The Underdiagnosis of Substance Use Disorders in Young People
The Underdiagnosis of Substance Use Disorders in Young People What are Substance Use Disorders? Most of us are familiar with the term “substance abuse,” or “addiction,” to refer to someone who has ...
How can Substance Abuse Lead to Relationship Problems?
How can Substance Abuse Lead to Relationship Problems? Are drugs coming between you and your loved one? How did this happen and what does it mean? Maybe you knew he or she was an occasional recrea ...
Addiction Recovery: 5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success
Addiction Recovery: 5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success All the willpower in the world will do little for you when it comes to addiction recovery. Addiction is a disease that is causing you to crav ...
Drugs Don’t Love You: 5 Signs It’s Time to Break Away
Drugs Don’t Love You: 5 Signs It’s Time to Break Away “Oh, I could quit any time, if I wanted to. I just don’t want to.” How many times have you heard this from a friend or loved one with a drug prob ...
Planning for the Firsts: Holiday Season
There are many firsts in recovery. There is the first sporting event without alcohol. There is the first date without alcohol. There is the first holiday season without using. Facing a social situatio ...
11 Interpersonal Skills to Take Control of an Addiction
Overcoming an addiction is largely learning how to control the behavior itself. However further recovery consists of changing ineffective interpersonal patterns. This list addresses these commonly ove ...
The Power of the Group
One of the biggest mistakes people make early on in their recovery is underestimating the power of the group. Our culture is one that values personal independence and free will. This often leads us to ...
Not Everything in Moderation
A more modern and controversial viewpoint on substance abuse and addiction is moderation management. As a therapist and counselor, I have been asked about my viewpoint on this very topic. I hope this ...
Rising Above Addiction as a Label
Knowing whether or not you are addicted to a particular behavior is not always easy to identify. Part of the problem with this lies in the vagueness of how addiction can be defined. This is one of the ...