Addiction and Recovery Articles

One of the core elements of mindfulness is learning how to identify where emotions are occurring in the body. Emotion is not just an experience of the mind, after all. It is a visceral, whole-self experience. And when you can notice and become aware of the emotions in your body, you can treat yourself with kindness. Two of the most debilitating emotions human beings can feel are shame and guilt. These often cause deep suffering for us when we experience them, and mindfulness is one way we can alleviate this suffering.

This article provides advice on overcoming addictions through the use of binaural beats - a form of brain entrainment audio-technology. While I focus mainly on quitting smoking, the instructions provided can be tailored to any form of addiction. An addiction of any kind can have a debilitating effect on an individual. It can sometimes feel as though your body and mind have a life of their own, and that you are constantly forced to submit to their cravings. It is a vicious cyc

There are many theories concerning the nature of addiction and what it is exactly.nnSome feel it is a character flaw and lack of self-will; that the addict is a "bad" person whilst others believe that a particular drug, drink, person or location is the problem. A person locked in an addictive problem has definite behaviours which resemble some kind of possession! However, when addiction is classified as a disease, all of the behaviours and outcomes make sense.nnAddiction and

From the time I was a child I felt like I experienced an abnormal amount of fear. What the cause of it is I will never know. Perhaps a genetic anomaly, neurons misfiring, or a spiritual malady. What I do know is for most of my life I have wanted to be fearless. I wanted desperately to be rid of my fear. Growing up I felt quite alone, especially among men. I assumed that they would not understand or share my experiences. I know now I was wrong. And I have an idea why.

Drug addicts must effect great changes in their everyday lives in order to stay sober and maintain the progress they make during clinical rehabilitation. Addiction is a life-consuming disease, and recovery must be a holistic, lifelong effort to succeed. In fact, the reason that today’s rehab programs are so effective is that they are designed to create permanent changes in patients’ mental states, physical health, and life circumstances. Here are some of the most importan

Addiction can have a terrible influence on your life. It can destroy your health, your mind and your relationships. It can be impossible to hold a job and live a normal life when you are an addict. You must take action once you realize the addiction is a problem. Here are five steps to take if you are struggling with addiction. Identify and Avoid Your TriggersrnThe first step is to start identifying your triggers. Most people have specific triggers that will lead to addictive

If you are among the 46 percent of Americans who frequently find themselves feeling lonely, the holidays can pose quite a challenge to your sense of well-being. According to the Mayo Clinic, the holidays often exacerbate stress and depression. And for those already struggling to receive the meaningful social interaction they crave on any sort of regular basis, the resulting loneliness can be especially intense in contrast to others’ holiday celebrations.

This article will help you to maximize your recovery and performance in every aspects of your life, especially, in handling stress, the loss of relationships, jobs, and all destructive coping choices. When we are young we seem to have boundless energy to enjoy life. As we grow older and ...

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but it the expert’s there are few.” Zen Master Suzuki Roshi As I reflect on the New Year, I find myself thinking about the concept from Buddhism “Beginners Mind.” The concept is to put aside old ideas and ...

The process of beginning the journey to finding your life purpose and discovering what it is you truly want can be found in those still moments when your intuition speaks to you telling you exactly what you need to know. Through mindfulness or “being awake in the here and now” epiphanies appear ...

There is no disputing that Heroin addiction is on the rise. Open a newspaper or turn on the television and you will likely learn of another life that has been impacted by this dangerous drug. In fact, statistics reveal that there are more than a half million lives damaged by Heroin each year and thousands of fatalities. An illicit opiate, Heroin comes from opium and may be sniffed, snorted or injected. Heroin is often diluted with a variety of ingredients including antihista

Did you know that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month? Did you know that the ribbon for preventing domestic violence is purple? Did you see any purple ribbons this October? You probably saw a lot of pink ribbons. While breast cancer is a very serious issue that deserves the amount of attention it gets, we shouldn’t forget that domestic violence is just as serious and effects even more people. Unfortunately, domestic violence is a rarely discussed topic on our culture. It is often misunderstood, and it’s hard for most people to admit that they are in an abusive relationship.

Anyone thinking of buying a new or used car has a huge range of options to choose from in terms of manufacturer, type of car, gas, diesel or electric etc. Whatever the individual chooses to buy in the end, it is important from the outset to understand the various additional costs that can be incurred by either choosing the wrong type of finance or not appreciating what insurance costs could be involved.

When does drinking alcohol become a problem? rnWhen you begin waking up with a bit of a headache each Saturday morning? When you begin waking up with a headache every morning? Perhaps it's when you start drinking every morning simply to get out of bed? Or perhaps it's when you once again find yourself waking up in the A&E department with no knowledge of how you ended up there, what day it is, or even what has happened to you for the last week or so? rnYou don't have to have r

You have been successfully rehabilitated! That’s great. But after back to the real world, "the old world"; you would face some challenges. You have to remember that you would be alone at this stage and you have to take care of yourself. It might also be possible that you could even get back to the addiction if you are careless. After the rehabilitation process, you have to be firm and strong enough to get through any sort of challenges. For this purpose, you have to follow

Are you someone who would give all your water away to take care of someone else? What takes place when you give all your water away? What do you do when you’re in need of water to keep yourself hydrated and you don’t have any water left because you gave it all away? Since you don’t have any left for yourself you go without and so do those to whom you’ve been giving all your water. No one has any water now, do they? You become dehydrated and have no energy to fill up the water bottle so everyone goes without.r

I’m in the company of the great ones. Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill, & Dennis Hopper, not to mention countless others. Alcoholics. Winos. Drunks. It’s yet another label to put on people, to classify them away from yourself and away from the norm, as if there is such a thing. My mother’s voice used to drop to a whisper when referring to people ‘like that’. ‘He’s - you know – an … alcoholic’ she said, cupping her hand and tipping it towards her mouth t

Overcoming an alcohol addiction can be painful. It may seem that no one understands and that you are alone in your struggle. However, when you are ready to make a commitment to stop drinking and to get sober and healthy; there is support available to help you recover from your alcohol addiction. Commitment to Stop Drinking For many people, reaching the decision to stop drinking and get help is oftentimes due to the repercussions of their alcohol abuse on their life. In many

Are you an alcoholic? Do you cringe at that thought? Do you have all the pat answers as to why your drinking is okay? Are you secretly avoiding admitting that you might be an alcoholic? Do you tell yourself that you an stop anytime you want? What happens when you ignore your drinking habits? Actually, you’re ignoring the things that trigger you to drink. And ignoring problems just makes them worse. You end up in a downward spiral, ignoring all the signs of trouble. That’s t

When my children were growing up I made the decision to be proactive in giving them life skills. I knew from my own childhood that I was not given much direction in the way of life skills. That is not to say that I had bad parents, but I did have a very over-protective mother who did, or tried ...

As we are all aware, doping activity has really picked up pace since it has gotten the media and celebrities involved. This has become a major reason to worry for almost every parent. Among the most vulnerable class are teenagers, who are trying to fit in and be cool.. They are following in the footsteps of all these pop stars who have used drugs. Second on the list are people who are unemployed or are emotionally disturbed, they tend to drift towards these activities. Despit

Addiction is a complex condition that affects not only the person who has it but the people around him or her. A lot of those who struggle with substance abuse, may it be alcohol or drugs, try a dozen of different treatments that might help them get their lives on track again. rnOne kind of treatment for those who have a desire to quit drinking or using is the famous 12-step approach to recovery which has been a classic model for a lot of support groups worldwide. This approa

Change Your Self-Image for Greater Success n nOne of the key elements of living beyond recovery is to achieve more success in our life. Whether you focus on your career, your finances, your relationships, or other areas, does not matter. The bottom line is that in order to increase success you must change your self-image.nnLet's face it, out there we had either a very poor self-image or none at all. I remember feeling very insecure. The sense I had of myself was that of a "fr

There are many different forms of addiction like surfing the net, sex, food and many others. Out of all, alcohol and drug addiction are the most dangerous one that can even take the life of an individual. People of any age group can be a victim of this life-taking addiction. To help all those people, who have become a patient of the addition of any health hazardous substances, plenty alcohol and drug rehab centers are established all across the globe. Many people take alcohol

Abstract: Integrative psychiatry is a holistic approach that utilizes both conventional and complementary therapies. The term holistic implies treating the patient as a whole person, thus in this approach the individual's overall physical, mental, spiritual and emotional wellbeing are taken into consideration. My focus is on what I have found to be both practical and useful in the context of my own practive in clinical psychiatry. This includes the use of nutritional supplements.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there are more tha 4 million people who habitually abuse or are addicted to Methamphetamine in the U.S. and almost 12 million individuals that have tried the drug at least once. However, SAMHSA also reported that in recent years there has been a decline in the number of people admitted to emergency rooms for Meth related incidents due largely to federal restrictions on the sale of items used

The World Health Organisation estimates that around 76 million people globally currently suffer from some kind of alcohol-related condition. Alcohol remains the world's number one killer causing almost 2.5 million deaths a year or just about 4% of the world's total. On average each human being consumes 6.1 liters of alcohol a year however when extrapolated to focus on the citizens of Europe and North America this figure becomes much higher.* With such sobering statistics it i

Sex addiction is an illness that is experienced worldwide by men and women from different backgrounds and cultures. When a person is a sex addict, they suffer from a disease which is incurable, progressive and capable of destroying the lives of not only the sufferer but of their families as well.nnSex addiction can be managed with a recovery programme and therapy but whilst in the grips of this addiction, sufferers cannot escape their obsessive and compulsive behaviour. Often

When you stop digging. For years I was driven by an obsession to drink. In the beginning I tried to control it, but after a while it had complete control of me. Alcoholism took me to a deep emotional, spiritual and physical bottom, and only when I surrendered to this program did I begin to ...

Columbia University recently reported that women were more likely to develop dependency than men and also the reasons that women give for their use are different from the reasons that men use. The study further reported that women are more likely to feel guilt and shame associated with their substance abuse than men. Substance Abuse in Women In the findings, women reported that their reasons for substance abuse were social and psychological and cited depression, loneliness,

Many people use car rental for many different reasons, and there are many different ways it can impact on their own car insurance policies. The two main ways are firstly in terms of the cost of a drivers own car policy and the additional cost of having vehicle hire included as an optional extra, also the cost of having to hire the vehicle in the event of a claim and not having included it in the insurance policy.

Substance Abuse starts out being a great trip. But, as you’ve probably found out, the highs you receive after the first few times diminish. Now it takes more and more of the addiction of your choice to “try” to get that same high. Addicts have lost many important relationships. Many have burned the bridges to the most important people in their life. And they didn’t want to. It’s just that their addiction has control over them and they feel hopeless and helpless. It doesn’t

Painkiller addiction affects three-fourths of the population of the U.S. and one in ten high school students, according to statistics published by Drug Free World. It is also reported that recreational use of prescription painkillers is up twelve percent from last year and among the reason for the increase was the abuse of painkillers among senior individuals 60 and older, especially the drug Oxycontin. Clearly, this is a problem that is not going away anytime soon. How They

Anyone who runs a business of any description needs to make sure that they have certain types of insurance, normally insurance covering areas of property loss and damage, business interruption and loss of earnings and various types of liability insurance. Anyone working from home as well needs to be doubly sure that there is no conflict between their home insurance and the needs of their business, both from an insurance and a practical point of view.

In the article relax and recover part 1, I wrote about the positive aspects of reaching a deep state of relaxation on a regular basis. I explained how this type of relaxation benefits people in recovery from addictions and promotes overall wellness. This article will focus on how to achieve this deep relaxation. There are many books, CDs, and websites with lots of good techniques and methods, they include progressive and passive muscle relaxation, deep abdominal breathing, sounds of nature, music and guided imagery, mindfulness, massage and meditation.

For some people, the very idea of a used car brings up images that are inherently negative, and many manufacturers avoid the term nowadays, in favour of terms such as certified pre-owned etc. Having said that, the used car market is huge, and with a bit of thought and research it is very possible to buy a good car, which has been reliably driven and kept in decent mechanical order at a fair price. It is in many ways much more possible to do this nowadays given the size and scale of the internet and it was previously.

Years ago, I directed the Stress Management Department at the Pain Unit of Boston’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. My first mind-blowing exposure to addiction came when a diabetic patient communicated her physician’s warning that if she did not stop smoking, she risked having her legs amputated. Several days thereafter she was discharged from the pain unit. Three months later she returned to the hospital, this time with stubs for legs. Still she continued to smoke. Ad

Honda go to great lengths through their website and through the individual dealerships to stress the benefits of leasing a vehicle, and in particular trying to make individuals aware that leasing a vehicle is of benefit to private individuals, and is not simply some type of corporate expense or add-on. It might be helpful to consider the idea of leasing a Honda vehicle as similar to that of renting one, or hiring one. Most people are familiar with car hire and car rental processes, and in some ways leasing a vehicle is quite similar except it is on a long-term basis.

Writing a book used to be thought of as a great but often idealistic way of expressing a persons creativity. The rise of the internet has actually given people an opportunity to do this , but like everything to do with the internet it is often easier than it sounds. The term ebook has come to mean many different things, and with the rise of devices like Kindle, it will probably get more complicated.An ebook is essentially a document written either as a word doc or as a pdf , that is then sold or given away as an ebook, normally as a pdf or pdf type file.

CHAPTER 1n INTRODUCTIONnn My intention is to share with others what I've experienced and researched, what I've lived, and how the Holy Spirit has worked a miracle in my life.nn What I have attempted to do in this summary is to give the reader a glimpse of each chapter and the focus which I have taken with each part of my story.nn The purpose of this story is to assist those individuals who feel/think that they may be suffering from compulsive or abusive behaviour or who feel/

Although there are several thousand free or almost free drug and alcohol rehabs within the nation, finding them when you need them can be very problematic!nnMost people don’t think much about drug rehab until they need one, and when they do, the challenge of making such an important decision quickly can overwhelm. It's tough for anyone, but at least those people with comprehensive private health insurance have the luxury of choice. For those of us without good insurance

For the millions of individuals struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, making the decision to go to detox is both difficult and scary. Whether it is your first time entering detox or a second chance at getting clean and sober, understanding the process can help to ease your mind throughout the experience. Detox and Rehab: the Difference Most people do not know the difference between detox and rehab and are not quite sure of what to expect. A rehabilitation center is ce

What is driving the opioid addiction in Long Island? It’s a variety of factors that include socioeconomic hardship or just plain curiosity and boredom. Often underlying mental health conditions also play an important role in creating an atmosphere ripe for substance abuse. Opioid addiction is a rewarding experience in the beginning of an addiction because the user feels the euphoric high. However, shortly this turns into a dangerous and miserable life of chasing that high over and over again.

If money were all it took, tobacco smoking would be on the run after Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg jointly pledged last month to fight tobacco use worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Johns Hopkins University. Mayor ...

What Treatment Coordination and Advocacy Suggests you Ask When Choosing a Treatment Center Choosing a treatment center can be an overwhelming and confusing process for anyone, let alone someone who is scared, anxious and may be seeking treatment for the first time. This is one reason why Treatment Coordination and Advocacy offers a treatment placement service in which we serve as the Treatment Coordinator for clients and their families, taking the leg work and as much stress away from the client’s and their families as possible.

In the interest of preventing a holiday disaster, this is an article I like to (re)post December of every year. While the holiday season is associated with the indulgence of food, spending, festivities and the "spirit(s) of Christmas" (i.e. something involving frequent visits to the liquor store), it can have its downside as well... a little cheer disturber called stress. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say the "stress of indulgence".

Mindfulness is a tool that can help us live "on purpose" rather than feeling like we are at the whim of all that happens to us. With practice, we can use it to observe ourselves without judgement, respond rather than react in challenging situations, and feel more in control of the choices we make in life.

Relapse is a constant threat to recovering substance abusers. It is also a common occurrence, but new episodes always bring fear, frustration, and worry to its sufferers and their families. Given the proper triggers, even addicts who have successfully completed intensive treatment programs and remained clean for years can experience a relapse. These episodes can be as brief as a one-time drug use, but longer relapses can last for years. During long relapses, the addict experi