You’ve decided that it’s time to get your life back, and you’re ready to enter treatment for alcohol or substance abuse. Like most people, you probably find yourself wondering, “What is rehab like?” It’s normal to be a little apprehensive when you’re trying something new. Even if you’ve been in drug and alcohol rehab before,…
Addiction is a challenging disease to identify in others. While many may think it’s easy to see when someone is struggling with a substance use disorder (an addiction to drugs or alcohol), the reality is often very different. Individuals can become inadvertently addicted, as in the case of many prescription drug addictions. Often the individual…
If your loved one is using drugs, you know that they’re putting their life in danger. It can be hard to step back and watch as someone you care about moves through a downward spiral. One of the most important things that you can do for their health is to be on the lookout for…
Alcohol affects the body and mind in many ways. One of the most confusing aspects for many when they consider the negative effects of alcohol is its categorization as a depressant. Many people struggle to understand this because they conflate the term with the mental health condition. Simply put, alcohol depresses or relaxes certain physical…
Meth is an intense drug that can severely impact the user’s life. Because of the complex chemical makeup of the drug, it doesn’t take many uses of meth to cross over into full-blown addiction. Recognizing the signs of addiction is vital in finding the right support for friends or loved ones who may be struggling…
Physical dependence, or addiction, happens when an individual needs one or more drugs to function in everyday life. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) used to differentiate between abuse and dependence. Experts considered abuse to be the early phase of drug use that led to physical dependence. Many people view dependency as a more severe problem…
Adderall and Ritalin are both stimulants commonly used in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other mental health conditions that hamper focus. While both medications have proven to be very effective in helping individuals with ADHD and anxiety disorders, they have been misused and abuse by those who don’t require the medication. Repeated use…
Pick a psychological condition that gets treated like an everyday problem, and you are bound to come up with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). People claim they have OCD if they like their clothing folded a certain way, don’t like their foods to touch on a plate, and many other everyday reasons. But the exact psychological condition…
Over the last few decades, certain mental health issues have become more prominent in the public’s consciousness. More people are aware of these conditions or are themselves diagnosed with them. Medical professionals now know that depressive and anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concerns facing people. These disorders affect millions every year, but…
The first year of recovery and life after addiction can be hard to manage. There are triggers everywhere, and applying the skills you learned during your time in rehab isn’t always that easy. It’s possible to discover a void from a past life. Whether the void is low self-esteem, avoiding bad feelings, or past experiences,…