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Fear can capsize just about anyone’s recovery. In this sense, what Franklin D. Roosevelt once famously said about fear also holds true for anyone in the grip of addiction: “the
Every July 4, Americans celebrate their national freedom and independence. Recovery is about celebrating freedom and independence, too—only in this case, it’s freedom from drugs and alcohol, and the celebration
Someone once quipped that, “80 percent of success is just showing up.” The same thing could be said about this month’s theme of “mindfulness.” So much of what it means
What ultimately drives drug or alcohol addiction? In the 1970’s, scientists at Simon Fraser University set out to answer that question, by carrying out a series of “Rat Park” experiments.
Addiction is not so much defined by an addictive substance, such as drugs or alcohol, as it is by a pattern of behavior in relation to that substance. When we
Coping with workplace addiction triggers can be a big concern for those in recovery. One classic example is the question of how to navigate work happy hour when you’re sober.
There is a very clear link between work stress and anger—especially among men, who are much more likely than women to turn to alcohol when they are feeling angry. When
If recovery were a desert island, and you knew a) you’d be stranded there for a very long time and b) could only bring one thing … what would you
Every year 40 pre-selected runners from around the world take part in an insanely grueling 100-mile trail run through the mountains of Tennessee. The so-called Barkley Marathon, which was humorously
Let’s face it: stress happens. Whether it’s chronic (a rough daily commute) or acute (like a sudden serious accident), stress is a real physiological phenomenon, wears many faces, and can
Expanding Americans’ access to substance abuse treatment is only one piece of addressing addiction as a public health issue. Another very important piece is persuading those who have been able
Heavy, chronic drinking damages regions in the brain that govern and modulate our emotional responses. A large body of research has catalogued these emotional effects of alcoholism. For example: Brain
Anger and alcoholism often go hand in hand. On the one hand, problem drinking can begin as a mechanism (however poor) for coping with feelings of anger. On the other
Alcohol is ubiquitous: you can find it just about anywhere, and it’s the only drug that’s not just widely socially accepted but often heavily encouraged. Over half of all Americans
This month’s theme is overcoming addiction … but what does winning in recovery look like? That’s the focus of my next couple blogs, each of which will examine a different
Someone once said, “When the pain of your pain is greater than the pain of actually changing, then you change.” The same might be said about taking responsibility for your
Winning the battle against addiction is this month’s theme, and so far we’ve looked at two dimensions of what it means to be victorious over drugs and alcohol: first, the
Research has confirmed that connection to a Higher Power is associated with better recovery outcomes for clients in treatment. But connecting to a Higher Power isn’t always an intuitive process
“Logotherapy” is a school of psychotherapy that takes its inspiration from psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor Frankl’s (1905-1997) concept, “will to meaning.” Frankl, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, came
Just about anyone in recovery knows that relapse can deal a blow to your self-confidence. Studies have also shown there is a strong link between poor self-confidence and addiction and
If you need proof that sticking with a plan of recovery is a big achievement, here it is: just eight percent of the nearly half of all Americans who usually
“All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal or fattening,” the 20th century American critic and writer for The New Yorker, Alexander Woollcott, once joked. He
“Clean, as clean as I’ll be” croons the singer Martin Gore in the 1990 Depeche Mode hit — and the sentiment can resonate for those fresh out of rehab for
This month’s theme is about “dual diagnosis,” meaning another mental illness that coexists with a substance use disorder (SUD). The term reportedly describes roughly half of all people in recovery
This month we’ve been looking at important milestones in recovery: sober anniversaries (and finding opportunities to celebrate them) were one; gratitude (and practical ways to cultivate it) were another; and
A sense of connection and connectedness to others helps to heal addiction. That’s a mantra that grounds so much of the therapeutic work we do here at Beach House Center
For a great number of Americans with opiate and/or heroin addictions, the story of how they ended up hooked on painkillers begins with what was originally a legitimate medical need
In the spirit of “National Recovery Month,” an annual celebration of recovery that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) hosts every September, I’ve been devoting each blog
Substance abuse is heavily related to stress. That’s a common theme among research findings into the public health dimensions of drug and alcohol addiction in America. It’s also a trend
In the spirit of this month’s theme of celebrating recovery, I’ll be featuring four key milestones in recovery that are worth striving for and commemorating in fun, special ways. Broadly
No discussion of addiction as a national public health issue would be complete without addressing the problem of stigma and stigmatization related to substance abuse. Stigma refers to the negative
Recovery from a drug or alcohol addiction often requires addressing the powerful dynamic of shame. But you also can’t really address shame without first understanding where it comes from. That
Healthy and supportive family relationships are a critical component of substance abuse recovery — but these don’t magically or immediately materialize upon completion of drug or alcohol treatment. Substance abuse can
If the disease of alcoholism is blind to gender, the health risks and treatment and recovery outcomes for alcohol scream, “You’re a woman! Watch out!” That makes recent news
Whether you’re a high-functioning alcoholic on the fence about getting treatment or in recovery and feeling tempted to drink, here’s something you urgently need to know: the disease of alcoholism
Jami DeLoe once thought her biggest problem was drinking. That was before a diagnosis of “post-traumatic stress disorder,” or PTSD, which is the name given to a constellation of mental
