How Athletes are Affected by Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
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 [...]
Are LGBTQ+ Individuals More Prone to Substance Use?
Social stigmas, discrimination and harrassment put LGBTQ+ people at a greater risk of addiction and other mental health issues than heterosexual and cisgender individuals.
How to Spot A Heroin Addiction in Your Loved One
You can spot heroin use in your loved one by the presence of needle marks, financial issues, secretive behavior, symptoms of withdrawal and more.
Here’s Why You Need Social Support in Addiction Recovery
Your intro to peer groups that encourage social support in addiction recovery, like Alcoholics Anonymous, SMART Recovery, SOS and more.
The Meaning of Co-Occurring Disorders
Learn about co-occurring disorders meaning, and the effect that mental illness and substance abuse can have on an individual.
How Journaling can Enhance Your Addiction Recovery Program
Journaling is a powerful tool you can use to work through confusing or convoluted thoughts and feelings. Journaling gives you a chance to externally process without needing to sound eloquent, well thought out or even polite. It’s a free, safe space to say what you need to say, when and how you need to say it. Why journaling? In addition to being an effective method of processing what’s going on in your life, mind, heart, etc., journaling serves as a kind of documentary. It might tell the story of your battle with addiction, from where it began to where it [...]
Teletherapy and Online Substance Abuse Treatment: What You Need to Know
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 [...]
Being a Family Support System for Your Loved One in Recovery
Recovering from addiction is hard for everyone — it's exhausting mentally and physically for the one actually undergoing treatment, but it's also challenging for the family and friends to sit by and watch. Often, we want to help our loved ones when they're struggling, but when it comes to addiction recovery, you may be stuck wondering how exactly are you supposed to help. True recovery requires guidance from professional therapists — a title most of us don't hold. What many don't realize is that family and friends have the chance to play a significant role in their loved one's recovery. [...]
What is the Relationship Between Mental Illness and Substance Use
Whether you have experienced it in your own life, or have witnessed it happen in the life of a loved one, you may have noticed that some people who battle a mental illness of some kind also struggle with substance abuse; or vice versa – someone diagnosed with substance abuse struggles with some form of a mental health disorder. While not everyone will be affected by it, individuals who battle substance abuse or a mental illness are occasionally diagnosed with what is called either a co-occurring disorder or a dual diagnosis. This is often a result of the way [...]
Life Skills You’ll Learn in Addiction Recovery
Going through substance abuse treatment and addiction recovery programs is more than just finding freedom from substances – it is a way in which you can completely turn your life around, reject the old lifestyle you once pursued and build recovery skills. These life skills are a key component to any recovery program as they provide you with the tools you need to get back into the world with a newfound strength, healthy goals and coping mechanisms that will sustain recovery for the long run. What are recovery skills? Recovery skills are introduced in substance abuse treatment as tools [...]
The Unique Risk Factors of Substance Use in Women
A quick review of substance use statistics clearly reveals an unexpected trend: in many cases, women are more prone to substance use than men. There are many reasons for this, but it illuminates the urgency of seeking treatment for women dealing with these struggles. While there are certain similarities between the risk factors that predispose men and women to developing a substance use disorder, there are unique factors that may cause women to struggle with addiction more. In order to get the help you need, or provide assistance for a struggling family member or friend, it is beneficial to know [...]
What Is A Co-Occurring Disorder?
Overcoming a substance use disorder or mental illness is challenging – overcoming both at the same time is an even more difficult feat. Difficult, but not impossible. Some people seeking treatment for a substance use disorder (SUD) or mental illness are often diagnosed with a co-occurring disease, an SUD and a mental health condition like depression, anxiety or PTSD. While these diagnoses present unique challenges in recovery, the right treatment program can help you manage both sets of symptoms and recover from both disorders simultaneously. Examples of co-occurring disorders Co-occurring disorders, sometimes known as dual diagnosis, co-occur, sometimes as a direct [...]