Posts Tagged ‘substance use disorder’
Does a Loved One Have to Hit Bottom?
Does a loved one have to “hit bottom” before they can successfully treat their alcoholism or other drug addiction? The short answer, “NO!” But before I continue, please know language to describe alcoholism or drug addiction has changed greatly in recent years, falling under the umbrella term, “substance use disorder.” Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are…
Read MoreWhat To Do When Your Loved One is in Treatment
Your loved one has finally decided (or was left with no other option than) to seek treatment for their alcohol or other drug use disorder. You’ve long wanted and fought hard for this. But instead of feeling confident that all will be well, you feel a tumult of emotions. And perhaps the voice screaming loudest…
Read MoreGetting Sober While Also Grieving
It’s difficult to imagine trying to get sober from substance use disorder while also grieving the loss of a beloved parent. Grief, in and of itself, can be overwhelming and difficult to move through. But to also be treating a sever substance order at the same — having to turn away from the “thing” that…
Read MoreThe Words We Use Matter – Substance Use Disorder | Mental Health Disorder | Recovery
We all can agree that the words we use matter – regardless the subject – they matter. But as a person who has been working for over 15 years to use current scientific research to shatter the stigma, misinformation and shame that surrounds substance use disorders and mental health disorders (until recently, more commonly known…
Read MoreAbout the Terms Alcohol Abuse | Alcoholism | Alcohol Use Disorder
Confusion about the terms alcohol abuse | alcoholism | alcohol use disorder often gets in the way of a person seeking the help they need or causes family members, friends, co-workers, and society-at-large to excuse, rationalize, deny, blame and/or shame that person in their misguided attempts to avoid labeling them an alcoholic or alcohol abuser.…
Read More7 Things to Know When Looking for Addiction Treatment
Are you looking for addiction treatment for a loved one or friend? You’re not alone. Every week I receive calls and emails from family members and friends trying to find treatment for their loved one’s addiction,* aka substance use disorder. These kinds of phone calls and emails are heartbreaking. Their panic, anger, fear, frustration, sadness, desperation and anguish…
Read MoreTough Love – Harmful or Helpful?
Tough love – does it hurt or help a person with an addiction to alcohol or other drugs, aka substance use disorder (SUD), get the help they need? I regularly get some form of this question – generally because there’s so much confusion about what it means. Unfortunately, there is no single definition of tough…
Read MoreLike Bipolar, Like Alcoholism – Guest Author Regina Eversole
Like Bipolar, Like Alcoholism – both wreck havoc in people’s lives – the person with the disorder and those who love them. Why? Generally because of the stigma and shame as a consequence of the belief that people develop these diseases due to a lack of willpower and continue in their diseases because they don’t care…
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