Continuing Care | 3rd Phase of Addiction Treatment
Continuing Care | 3rd phase of addiction treatment – what is meant by this? Doesn’t completing a rehab program or involvement with a 12-step program fix it? First to the Issue of Continuing Care | the 3rd Phase of Addiction Treatment Because addiction – whether it’s an addiction to illegal or prescription drugs or to…
Read MoreWhat Else Can I Do To Help Her?
I received the following and was asked to post it on this blog. A young woman, 29, mother of 2, recovering crack addict, sober for 4 years is crushed by the effect drugs had on her, her 2 kids, 5 and 7, and her life. She works as a hair cutter in a discount salon…
Read MoreUnderstanding What Happens to the Family of an Alcoholic | Addict
For a better understanding of what happens to the family of an alcoholic or drug addict when their loved one enters treatment, please consider watching this interview on the subject, downloaded in two parts – each 15 minutes long. What Happens to the Family of an Alcoholic/Addict The following two-part interview was conducted by Gabrielle…
Read MoreWhen Adults Send Mixed Messages About Drinking
When adults send mixed messages about drinking, it can result in unintended outcomes for teens. Here are some messages from adults that I’ve repeatedly heard regarding underage drinking, followed by the way teens often interpret the message, and in some cases, followed by a second thought for the adult. Adult: If you’re going to drink,…
Read MoreParental Drinking | Children – They’re Watching…
Parental drinking – take note – your children are watching… Parental Drinking – What’s the Big Deal? I was on a neighborhood walk the other day and rounded the corner to see a dad and his two children approaching. One was still in a backpack, and the other was on one of those bicycle-type, 3-wheelers…
Read MoreEnjoying the Holidays With a Loved One Who Drinks Too Much
Holidays with a loved one who drinks too much? Are you prepared? There is an expression in 12-step program circles: “Expectations Are Resentments Under Construction.” And for the families of a loved one who drinks too much, holidays can be fertile resentment building grounds as family members, fraught with angst, worry about what’s going to…
Read MoreVeterans, Suicide and the Substance Abuse Connection
Veterans, Suicide and the Substance Abuse Connection. It’s real, and it’s rooted in the brain changes caused by the mental health impacts of war – anxiety, depression, PTSD, for example. These impacts often cause a veteran (and any person with a mental illness, for that matter) to turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate the…
Read MoreSecrecy and Shame Surrounding Addiction Keep Us Stuck
In my opinion, the secrecy and shame surrounding addiction – now understood to be a chronic, often relapsing brain disease – are what keeps us stuck in the old ways of treating, intervening and preventing substance abuse and addiction. The Historical Reasons When Robert Smith and Bill Wilson (Dr. Bob and Bill W.) co-founded Alcoholics…
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