How to Identify Signs of Drug Use in Young Adults
College is a wildly important time in your development as a person. You're now responsible for your own schedule, you have to ensure you're getting three meals a day and no one but yourself is keeping you accountable to a healthy routine of sleeping, eating and exercising. So much responsibility for a young adult, however, can be truly overwhelming, not to mention the addition of the ever-constant pressure of one's peers. In an environment that usually has less structure than one's home, college can lead to unhealthy choices as a result of unhealthy routines, peers and an overabundance of freedom. [...]
How to Help a Coworker Struggling with Substance Abuse
Addiction is a topic that comes with many different stereotypes and taboos, including expectations of what someone abusing substances is most likely to look like. But the truth is, anyone – regardless of race, gender or career – can become a victim of substance abuse. While there are specific careers that are more susceptible to abuse, even coworkers in your corporate office building may struggle with substances. While it is not your responsibility to fix them, you can be better equipped to help them by knowing the signs of substance abuse. What careers are susceptible to substance abuse? There are [...]
6 Ways To Avoid Relapse Post-Detox
When you are fighting addiction, seeking recovery is one of the bravest, possibly most life-changing decisions you can make. Not only are you rejecting an unhealthy lifestyle, you are opening yourself up to help and healing in a beautiful way. But anyone who has struggled through recovery before will tell you the same thing – it is not easy. Once you have successfully gone through detox, the process of rewiring your brain and habits begins. In order to avoid relapse and maintain sobriety, it is important to put certain practices in place in your life once you have finished detox. [...]
What to Do If You’re Concerned About a Friend Using Substances
Our friendships can add immense value to our lives. Sometimes, though, we find ourselves concerned about a friend and his or her well-being. If you have a loved one who you suspect may have developed a problem with drug or alcohol use, it can be difficult to know what to do and how to go about it. The good news is that your friend already has an advantage in recovery, and that's you. Social support can be critical in mitigating the issues that arise with a substance use disorder, and intervention from loved ones could be the thing that tips [...]
What Is MAT and How Does It Work?
There are many different types of programs for individuals struggling with substance use disorders, and many different viewpoints on what treatment approaches provide the best chance of finding long term recovery from addiction. In fact, one of the biggest challenges you may face (apart from conquering the addiction itself) is deciding which program is the best fit for your needs. While the answer may be different for everyone, recent research and best practices in the treatment field point to the use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) that specifically targets opioid dependency. MAT has been shown to help individuals manage withdrawal symptoms [...]
The Best Sober Activities to Maintain Recovery
Once you choose to maintain sobriety, it becomes important to seek out activities that don't involve alcohol. Especially in the early stages of recovery, it is important to avoid certain people, places and events in order to prevent relapse and keep triggers at bay. Depending on your lifestyle, sober activities may not be things you are very familiar with, or you may struggle to find creative ways of planning a good time without the consumption of alcohol. That's okay! Don't be hard on yourself if you find yourself stuck in this rut – transitioning to a whole new lifestyle [...]
What to Expect When Detoxing From Painkillers
For many, the topic of detox is frightening. Those who have struggled, or do struggle, with addiction, are most likely aware of the unpleasant withdrawal effects the brain and body undergo when they don't take more of a substance before the prior dose begins to wear off. Withdrawal signs manifest as the body adjusts to the lack of chemicals it previously learned to rely on. As those levels change in the body, the body adjusts and withdrawal signs present themselves. This is why the process of detoxing from painkiller medication can be so unpleasant; but with the right detox [...]
A Closer Look at Carfentanil
Street drugs are, unfortunately, a continuous problem in the US. Because so many of them are often crafted in illegal laboratories, they are not only unregulated but are highly dangerous. One batch of a drug may be much stronger than another batch of the same drug, or, the substance may be mixed with something else – something as harmless as baking flour or more potent like cocaine – to increase the amount of a certain batch. Ultimately, there is no consistency in what street drugs include. This is not only risky, it is highly life-threatening due to the potential presence [...]
Earning Back Trust from Loved Ones During Recovery
During active addiction, most people using drugs or alcohol are not fully aware of their actions and rarely have the ability to see the impact their actions are having on the people around them. Addiction is a highly self-focused disease, meaning it does not make room for the considerations of loved ones. The result? Friends and family members may struggle with trust, become resentful or withdraw from a relationship with the one battling addiction. The impact of addiction on relationships Because people struggling with substance use are not in a healthy mental state – certain drugs even directly impact [...]
How to Speak to Your Loved Ones About Addiction
Admitting that you are struggling with an addiction is one of the hardest things a person may need to do in their life. Not only is the topic of addiction one of many negative connotations, but it is also often emotional, confusing and downright hard. Admitting to yourself that you're struggling is hard enough — admitting to a loved one what is going on may prove to be even more difficult. But talking to a loved one — be it a sibling, parent, friend or significant other — can make a huge, positive difference in your recovery process. For this [...]
Why Knowing Your Triggers is Crucial to Recovery
Recovery is an especially vulnerable time in the life of someone overcoming an addiction. Not only is it hard to reset the lifestyle you spent so much time living in, but it's also difficult giving your brain the time and space it needs to rewire itself after the influence of substance abuse. Throughout recovery, you learn about triggers, what they are and how they can compromise your recovery. Many people relapse during the first few months – not because they don't desire recovery – but because triggers are so much more daunting when you're actively working to avoid them. Knowing [...]
Maintaining Sobriety While Making the Most of Your Summer
The summer months offer plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities, time to catch up with friends and the joys of summer vacation. If you are newly sober, however, these activities can sound more stress-inducing than relaxing. After all, how are you supposed to have fun if you can't even have a drink? The answer is, actually, a lot of ways! By taking the time to be creative and explorative, you'll be able to make the most of your summer without ever needing a drink to enhance the time. Fun sober activities Taking the time to look around your local [...]