Warning Signs of Opiate Addiction

Opiate addictions may once have been centered in opium dens of the nineteenth century and among heroin addicts in the 1970’s. Modern opiate addictions are broader and more insidious, as they affect every social strata and demographic group in virtually every part of the United States. If your physician gave you a prescription for an

Moving Forward Through Overcoming Your Fears

Early in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, the character Lucio tries to convince Isabella, a shy woman, to move forward with a plan by arguing that “[o]ur doubts are traitors/and make us lose the good we oft might win/by fearing to attempt.” We can take this as proof that, even in Shakespeare’s time, people were reluctant

Why You Need to Quit Smoking

Smoking has detrimental consequences to both the physical and emotional wellbeing of people who are addicted. Family, friends and loved ones are also affected by an individual’s addiction to nicotine, including children. Quitting smoking may seem easy but, in fact, is one of the hardest habits to break. Here is why a person should consider

Three Steps to Relapse

After recovering from a serious drug addiction, the last thing you want to do is consider going through that ordeal again. Once you’re done, you want to be done with that forever, right? Unfortunately, the nature of addiction is complex and frustrating and you will have to fight off temptations and relapse triggers for some

How to Choose a Treatment Plan that’s Right for You

Each of us are different and, when it comes to treating addiction, everyone has a unique set of needs and circumstances that must be taken into account when deciding on a treatment plan.  Addiction is a dependency the brain has formed on a particular substance or behavior. For things like opiate addiction, which is a

Keep Calm and Kick the Habit

The popular Internet and T-Shirt meme has a catchy and shareable nature to it; Keep Calm and…  The phrase is usually followed up with some activity but the central idea of this viral idea is that only when you take a breath and calm your agitated nerves can you truly enjoy what you’re doing, whatever

The Lifetime Value of Discipline

Recovering from an addiction is a process of mental strength, willpower, and treatment. But above all things, the core of recovery is an artform that has gone out of fashion in the modern consumer culture; Discipline.   Many people look at discipline as restrictive rules and dogmatic practices that limit your options as an individual.

You’re Responsible for Your Own Happiness

We hear in recovery counseling a lot about people who turn to substance use in a search for joy or pleasure in an otherwise miserable or unhappy life. As understandable and universal as the desire for happiness is to all of us, it’s well understood that the fleeting rush afforded by drugs and alcohol are

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Addiction Recovery

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is intended to prevent relapse to drug addiction while in recovery. The therapeutic technique has been in use for many years and focuses on exploring, learning, analyzing, and understanding the psychology and behavioral patterns of oneself. Its aim is to help a recovering addict find new perspective on his own

Is Social Media the 13th Step?

Human beings, like many other animals, exhibit a tendency to emulate each other’s behavior. The more individuals behave in a particular way, the more powerful the tendency becomes. To a degree, we become like those we spend the most time with. This is called “herd mentality”. It is a phrase that describes how we are