Substance Abuse

  • Semi pro football players line up for a play during a scrimmage with an opposing team. (with vignette)

How Athletes are Affected by Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

October 31, 2022|Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Tips|

Adolescents and young adults who play high school and college sports face unique stressors that can leave them vulnerable to developing substance use and mental health disorders. In this interview, Dominique Jones shares ways that parents, coaches and professionals can support young athletes who are struggling or at risk. Dominique is a primary mental health therapist at High Focus Centers in Sandy Springs, Georgia. A Licensed Associate Professional Counselor, she earned her master’s degree from Clayton State University. Which behavioral health issues are most commonly seen in athletes? There are particular stressors that come along with playing a sport and [...]

  • A young man sits across from a therapist. They review his experiences with disordered eating and mental health disorders.

Common Mental Health Disorders that Co-Occur with Eating Disorders

January 4, 2021|Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Treatment|

Some people experience the symptoms of an eating disorder and other mental health disorders at the same time. For example, you might have the lack of energy and sadness common with depression while also severely restricting your food intake. So which mental health disorder should you be diagnosed with - depression or an eating disorder? In many cases, you’ll actually be diagnosed with both. These two conditions are called co-occurring disorders since they happen at the same time. How Common Are Co-Occurring Disorders? Co-occurring mental health and eating disorders are more common than you might think. According to a 2015 [...]

  • A young woman uses her laptop to talk with her therapist as part of a teletherapy substance abuse treatment program.

Teletherapy and Online Substance Abuse Treatment: What You Need to Know

June 24, 2020|Substance Abuse|

Teletherapy combines the use of technology with therapy to deliver treatment through video conferencing and web-based tools. In today’s world, it’s increasingly important to provide accessible, safe, and effective treatment options to patients. For this reason, teletherapy is becoming a more common option for patients seeking addiction treatment. It allows a person to receive effective treatment often without requiring them to leave the comfort of their home. It can be easy to think of teletherapy as only being useful for mental health treatment; however, teletherapy is also just as effective for substance abuse counseling and treatment. If you or someone [...]

  • Man holding hand of spouse receiving mental health treatment

Understanding the Link Between Mental Illness and Substance Use

July 25, 2019|Mental Health, Substance Abuse|

The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) estimates that over half of adults in the United States who experience a substance use disorder have a co-occurring mental illness. Dealing with mental illness isn’t easy, but it’s even more difficult when you have a substance use disorder. Research shows that there is a connection between substance use and mental health disorders. When mental health disorders go untreated, substance abuse issues get worse, and vice versa. To get on the path to recovery, treatment for both disorders is needed. Which Comes First: Mental Illness or Substance Use? In many cases, those suffering [...]

  • Yoga class. Young couple are meditating and doing yoga exercises while sitting in lotus pose on a green grass in open field. Sunny morning. Meditation concept

How Recovery Skills Training Maximizes Substance Use Treatment

July 17, 2019|Substance Abuse|

Substance use treatment at High Focus Centers is comprehensive, involving multiple avenues of help from qualified professionals, from group therapy to psychiatric care. Together, they improve your quality of life. However, success also relies on you doing your part to reach recovery, and your part is to acquire recovery skills that will support your treatment plan and prevent relapse after initial treatment. They may seem minor, but they form the foundation of drug-free life, reducing your risk of returning to unhealthy life choices. What Are Recovery Skills? Essentially, these are tools that aid in achieving and sustaining recovery. Common skills [...]