way of learning life skills and practicing the principle of…
In her recently-published memoirs, Blackout: Remembering Things That I Drank To Forget, Sarah Hepola laments about the unfairness of her friends’ being able to “stay at Captain Morgan’s pirate ship party while [she] was drop-kicked into a basement with homeless people chanting the Serenity Prayer.” In this one brief sentence, Ms. Hepola captures a fear that alcoholics feel when they first…
Alcoholism can happen quickly within months and it can happen slowly over a period of several years. When you have lived with a person and have seen them drink on regular basis, you may not immediately recognize they have a drinking problem. A day may arrive when their drinking patterns and behaviors when drunk become suspect. When that happens, you will…
When people think about how to recover from alcoholism, they often imagine the 12 step program. Traditional 12-step programs and non-traditional recovery programs alike will usually include something that resembles the Fourth Step of Alcoholics Anonymous. This is known as the “inventory” step. It has a nasty reputation for exposing the worst part of ourselves that we denied for so long….
The fifth step of a typical 12-step addiction recovery program is often misconstrued. If you are a recovering addict and you have moved into step 5, you will be asked to admit your troubles, the ones you inventoried in step 4. The text of step 5 states “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of…
“One Little Blue Pill” one phrase repeated over and over by ESPN’s 30 for 30 Star and former Boston Celtic that captured an audience’s attention at The University of Houston. One little blue pill was reiterated time and time again to illustrate how something so small can be the cornerstone of one man’s addiction. Chris Herren spoke his truth and laid…
Holiday celebrations can be wonderful opportunities to reconnect with family members that you have not seen for many months. Full of joy, cheer, gratitude and delicious food, these get togethers can also be stressful and very triggering for someone in recovery from drugs and alcohol. Family stressors can create a lot of uncomfortable tension, such as opinions and criticisms too openly…
Occasional insomnia affects everyone, and it’s a rare person who has not experienced trouble falling sleeping or staying asleep through the night. If you suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (”PTSD”), your sleep problems are likely beyond a diagnosis of occasional or standard insomnia. Sleep disruptions will occur at random, without predictable patterns. You might experience night terrors and flashbacks. Darkness and…
Modern research suggests that when you act out on your sex addiction, you dissociate your central personality from the part of yourself which craves the release that your actions will bring. You do not have a multiple personality or bipolar disorder. Instead, you temporarily create a separate and dissociated self to satisfy the inner desires created by your addiction.Your central personality…
Younger men get a lot of press around their drinking habits, but what about older men? Research has shown recently as many as 3 in 4 alcohol poisoning deaths occurred to men between the ages of 35-64. These numbers impacted men more than women. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why and what can be done. What is…
There are more than 21 million veterans living in the United States. More than 1.3 million of them served in multiple wars, a handful served in more than two. The suicide rate among veterans reached an all-time high in 2012. An increasing number of them are struggling with mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness, and myriad other issues….
Recovery is about finding peace of mind. Substance abuse creates chaos and brings negativity into every aspect of your being. Finding presence is key, starting with Step 3 of the 12 steps.“Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”This decision is about trust, knowing you are not in control…
Compulsive gambling is defined as an uncontrollable urge, no matter the cost, to gamble. Similar to other addictions, the risk factor creates a high, which stimulates the brain’s reward system. The continuation of this behavior can be devastating, including the loss of money, relationships, jobs and can even result in a criminal record. Recent research demonstrates the value and importance of…
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) proposed the twelve-step program for recovering from alcoholism, but it has been used with great success for recovering from many different kinds of addictions. Step two happens earlier in the process for a reason.Step 2: Came to believe a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Belief There are many elements at play here: belief in…
Forgiveness can be one of the most challenging, and rewarding, aspects of recovery. An important part of the recovery process is learning to deal with the residual effects of addiction. This means reflecting on the harm done to yourself and others with a new perspective: less feelings of anger or resentment with more feelings of peace and reconciliation. Step eight of…
Eating disorders are frequently assumed to exclusively belong to women, due to mainstream culture and widely accepted stigmatization. The number of men affected by eating disorders is rapidly growing. Also on the rise is co-occurring eating disorders with substance abuse. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), 50% of persons affected by eating disorders also abuse drugs or alcohol. Reasons…
A report that was recently published by JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that 68 percent of visits to the ER for overdose concerns were caused by prescription pills in the last ten years. This means that pills and medicines being prescribed by doctors to combat pain are actually causing people to become addicted which might result in overdosing more than any other…
A study was conducted by the University of Washington recently to research the drinking patterns in the United States; an endeavor intended to help Government and social organizations address drinking problems with more insight and understanding. There are variations in the pattern between each State, but the study found that heavy drinking has been on the rise since 2005 at an…