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Why Are Drug and Alcohol Withdrawals So Terrible? Very few people have been able to avoid weathering a withdrawal after the long-term use of drugs or alcohol. Some people have had to sit up through long nights and days, unable to sleep, nauseous and dry heaving, crawling to the bathroom with diarrhea, sweating, dealing with heart palpitations, shaking and trembling, and just generally feeling lousy. Why do I do This to Myself Then there are other symptoms like depression, anxiety, headaches, the not eating for days, or snapping at anyone unlucky enough to be around. Probably the only question [...]

The Most Misused Drugs or Substances As of 2012, it’s been estimated nearly 24 million Americans use drugs every month. That’s almost 10 percent of the population of the United States. These studies show that drugs are prevalent in everyone’s lives, regardless of socioeconomic status. The most popular drugs or substances are alcohol, marijuana, prescription medications, over-the-counter substances, and spice or K2. While the most misused drugs or substances may not be surprising, each of these drugs have a big impact on our lives, our communities, and society at large. Alcohol The prevalence of alcohol should come as [...]

Reclaiming Your Life In 2018 Being intentional about a specific plan for self-care is an important step on the path to lifetime recovery. New Year’s Day provides an opportunity for each one of us to look at our personal wellness in a more holistic way. Declaring in advance that 2016 is our year to stay clean and sober is critical. In addition to being free from drug and alcohol addiction, what would reclaiming our health look like on all levels: mental, spiritual, and physical? Reclaiming Your Mental Health The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) [...]

What is Addictive Behavior For a person who doesn’t suffer from addiction, addictive behavior can be hard to understand. Watching someone you care about engage in destructive and unhealthy patterns seemingly without regard to consequences is frightening. Understanding how addiction works can provide a better perspective. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, “Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships and a dysfunctional emotional response.” How Addiction Presents Itself Addiction is often misunderstood. Its exact causes are still vary,although there [...]

How Science has Clarified Addiction and Improved Recovery Strategies The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that at least 23.9 million Americans have tried drugs, and a large number of them developed an addiction to them. The staggering figures of addiction have encouraged researchers to conduct clinical studies and look for evidence-based solutions. What is Addiction Addiction is a brain disease – that is one of the most crucial discoveries science has made to date. At one time, it was believed that people made a choice when it came to chronic substance use. The medical community now has a better [...]

Four Major Roles Nutrition Plays in Recovery Substance misuse often overrides the body’s signals that it needs healthful foods, and people with chemical dependencies often skip eating, or eat foods without real nutritional value. Poor nutrition can leave bodies weakened and immune systems impaired. Recognizing this, many of today’s addiction recovery and healing programs prioritize nutrition and wellness education as key treatment components. To Heal And Restore The Body Irregular habits and poor eating choices are closely associated with drug and alcohol addiction. In extreme cases, addiction causes vitamin deficiencies, illnesses, and organ damage. Healing these problems and restoring health is [...]

The Connection Between Gratitude and Healing Connecting with others – and especially with ourselves – through daily practices of gratitude helps to remind us that we are part of a greater human and spiritual whole. By focusing on what we have rather than on what we lack, gratitude opens our hearts to feelings of compassion, generosity and love; it points us to an understanding of and an appreciation for our unique lives with all their complicated challenges and abundant blessings. Additionally, our health is positively affected with this newfound knowledge; regular work with tools such as a gratitude journal can [...]

Addressing Holiday Anxiety and Depression The stress associated with holiday shopping, traveling and social gatherings can certainly accentuate everyday feelings of concern, worry and nervousness. Reassuring ourselves that there are a number of steps we can take when these negative feelings increase is important to helping us manage the situational sadness associated with this particular season. Despite being surrounded by friends and family who care about us, we may experience an overwhelming sense of loneliness during a time when it seems everywhere we look the rest of the world is having fun. Assuming we are the only ones who feel [...]

How To Survive Your Company’s Holiday Party Sober Individuals in recovery receive many invitations during the holidays that are sources of excitement and happy anticipation. One particular type of invitation, however, has the potential to ignite a great deal of anxiety: the one to your annual holiday work party. The thought of standing around for a couple of hours making small talk with the same group of people you see day in and day out is one thing. When you compound that challenge with the fact that the majority of your co-workers will likely have alcoholic drinks in hand while [...]

Tips For Coping With Holiday Stress Hardly anyone wants to talk about it: that nagging little sense of dread in the back of your mind that began with the first holiday TV commercial way back in early November. No sooner did we polish off the last slice of pumpkin pie nestled in the back of the refrigerator, than we’re waking up at 3 a.m. in a panic over a neglected RSVP, an outfit we forgot to drop at the dry-cleaners or three missing addresses on our sprawling mailing list. We tell ourselves this year will be different. We vow to [...]