Addiction and Recovery Articles

Alcohol is one of the oldest substances to be abused by human beings. It pre-dates writing and the wheel (which we see by the fact that preliterate societies without the wheel had ways of brewing alcoholic beverages). The human fascination with alcohol is thousands of years old. It may not be possible to determine exactly how old, but we can safely assume that we're talking about several millennia (this is in no way meant to be disparaging towards those communities who do not

How come nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine patch and gum) only has a 7% success rate for quitting smoking? Why do people on nicotine replacement therapy still crave cigarettes? Clearly, there are reasons for smoking that go far beyond simple chemical addiction. This article, based on The ...How come nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine patch and gum) only has a 7% success rate for quitting smoking? Why do people on nicotine replacement therapy still crave cigarettes? C

For an addict, the process of recovering does not end after completion of treatment. Once he gets rid of the drugs, he may still be suffering from damage caused by them. Treatment also does not do up with financial problems or the legal problems as well, which often come as consequences of addiction. All recovering addicts face problems and challenges in life after the treatment. Tools and techniques learn by an addict during treatment and rehabilitation help an addict to mai

The reality of how much time and thought you give to your family is of course in many ways a unique question that can only be answered by the individual themselves. The reason it is so important is because in a significant number of cases the amount of focus that an individual puts on the family is either determined by someone else or driven by a degree of guilt or expectation that is derived from outside themselves.

Addictive Personalitiesr Part One of a Three Part Article Written by Randi G. Fine How do you envision someone with an addictive personality? Do you picture an alcoholic, someone strung out on drugs, a chain smoker, or a gambler down on his luck? Addictive behaviors are commonly thought of as behaviors that impair a person’s ability to function. Often they do but not all addictive behaviors have that effect. Some addictive behaviors do not negatively influence or impact the

Do you ask yourself the questions, 'what is alcoholism or what is drug addiction really?' because you really want to understand the nature of addiction? So if you are one of those people, hopefully I can help. Now you need to understand that alcoholism and drug addiction can be quite complex to ...

A questio I have been receiving a lot lately is: Is it a good idea for my teen to drink at home under my supervision? The short answer: No. Some parents have come to believe that their teen is better off drinking or even smoking pot at home rather then out driving around with friends.

It can be difficult to admit that you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, but it truly is the first step to recovery. Once you’ve taken this step, and recognize your addiction and its impact on yourself and others, your new focus should be choosing a strategy to get sober and change your life for the better. It’s likely that you’ll consider inpatient or outpatient rehab during this process.

Many people, when faced with the reality of working from home tend to approach it in quite a manic way, often with quite a high degree of burnout at some point either physical or mental. They may well be able to work with this burnout as they can adapt their home or family life accordingly.r

©Arlene R. Taylor PhD One of the secret causes of stress plaguing millions ofrnpeople is unforgiveness. ï¾Don Colbert MD The woman made her way slowly and painfully across my office and into a chair. Her name was Jaylee. Attractive, in her early forties, mahogany hair pulled back in a low ponytail, obviously in great discomfort. As she began her story, silent tears coursed down her face and fell onto hands clasped tightly in her lap, hands that were beginning to show signs of arthritic disfigurement.

For people who depend on any type of private or company insurance to cover the cost of their health needs, the question of whether or not the health insurance policy covers mental health problems is a crucial one for a number of reasons.

Healing and recovery are about cultivating joy. After all, joy is what we want to realize in our lives. Joy enables our purpose to savor life. Many in the throes of addiction and other mental illnesses never experience joy. Life is dull, flat, painful, and dreary; a wasteland of depression and hopelessness. Lack of joy can leave people feeling that there is no purpose to live for; that there is no way out. They feel trapped. There is a way out. We can cultivate and reclaim th

Today, there is no city or country that is still untainted by the plague of drug abuse and drug trafficking. The high levels of drug abuse among young people and particularly teens is a very distressing matter. There are many reasons that teens these days are starting drugs and in time becoming addicted, some of these are: curiosity, pleasure, peer influence, acceptance, improving athletic performance, and relief of stress, anxiety or depression. It is very important that par

Heroin abuse and dependency affects more tha 9 million people. There is no disputing that the consequences of heroin use can be devastating. Trying to quit can be difficult, but it is not impossible. Although you may wonder is it safe to detox from heroin use at home; it is important to know that most healthcare professionals advise against it. How Heroin Affects the Body Heroin affects the central nervous system (CNS) by blocking the opioid receptors and stimulating the ne

What’s this thing called Love? What’s this thing we call love? Where and how do we find it? Do friends lead us there? They do. But the love we find with them is not often THE one we seek. But it is love…warm and special and sweet… As comfortable as an old shoe…as warm as a terrycloth ...

We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable. --"Step One, AA 12-Steps After many years in recovery, I know that I must not forget this one principle: "I will always be an addict. --Joe Herzanek Whether you are a fan of twelve-step programs or not, the first step an attendee will hear offers a great deal of wisdom. The alcoholic/addict should never venture into the world without remembering the important bit of knowledge that Step One provides: Chemically dependent people will not ever be able to gain control over their substance use.

Most people think an alcoholic is someone who cannot keep a job, has financial and legal problems, is dysfunctional in relationships and may even be homeless. Stereotypes really do affect how we perceive people. However, for the high-functioning alcohol none of those ideas apply. High-functioning alcoholics or HFAs may be career driven and successful professionals or the active and busy room-mother at school. HFAs are able to juggle everything effectively and maintain their

Buying a used or new tractor is a major investment, both in terms of time and money. A tractor is most likely to be used as a part of farm machinery, and as such as part of a business. It is imperative therefore that you research thoroughly before you buy, because if you get it wrong, it wouldn't just be an inconvenience it could well have an adverse effect on your business profitability.

YOU HAVE TO FEEL TO HEAL. Before recovery, I would use just about anything not to feel. Drugs, alcohol, relationships, food, TV -- the list was endless. Without tools to deal with my feelings, I was uncomfortable and afraid of them, and they often became overwhelming. In early recovery my ...

Arizona is one of the toughest states when it comes to DUI. If a drunk driver is pulled over and a police officer is suspecting that a driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a sobriety test followed by the breath test is given to the driver. When the breath test shows blood alcohol level above the norm, the driver is arrested and charged with DUI. DUI laws in Arizona warrant for a mandatory time is jail, which amounts for thirty consecutive days. So, if you happen

Prescription Painkiller Addiction: The Problem There are many people in the United States with a painkiller addiction .According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2009 there were 7 million abusers of prescription drugs. The majority of this abuse was from prescriptions. Teens typically obtain these prescriptions from family or friends. The number of fatal prescription drug poisonings has more than tripled since 1999. In 2003, 10% of 12th graders reported using Vicod

Would you believe me if I told you that the way you think you are and the way you think others think you are is something that you have made up with the thoughts you think about yourself? That’s right. The way you see yourself is all made up by you. Because of the way you think about yourself you are either good enough or not. You are beautiful or ugly. You are intelligent or stupid. You are whatever you make yourself up to be. It is your story of you and it’s all made up in your head.

Those of us who need to look good for the approval of others gauge how we’re doing by comparing ourselves to others. We compare ourselves to our friends, family members, peers, colleagues, coworkers, and to perfect strangers. And before we know it comparison to others becomes our constant companion. This comparison can manifest in one of two ways. The first kind of comparison is “looking up” and feeling beneath, not as good as, the objects of comparison. The second kind of comparison is “looking down” on others to make yourself feel better than, higher than, and above others.

Building a successful private practice takes a coordination of activity. It takes working honing your craft, it takes a support system, the use of multiple of marketing tools and in this day and age it takes creating a web presence. If you'd like to know more about marketing tools you can go to my website www.TherapyMarketingCoach.com and if you sign up for my news letter right now you will get a free article on marketing tools. Here I will try and give an overview of websites and what a web presence can mean. Web Presence:r

While you are going through a drug rehab treatment program, you will be introduced to many different skills and strategies that can help you be successful in your new life without drugs. When you return home, you may discover that as you apply the skills and strategies to your life after rehab, it is a little bit more difficult than you thought it would be, especially if there are any remnants of your old life. Here are six things to do after drug rehab treatment that may hel

n nThis book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Addiction and Recovery. Addiction is a condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in something. Recovery helps you restore yourself to a better state or condition. John McMahon is the Official Guide to Addiction and Recovery .nn Freedom from Addiction: The Chopra Center Method for Overcoming Destructive Habits , by Deepak Chopra and Dr. David Simon, is a valuable resource for people

Hank Hayes author of the book “You’ve been lied to… the untold truth about the alcohol and addiction mainstream treatment industry and the secrets on how to eliminate the problem for good” due to be released at the end of May 2011 say’s…

Five Gifts and a Lagniappe Arlene R. Taylor PhD www.arlenetaylor.org “I absolutely hate holidays—everything goes into fast forward!” The young woman grimaced, gestured dramatically, and disappeared into the break room. Further down the hallway, her colleague burst through his office doorway, forehead furrowed, body radiating coiled tension. He paused in midstride long enough to mutter, “Holidays! They’re all the pits!”

Drug rehab programs across the country have helped thousands of addicts achieve lasting recoveries. Through advances in psychology and neuroscience, addiction specialists have developed a wide variety of highly effective drug rehab treatments. Addicts from every walk of life now stand a fighting chance against this crippling disease. However, successful treatment still relies on the hard work and personal sacrifices of rehab patients themselves. Addicts must often make diffic

Summer is in full swing, the birds are chirping, the sun is shining and all you want to do is curl up alone in a dark room and be alone. This is the stark reality of someone who deals with chronic depression. The general public knows this image well. Mention depression and they imagine a person who withdraws from social events; who can’t get out of bed, and are either tearful or angry.

Hearing about Oxyneo is nothing new now for the medical drug has been in the market for many years now. Moreover, there has been a lot of Oxyneo news floating around regarding this controversial drug. This is one of the drugs that is based on oxycodone and promises to kill the pain of the sufferer very easily. From the way back when it was introduced in 1995, there has been a great increase in the use of the drug for killing the pain. There has been also an increase in the nu

Drugs have become an important element in the history of medicine to cure or increase the immunity in humans against various diseases. Due to continuous innovation, research and development in the past 4-5 decades, drugs are now available to cure majority of diseases. When taken in prescribed amount, drugs are used as pain killers, antibiotics, antiallergic etc. Although, drugs are primarily used for medicinal purposes, they are also abused for their properties. Drugs are cla

Among the many nightmares that parents encounter is catching your adolescent child has been drinking. This might have happened when you smell vodka on their breath after coming home from an activity with friends Or perhaps it's actually catching them drinking at a party, or in your house. Sometimes another mother or father will phone you telling they caught your teenager drinking with theirs. It could even be the nightmare situation where you are notified by the police who have captured your kids drinking, or even worse drinkingand driving.

It is impossible to miss the fact that Opiate addiction is a crisis of epic proportion in our society today! Statistics show that millions struggle with abuse and addiction and according to the National Institute for Drug Abuse, more tha 15,000 die each year from opiate overdose. Realizing and admitting that you have a drug abuse problem and making the decision to get help is the first step. The next step is finding the right program to help you overcome your drug addiction

Understanding more about drug screens is could be a pretty involved process. If you are being tested or having someone go through a screening process, the following information you will helpful.A chain of custody is required by the laboratory which will perform the actual testing. This means that the sample is required to be monitored during all aspects of the collection and testing. This necessitates a witness be present to observe the client providing the specimen and to en

With summer coming to an end, and days getting shorter seasonal affective disorder will begin creeping around the corner. Seasonal affective disorder occurs when the days get shorter, and the weather becomes colder. Symptoms often include depressed mood, fatigue, social withdrawal, increased desire for sleep, and changes in appetite. Changes are typically slow to occur and often people don’t realize that they are being affected. They may feel like it’s just a ‘winter funk’ and will pass with time.

Addiction begins with a problem, discomfort, or some form of emotional or physical pain for a person.nnThis person is, like most people in our society, basically good. But he encounters a problem that is causing him physical or emotional pain and discomfort and for which he does not have an immediate answer.nnPerhaps, as a child or teenager, he had difficulty "fitting in" or he lacked communication or academic skills. Or maybe there are physical injuries such as a broken bone

If you have been struggling with opiate dependency and are ready to stop, you may be tempted to try to detox on your own at home. Home detox from opiate abuse is a frequently discussed topic on just about every forum and while it is possible to find just about every home remedy imaginable, it is strongly discouraged by physicians for a number of reasons. Opiate Abuse and the Body Opiates are narcotic drugs that are derived from the opium poppy plant. OxyContin, Percocet, Vi

Prescription sleep agents, such as Ambien, have been known to cause some pretty peculiar behavior without the individual remembering any of the events once they are fully awake. Sleepwalking, driving in the middle of the night and even raiding the refrigerator are just a few of the behaviors acted out while under the influence of these drugs. Although physicians argue that sedatives are not addictive, research shows that when taken in increased amounts or for longer than rec

“How to Conduct ‘Old-School” 12-Step Recovery Meetingsr Using Conference-Approved Literature” Video Oner Introduction [Part 1] Aloha! My name is Ken B. This is the first video of a new class my dad, Dick B., and I are presenting entitled How to Conduct “Old-School” 12-Step Recovery Meetings Using Conference-Approved Literature Dick B. is the Executive Director of the International Christian Recovery Coalition, and we are videotaping this class at the Maui County Christia

“I had made a New Year’s resolution to quit my bad habit, and I am already struggling!!” It is just Feb 2012, and many of us are in the same boat. It may be any habit, smoking, drinking, getting to office late or even spending too much time on Internet. We know that it is bad, but we cannot stop ourselves from doing it – because it is a habit. The dictionary meaning of Habit is – an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.

It’s cheap, and it’s everywhere. For these reasons alone, heroin offers an appeal to teenagers that other drugs just can’t match. Factor in peer pressure, the need to self-medicate, or just plain, simple teenage curiosity, and it’s easy to see why heroin is making an alarming comeback in the United States. As a parent, you can’t afford to remain blind to the terrifying truth surrounding this dangerous and highly addictive drug. - A Growing Trend

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is gaining support for his proposal for mandatory treatment for non-violent drug offenders. Drug rehab in New Jersey will be a forced alternative for those convicted of non-violent drug offenses. The state of New Jersey could very well become a testing ground for drug treatment, if Governor Chris Christie gets his wish. In recent months, Gov. Christie has conducted several town hall meetings and has voiced his support for mandatory treatment

Many people express a desire to learn how to meditate, without really understanding what meditation involves or what the process of learning it means in the context of a lifelong journey. This can be true of many areas of life, but especially true of meditation. This is in part because it is only possible to really understand what meditation is by doing it. It is perhaps one of the most experiential forms of learning there is.

Alcohol addiction is nothing but a compulsive alcohol dependence wherein a person goes through a state of consuming alcohol in excess amount. It can be better defined as an irregular desire for alcohol. Although, each of us are aware of the advantages and disadvantages of consuming alcohol in excess but still people become an alcohol addict. There are certain elements that are present in the alcohol. These elements excite a particular point placed inside the human brain. As a

http://www.addictsfriend.com Sober, Happy, & FreernAuthor: Rick S. rnReprinted From: The Community Health Alliance -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- rnI grew up in Chicago, one of six kids. My dad worked three jobs most of my childhood, and my mom dedicated her life to taking care of her family. She had anxiety disorders, and it seemed that she didn't have time to think of herself. I don't remember a whole lot of my childhood exc

WHY SANTAnnThe reference to Santa Claus may seem bizarre. I was trying to think of another marketing campaign as successful as the Tobacco companies. By successful I mean being able to get into the very fabric of society in a way that seems normal and matter of fact. There were two that sprung to mind straight away. Christianity and Coca-Cola. nChristianity we will leave in its wrapper I think, but the second refers to the title. nnIf you think about Christmas and Santa Claus

“Tired.” Just pause for a moment and ponder the word. Actually, it’s a very deep state of mind and heart, isn’t it? I mean, we all know what it’s like to be tired and ready for bed after a long day. However, I’m presenting the word within the context of being emotionally, mentally, and physically overwhelmed and without direction. Have you been there? So often a client has repeated the words, “I’m just so tired,” in the midst of a visceral cry. And just as frequently a torr

Most smokers are afraid that they can’t quit, that cigarettes are more powerful than they are. Actually this is fear from the fear, because if you are still smoking, how can you know that it’s hard without cigarettes? This is a result from your habit that is controlling you so much that won’t allow you to imagine how life can look like without smoking.nThis point brings another question or excuse of yours. I love smoking; I love the ritual, etc. This is part

Before the thought of long term drug rehab enters the picture, you need to know for sure if your child is abusing drugs. The best way to prevent and learn if your child is experimenting with drugs is by having an open relationship with your child. Falsely accusing a child of abusing drugs can tear even the strongest bonds apart. At the same time, Colorado drug rehab experts say, the signs of abuse are there and it takes parents who can open their eyes to see the signs. Here a