You, or a family member, may be among the millions of people with “dual diagnosis”—simultaneous substance-abuse problems and mental illness. People with post-traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, anxiety disorders, or schizophrenia are particularly vulnerable to falling into addiction via the attempted-self-medication route. What do treatment professionals and mental-health experts say that can help dual-diagnosis patients […]
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Over a third of substance addicts are estimated to also have some level of mental illness, according to 2014 statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The commonality of mental illness and substance abuse gives those concerned about addiction more of a reason to bring awareness […]
As noted last week’s blog on mental illness and substance abuse, many people with substance abuse and mental health greatly impact each other. This runs the spectrum from mild but chronic depression to complete lack of capacity for comprehending reality. Proper understanding and treatment of mental illness may keep many from turning to addictive substances […]
As Memorial Day weekend begins, let’s all who fight the war against substance abuse and remember how far we’ve come. Remember the Fallen Sadly, we can’t pretend that everyone wins the personal war against substance abuse. In 2014, more than 28,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses, and over 75,000 from alcoholism-related issues (not counting the […]
The better your focus on the task at hand, the less space will be left in your mind for stress—and the more productive you’ll be. The ideal is a “flow” state of consciousness, keeping your mind in the moment, where you become completely absorbed in your work and are fully enjoying it. Sound impossible? To […]
Mental health challenges can make an addiction problem worse. In some cases, they can cause one. In others, a drug can bring an underlying disorder to the forefront. What do you need to know about treating co-occurring disorders? Understanding the Breadth of the Co-Occurring Disorders Spectrum When dealing with addiction and mental health issues at […]
Strictly speaking, stress “drives” no one to drink—the actual decision is the drinker’s alone. Practically speaking, there’s no question that chronically stressed people are the highest-risk group for becoming addicted and stress management is essential to recovery. If they don’t start using to escape the stress itself, they may become addicted to medications prescribed for […]
One of the most significant problems in the world of addiction treatment is getting people to begin a rehab program. Each year, countless people don’t get the help they need. All too often, this happens because prospective clients and their families are worried about the expense. Paying for rehab can seem complicated, but there are […]
Step Eight of the 12 Steps: We made a list of all persons we had wronged, and became willing to make amends to them all. Step Eight of the 12 Steps is the first major move toward returning to the “real world” with changed behavior to match your changed attitude. In a way, this step is counterintuitive. If the […]
Step Nine of the 12 Steps : We made direct amends to such persons [“all persons we had wronged,” Step Eight] whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. For many 12-Steppers, the subordinate clause in Step Nine of the 12 Steps (“except when …”) seems a welcome excuse for avoiding […]
Step 10 of the 12 Steps: We continued to take personal inventory, and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. Like it or not, recovery from addiction isn’t something you can do once and cross off your bucket list. We all get hungry again after eating, tired again after sleeping, dirty again after showering, flabby […]
Step 11 of the 12 Steps: We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry it out. As you begin Step 11 of the 12 Steps, you may recall that our post on Step Two […]