Blogs

Real people sharing real stories about their experience with substance abuse and mental health.

The Insanity of a Family Disease

During my twenty-five year career in substance abuse treatment, I’ve frequently heard family members (and clients) insist that "Alcohol isn't his/her/my problem - drugs are!" and "Alcoholism isn't his/her/my problem - addiction is!" as if the same principles of recovery from chemical dependency don't apply to any dysfunctional situation where alcohol either isn't present or isn't present enough to be identified as the primary drug-of-choice.

Symptoms & Signs of Schizophrenia

The only way to manage this illness is to identify it, diagnose it, and undergo professional and ongoing treatment. Schizophrenia affects millions of people in the U.S…

Dangers of Synthetic Marijuana

Fake pot is easy to find both online and from gas stations and convenience stores. No prescription is necessary as many brand

Long-Term Effects of Alcohol Abuse

People who abuse alcohol consume enough beer, wine or hard liquor to change their normal behaviors in damaging ways. Just as

Blackouts and Alcohol Poisoning

As the mother of a 26-year-old son, who’s spent a good part of his teenage and young adult life partying until the sun co

How Does Alcohol Affect the Nervous System?

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that over 85 percent of people of legal drinking age have consumed alcoho

Process Addiction

Process Addiction – Overview Process addictions can take many different forms, but all occur when a person becomes addicted to a rewarding behavior that doesn’t involve an addictive substance. Compulsive sex, gambling, or binge eating are all examples of a process addiction. Sometimes referred to as compulsive or behavioral addictions, process addictions drive a person…

Co-Occuring/Dual Diagnosis

Co-Occuring/Dual Diagnosis While evaluating people for substance abuse issues, addiction specialists may detect psychological, emotional, or behavioral symptoms that do not fir the substance abuse profile. When this happens, they are likely referred to a mental health expert who is trained to diagnose mental health conditions. Should the person be diagnosed with a mood, anxiety,…

PTSD

At Transformations Treatment Centers, we understand the profound impact that trauma can have on an individual’s life. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that can develop after experiencing a traumatic event, causing intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to the experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended. Individuals such as veterans…

Grief

Grief and Addiction Losing a loved one is traumatic, and it is something that takes time to get over. When grief sets in that is to be expected, and recovery is likely to occur gradually and in stages. Unfortunately, in some instances the recovery process may stall. Six months to a year later, the sense…