Real people sharing real stories about their experience with substance abuse and mental health.
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.
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How Depression is Diagnosed and Treated Depression is a devastating type of mental illness that affects millions of people. It makes it difficult to think, to focus, to function, to meet responsibilities and to enjoy life. It is essential to understand and be aware of the signs and symptoms of this illness in order to…
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Anxiety Disorders and Addiction Treatment Anxiety is a normal human response to stressful situations, or to the anticipation of stress. But when anxiety becomes disconnected from triggers and begins to manifest randomly, or at intensity levels out of proportion to any conceivable threat, it could mean that an anxiety disorder has developed. The unpredictability and…
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Why do people relapse after leaving treatment?
Throughout my years as a substance use disorder recovery activist and interventionist, I’ve helped scores of people enter treatment. And while these folks flourished in a highly-structured setting,
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By: Jonathan Rios M.S. LMHC, Licensed Psychotherapist
We’ve all been victimized. This is a popular notion these days and it makes total sense. When we identify as an oppressed person who has undergone a tragedy or hardship it will often brin
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When an NFL player retires from the game, the injuries and trauma sustained throughout their career are carried with them for the rest of their lives. Long after the cleats get hung up and the sound of cheering fades away, the physical and emotional
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Sitting in a prison cell, I could use my time becoming bitter over the cards I was dealt. Or I could choose to become a better person. Having surrendered my life and will over to God, I decided to invest in learning how to be the man God intended me
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By LYLE R. FRIED, CAP, ICADC, CHC
Cross addiction and co-addiction both complicate recovery from substance abuse disorder because they involve multiple addictions.
In this article, we’ll take a close look at the definition of cross addiction
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I was raised in Tyler, Texas—formally known as the Rose Capital of the U.S. But to anyone who lived there, it was football country. It was the land of pick-up trucks, church on Sunday, and Friday Night Lights.
I wasn’t the only NFL player to c
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A few months ago, I got the pleasure of being in my sister’s wedding. Before we got to her big day, all the bridesmaids got together and threw her a bride-to-be party. The party started with high energy, and one of the bridesmaids poured shots for
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