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Drug and Substance Abuse Articles
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- Addiction and Recovery: The Cross Addiction Worksheet - by Submitted on Feb 13, 2010 from Peggy FergusonMany recovering people who begin the process of becoming clean and sober, harbor the notion that they can continue to hang on to some remnants of an old drinking/using lifestyle. They often initially believe that specific drugs are The Problem. Initially alcoholics/addicts may not consider use ...
Views: 13248(4 votes) - Bipolar Disorder, Manic Depression: Understanding the Disease - by Submitted on Feb 11, 2010 from James HendrixWhat is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar is a disease state where the client moves back and forth from depression to mania. Depression is characterized by loss of interest in things that they used to find pleasure in, loss or gain of appetite, typically not wanting to get out of bed for prolonged ...
Views: 2697(6 votes) - Heartbreak - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2010 from Margaret PaulCeline, an only child, was 7 years old, her mother died tragically in a car accident. She and her father were devastated. However, unlike so many of my clients who lost parents and no one was there for them, Celine's father was completely there for her, even while dealing with his own grief and ...
Views: 5292(4 votes) - Why Home Drug Testing Can Help Solve the Prescription Drug Abuse Problem - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2009 from Anne HamiltonPrescription drug abuse is extremely common in the Unites States with a large number of younger school children resorting to such medicines to obtain their highs. It is the second most commonly abused category of drugs after marijuana as estimated by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. ...
Views: 1558(2 votes) - Family Dynamics of Addiction Exposed: Identifying The "Real Problem" and What To Do About It - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2009 from Peggy FergusonMany non-addicted spouses complain about how their addicted significant other is driving them crazy, making them depressed, or leading them toward suicide or homicide. These comments only illustrate the destructive nature of the family dynamics of addiction. The addicted and non-addicted ...
Views: 2984(3 votes) - One More Essential Tool For Preventing Relapse in Early Addiction Recovery - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2009 from Peggy FergusonMost non-addicted people have routines and organizing structures in their lives that help provide stability. An addict's lifestyle is often one of chaotic instability and disorganization. A general lack of structure and routine contributes to this disorganization and chaos. An addicted ...
Views: 3090(4 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Do You Need Detox After Relapse? - by Submitted on Nov 07, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWhile most people realize that relapse is a common experience for addicts in recovery, they often do not know how to get back on track after relapsing on alcohol or other mood altering drugs. Although relapse is commonplace, it is predictable, and thus preventable. For many recovering ...
Views: 6120(3 votes) - Siblings - The Forgotten Ones - How Siblings Get Hurt - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2010 from Judy HerzanekThe Parable of the Prodigal Son While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with compassion the father ran to the son, threw his arms around him and said, "Welcome home." His son had come to his senses. "Let's have a party!" His brother refused to come ...
Views: 2630(5 votes) - Tips to Stop Enabling - by Submitted on Oct 12, 2009 from Beverley GlazerThere are very fuzzy boundaries between helping and enabling. If you’re enabling, you think that you’re helping, but what you’re doing is anything but helpful. Here's some information so that you don't confuse the two. Helping When you help someone you are doing something that they cannot ...
Views: 15356(4 votes) - Don't Eat Crap and Die (The Sobering Facts about Street Drugs) - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2009 from June Werdlow RogersIf you looked at a product label and it included ingredients like feces, or poison would you readily ingest it? Well, if you decide to use illegal drugs like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine or even marijuana some nasty and toxic stuff can get into your body. Unlike the FDA approved products ...
Views: 3248 - Addiction and Recovery: The Emotional Highs and Lows of Early Recovery - by Submitted on Sep 21, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWhen someone makes a decision to get the help that they need to quit drinking and using other drugs, everything begins to change. As an addict’s body begins to detox and as she is consciously trying to interrupt the momentum of addicted use of a chemical (including alcohol), she goes through ...
Views: 4482(2 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: How to Catapult Your Recovery to the Next Level by Using A Problems Checklist to Drive Skill Developmen - by Submitted on Sep 20, 2009 from Peggy FergusonEarly recovery is a time of self-assessment and problem identification. You have to know what is not working in order to begin to fix it. One of the first tasks, right after learning basic craving management techniques is spending the time and energy to identify the roles that chemicals have ...
Views: 2316(1 vote) - Sex, Drugs, CNN & You - A Blueprint to Eliminate World Poverty - by Submitted on Sep 20, 2009 from Danish AhmedHi there everyone!! You've heard of living in the moment and the Power of Now, right? Does it make sense to live life that way 100% of the time? It actually wouldn't work. There are times when we want to contextualize the past, anticipate the future, and be conscious of impact that we ...
Views: 3691(5 votes) - Addiction, Self-Harm, and Eating Disorders from a Metaphysical Perspective - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2009 from Kristen FinlaysonAs a licensed therapist I worked with many individuals who presented with significant self-destructive behaviors. In therapy, depending on the presenting difficulty, we addressed the reasons why the client engaged in those behaviors. Taking uppers for Depression, downers for Anxiety, cutting to ...
Views: 7291(5 votes) - Marijuana Addiction Symptoms and Signs - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2009 from Crystal SmithPerhaps no drug has invited as much heated debate and ferocious argument as marijuana. Marijuana has been a source of fierce pro and against positions mainly because it is considered by many to be the least harmful of drugs; and whether or not marijuana addiction is an actual threat is debated ...
Views: 2750(2 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Plan Your Vacation, Not Your Relapse! - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWhen facing the loss of most of one’s structure in situations like vacation or business trips, relapsive thinking can return, even in established, stable recovery. The relapse thoughts can include some of the below, but this is not an all inclusive lists. When planning a vacation or business ...
Views: 3659(2 votes) - Alcohol Addiction Symptoms and Signs - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2009 from Rich HenryAlcohol is a word that appears so much in our daily lives and culture that it is difficult for a non-alcoholic to imagine a life of alcohol addiction. Yet, no matter how much one may despise the term and the addiction, psychiatrists describe an alcoholic as one who exhibits any or all of these ...
Views: 1783(2 votes) - Extra, Extra, Read All About It! Ten Million Children on Drugs! - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2009 from Regina MurphyAlthough this headline will not appear in The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal maybe it should. The chances of a child being addicted to drugs to alter their moods in adulthood increase exponentially if they are prescribed medication by a psychiatrist or doctor at an early age. Parents ...
Views: 1874(2 votes) - Children Of Meth - by Submitted on Feb 04, 2012 from C BowsterA child living at a meth lab is exposed to many dangers and to the ongoing effects of chemical contamination. The chemicals used to cook meth produce toxic fumes, vapors, and spills. A child living at a meth lab may inhale or swallow toxic substances or inhale the secondhand smoke of adults who ...
Views: 3253(3 votes) - Opiate Addiction Symptoms and Signs - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2009 from Crystal SmithOpiate addiction is an insidious problem that has plagued society for centuries, but perhaps never more so than today. A two-edged sword, opiates can heal or destroy. An opiate is any drug derived from the opium poppy plant. The main opiates are morphine, heroin, and codeine. Thebaine and ...
Views: 2667(1 vote) - Best-Selling Self Help Book Uncovers Factors Prompting Drug Abuse - by Submitted on May 21, 2010 from Leah FriedmanAbuse of Street drugs and powerful prescription drugs has been all over headlines, reportedly creating mental and physical repercussions which millions around the world have discovered can be avoided through the principles contained in L. Ron Hubbard’s best-selling self-help book ...
Views: 2038(1 vote) - Addiction As Disease Does Not Equal "Get Out of Jail Free" - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2009 from Peggy FergusonSometimes family members have a hard time with the idea that addiction is a disease. When this is the case, it often has to do with the issue of responsibility. Sometimes family members believe that "disease" is equated with a "get out of jail free card" or not being held responsible. This is ...
Views: 1916(2 votes) - Addiction Recovery: 12 Do's and Don'ts For the Family While the Alcoholic is in Rehab - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2009 from Peggy FergusonYour significant other finally went to rehab. With all the events leading up to his agreeing to go to treatment, it may feel like a let-down. You may have breathed a big sigh of relief as you drove away from the airport or the treatment center after dropping him or her off. You may feel hope. ...
Views: 4161(2 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Drinking or Using Dreams as a Normal Part of Recovery - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWhen you have a drinking or using dream, you may wake up not really knowing if it actually happened. Many people in early recovery find it disturbing and frightening when they experience a "using" dream. Drinking and using dreams are those dreams where the central theme or experience is about ...
Views: 4501(2 votes) - *** A Story of Hope - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2009 from Debra Norton“Before I came to Amistad, nobody ever took time to teach me how to do something. I just had to figure it out on my own. Now I have mentors who are like me. They have been drug addicts and they have been incarcerated but they are doing something different with their life today. I could ...
Views: 2171(1 vote) - *** Amity Foundation’s Annual Acknowledgement Ceremony - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2009 from Debra NortonWe need to send a message to the world. Let it be known that the people in our penal institutions are not invisible; they are not to be thrown away. There is redemption that can be had in the lives of every human being. We stand here in solidarity today with Amity Foundation to say that we ...
Views: 2396(1 vote) - The "Rock Bottom" Myth - Learn How to Raise the Bottom - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2009 from Joe HerzanekYeah, when he hits bottom he'll be ready. A user has to hit bottom before he will change. Sooner or later she will hit bottom. Then she'll be ready to get some help. Raise the Bottom. This whole idea of "hitting bottom" is out of date. Some people will wait years-even decades-for their ...
Views: 5009(4 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Prevent Relapse By Making Good Choices - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2009 from Peggy FergusonRelapse is a process that occurs over time, in the context of significant decisions. Many people who relapse say that drinking or using was the furthest thing from their mind just before they consumed the chemical. In reality, most of the time, relapse was in process some time before the ...
Views: 4231(2 votes) - Guide to Eliminating Deception and Dishonesty - How to Get Real in Addiction Recovery - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2009 from Peggy FergusonMany people, while active in addiction, engage in deceptive, dishonest behavior, and diversionary tactics. These are part and parcel of addiction and the need to keep the extent of their problem hidden. It is difficult to juggle all the demands of being addicted with all the "normal" demands of ...
Views: 6902(2 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Cross Addiction and Relapse: 5 Cross Addiction Relapse Prevent Tips - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2009 from Peggy FergusonAlthough definitions of "Addiction" seem to be continuing to evolve, addiction is still "a primary, chronic, progressive, and relapsing disease". The last decade of research has led to a refined definition of addiction as a "brain disease which is manifested by compulsive behavior". Cross ...
Views: 3518(1 vote) - Cross Addiction and Relapse - Examples and Relationships - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2009 from Peggy FergusonCross addiction is one of the leading causes of relapse in early recovery. Cross-addiction involves being addicted to all mood altering drugs. The following are illustrations of cross addiction. 1. Some people become cross-addicted in their efforts to camouflage their addiction. ...
Views: 4503(2 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Understanding The Nature of Addiction to Understand Cross Addiction - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2009 from Peggy FergusonEarly addiction recovery is a fragile thing. One of the most frequent contributing factors in relapse is something we call "cross-addiction". Essentially what cross-addiction means, is that if you are alcoholic or addicted to other mood altering drugs, you a potentially addicted to all mood ...
Views: 2520(1 vote) - Addiction and Recovery: Ten Common Myths about Alcohol and Drug Addiction - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonPeople who don't know much about alcohol and other drug addiction, often buy into common myths and stereotypes about addiction and addicts. It is important to replace mistaken assumptions and judgments about addiction, so that you can approach those afflicted with the illness, with compassion ...
Views: 3839(1 vote) - Addiction and Recovery: Do You Really Have to Hit Bottom to Recover? - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonThere is a generally misguided notion that you have to "hit bottom" to be able to get sober and stay sober. "Hitting bottom" is usually seen as the loss of the things that you value in your life. It is an individually defined event and the concept has probably hindered the recovery efforts of a ...
Views: 2429(1 vote) - A Relapse Prevention Tool - Emotional Cues for Cravings in Relapse Worksheet - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWe experience sensory, emotional/psychological, cognitive, environmental, and physical cues on a daily basis in early recovery. These cues or triggers, if left unchecked can turn into powerful cravings for the chemical. Cravings can lead to relapse. In order to avoid relapse it is crucial that ...
Views: 13715(2 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: The Social and Environmental Triggers Worksheet - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonAssociations between particular feelings, people, places, and events becomes intertwined with the alcoholic or addicts drinking and drugging behavior. When alcoholics and addicts find their way to recovery, the old associations between the drinking and drugging and the old feeling, people, ...
Views: 10243(2 votes) - Family Dynamics of Addiction And Recovery - Deciding What to do about an Adult Child's Addiction - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWhen an adult child with addiction problems lives with his parents, those parents are faced with hard choices. The addict believes that he is only harming himself, yet the truth is that the addiction is hurting everyone and is typically tearing the family apart. Parents and significant others ...
Views: 1558(2 votes) - Family Members Know You are Going to Relapse in Your Addiction Before You Do - Listen Up - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonThe family dynamics of recovery is rarely smooth sailing. Relapse, which is a process, has a tremendously negative effect on significant others. Family members who have labored and struggled to remain with the addict through all the active years of addiction, to assist them in finding their way ...
Views: 4442(1 vote) - Working Through Feelings in Addiction Recovery - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonOne of the most important tasks necessary for maintaining abstinence and growing in recovery is learning how to appropriately work through feelings. Many people use alcohol and other drugs in place of dealing with or managing emotions. Alcoholism/drug addiction often involves skill deficits. ...
Views: 7846(1 vote) - Anger May Stem from Alcohol and Other Drugs - by Submitted on Jul 22, 2009 from Buck BlackThere can be more to the anger iceberg than just feelings. Often people come to my office because of anger management issues and when I assess them for the reason behind the anger, they have extensive alcohol or other drug use. Others may have a brain injury. In cases where drinking or ...
Views: 1818(1 vote) - The Culture of Addiction: A Strategy for Dealing with the Stress of Life - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2009 from Aila Accad, RN,We live in a culture where the definition of addiction is our motto: ‘More is better and there is never enough’. The drive for more, bigger, faster does not allow for a state of satiety, a place of feeling full, satisfied, sustained. Addiction comes in diverse packages yet underneath, all ...
Views: 3796(4 votes) - Court Ordered 12-Step Attendance is Illegal - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2009 from Tom HorvathThis article is not intended to convey legal advice, which can only be provided by an attorney licensed in your state. What follows is an addiction psychologist’s summary of a legal issue he has been following for over a decade. The “establishment” and “free exercise” clauses of the US ...
Views: 1833(1 vote) - Marijuana, Motivation, and Legalization - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2009 from William BerryThere is a lot of discussion these days about the legalization of substances, especially marijuana. These discussions and articles focus on how it might improve the economy, to decriminalization resulting in fewer deaths and a drop in the growth of HIV cases, to medical benefits of marijuana. ...
Views: 2601(1 vote) - How to Stop Drinking in Four Manageable Steps - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2009 from Carl-Peter LehmannIf you want to know how to stop drinking – there are a few things you need to do. But first you need to understand that if you have a serious drinking problem – there is a big difference between stopping - and staying stopped. With a bit of will power, almost anyone can stop drinking for a ...
Views: 2903(2 votes) - Talking About Drugs - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2012 from Christopher LowryFor many people, bringing up the subject of drugs is difficult. Your teens may try to dodge the discussion, and you yourself may feel unsure about how to proceed. To boost your chances for a productive conversation, take some time to think through the issues you want to discuss before you talk ...
Views: 2110(4 votes) - What Do You Do and When - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2012 from Christopher LowryWhen you have a suspicion your teen is doing drugs, what do you do? First, learn as much as you can. Check out all of SelfGrowth.com for information on drug and alcohol use by teens. Know that there is help available for you and your child. In most communities, you can get help from your ...
Views: 1787(3 votes) - From Alcoholic Enmeshment to Rational Recovery - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2009 from James KrehbielTodd came to see me at the encouragement of his mother. He "talked the right talk" about leaving his drugs and alcohol behind, although he had a long track record of failed attempts. Todd had been in and out of residential treatment programs without success. This young man looked to me and ...
Views: 1573(2 votes) - Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Substance Abuse in America - by Submitted on Jun 15, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsTim Ferriss, the author of "The 4-Hour Work Week" has posted some interesting stats on his blog about work and American life. 63% of all employees want to work less, up from 46% in 1992. 26% of adult Americans report being on the verge of a serious nervous breakdown. 40% of workers describe ...
Views: 1320(1 vote) - I Saw the Enemy - by Submitted on Jun 15, 2009 from Keith BrayAlways interesting to see what thoughts run through my head as I try to shut down my conscious thinking and spend quiet time in the morning. About fifteen years ago I sat in a treatment centre, Homewood, in Guelph, Ontario. I had been alcohol and drug free for about 3 months, and this did allow ...
Views: 1379(1 vote) - Tips to Help You Reduce Alcohol in Social Situations - by Submitted on Jun 03, 2009 from GARTH DELIKANTalk to a partner or friend – they could help you highlight some self-help ideas. Try to stop drinking alcohol on weekdays and make some minor lifestyle changes like increasing your physical activity. When you are drinking, try to substitute every second drink with water, non-alcoholic beer, ...
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