Addiction and Recovery Articles

There are an estimated 20 million alcoholics in America, and about 6 million people dependent and using pain pills daily. Of course a significant number of these chemically dependent people are using the two togethernnAn addiction to pain pills and alcohol concurrently presents with some significant problems, and as with any addiction, the earlier it's dealt with the better the prognosis and the easier the detox.nnPeople may develop an addiction to alcohol with opiate type pa

Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks A Contemporary Perspective Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved An Introductory Look at Silkworth as One of A.A.’s “Co-founders” William Duncan Silkworth, Jr., was born in Brooklyn on July 22, 1873. His family remembers him as a deeply spiritual man, not interested in any particular denomination. But he was, they said, a devout Christian. For many years, he attended Shoemaker’s Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. He

Relapse prevention is an ongoing requirement to maintain recovery. Some will say that you will get to a place in recovery where you don’t need to “work at it” anymore—that it becomes automatic. I have known a few people who seemed to put down their drug or behavior of choice—what they were addicted to and they didn’t appear to struggle with addiction again. But, that is not my experience with addiction. I have worked with hundreds of alcoholics and addicts over the years who also were not able to “put it down” so easily.

People really don’t know what A Day in the Life of an SEO Pro really consists of. Well, I’m here to tell you. This is how it starts: 5:30am Get up and turn on the computer. Grab a cup of joe while it downloads my emails. A SEO business is never closed, even though I checked my email last night at 2:00am, there are still over 30 new ones (not including spam!) – mostly from customers. So I spend the next hour replying to emails and deleting spam.

“We admitted we were powerless to overcome our weaknesses—that our lives had become unmanageable.” —The First Stepnn“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” —The Serenity Prayernn“Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that th

Is an Addiction a Safety Risk in the Workplace? I was talking to a human resource manager a few weeks ago about an employee who worked in his company. This employee was driving a company car and there had been numerous complaints from other employees that this man had alcohol on his breath at ...

I would like you imagine you have arrived to very beautiful pool in the middle of the forest. Maybe when you are next to the pool, it’s morning, or afte oon and or evening. If at any time, you look at very nice flowers next to the pool. I would like you focus your attention on a shrub red roses. When you look carefully at these roses, you see the red color of each rose is different from another. As you are walking alongside the pool you see different flowers. With seeing each flower, the pool and flowers are becoming clearer…and clearer…r

Back in 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared an opioid epidemic in the United States. However, that does not mean that the United States is the only place in the world that is grappling with an opioid epidemic, as many other countries are as well. Sadly, the abuse of these substances has occurred to the extent that it has because prescription drugs are readily available either by prescription from a medical professional or illegally from dealers

Here are some qualities to look for in a sponsor. I have set the standard high since this is a very important relationship for you and your recovery. You may not be able to find someone with all the qualities I suggest due to many factors including the size of your town, number of people who attend your meetings and others. So, like I said I am setting the standard high due to the importance of a sponsor—you want the best person to help you, don’t you? But, you may not be able to find someone exactly fitting my suggestions. Don’t worry too much about that.

A.A. History Brief: Oxford Group Principles By Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved What the Oxford Group Principles Were Many within and without the Oxford Group have endeavored to describe the principles of the Oxford Group. One Australian Oxford Group writer spoke of eight principles of the Group. Bill Wilson sometimes spoke of six “Steps” of the Oxford Group. But the idea that the Oxford Group had any “Steps”—let alone six—was dispelled by Oxford Group histori

Whether you’re stuck in alcoholism or drug addiction, there is a way to permanently overcome your addiction. I know you’ve tried and tried to stop, but end up relapsing again and again. What will it take to finally get you over your addiction and into the abundant life? Here are three biblical principles to help you get out of whatever personal problems you’re going through and on the road to achieving the life of your dreams. Have you noticed that almost all of our problem

I once chaired a discussion group that comprised a relatively large number of people who were heavy, hard-core addicts. All were heavily involved in the use of either cocaine or heroin. All of them were also in the very early stages of recovery, about one to two weeks of clean time after a period of withdrawal management. They all confessed that they were addicts. So, I proposed the challenge, “Will all addicts please stand up.” They all stood up. Then I asked, “Will all huma

Is there really such a thing as computer addiction? With most of our jobs these days which require the use of computers and anybody can enjoy the internet, can one become really addicted? But how can you differentiate from simply using or enjoying the computer as opposed to becoming full blown addicted? It depends on the purpose and effect on the user. This kind of condition can affect people regardless of age, race and social status. Those who pretend to be somebody else or

There was a certain merchant who has a parrot in a cage. He was going to travel to India for business, he said to his servants, bondwomen, and parrot,” what things do you want I bring to you from India?” Everyone ordered something, but the parrot said,” when you see the parrots in India, say them, that parrot is eager to be you, is in my prison now, what message do you have for him?” When the merchant was saying the parrot’s message to a flock of parrots in India, suddenly one of the parrots fell out and dead.

It is estimated that about three-quarters of the population drink alcohol. Of this number, about 10% will find that their alcohol consumption leads to serious problems involving their health, work, finances, and relationships with family and friends. When a person uses alcohol despite apparent harm to their health and well-being, it is called alcohol abuse (or dependence), or alcoholism. Men are five times more likely than women to develop alcoholism. However, the incidence of alcoholism among women has increased in the past 30 years. Causes of Alcoholism In Men

Alcoholics Anonymous & “The Mother of A.A.” Anne Ripley Smith, Wife of Dr. Bob Dick B. © 2010 Anonymous. All rights reserved Part Three: Key Teachings in “Anne Smith’s journal” on Steps 5 – 9 Materials Sources The best source of information about Anne Ripley Smith, wife of Alcoholics Anonymous Cofounder Dr. Bob can be found in Dick B. Anne Smith’s journal 1933-1939: A.A.’s Principles of Success, 3rd ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998); ISBN 1-88580

Addiction is a dark and lonely place and the barriers that hinder it are plentiful. It is easy to fall prey to it but you play hell trying to get out. Overcoming an addiction is never going to be anything short of difficult because it grabs ahold of people when they are weak and broken and it lies to them, promising everything will be just fine. The process is swift and before long life is fast forwarded to an ugly quest for survival.

A.A., the “Higher Powers,” and the New Thought Compromise Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved My Search for the Curious Nonsense “gods” Floating Around Recovery Talk As many know by now, my searches for the history of A.A. began when a young man told me when I was three years sober that A.A. had come from the Bible. I told him I had never heard such a thing in the thousand or more meetings I had attended, but he told me to read A.A.’s own DR. BOB and the Good Old

n Inhalants are well recognized as being one of the most used and destructive drugs amongst children, teens, incarcerated people, and institutionalized people. An inhalant can be a gas, aerosol, or solvent, which is breathed and absorbed through the lungs. Most commonly used inhalants, which are used as recreational drugs are:nn Household products/organic solvantsn *Cleaning products, fast drying glues, nail polish removers n Fuelsn *Gasoline (petrol), Kerosene n Propellant g

Giving care to others can be stressful, professional caregivers have to strike the balance between good self care and professional care giving to others. Helping professionals need to ensure that they are robust and emotionally well in order to be able to care for others. This can be challenging in the workplace, they may have demanding case loads, little time to reflect on practise and difficulties with managing a good life/work balance. This makes helping professionals at risk of both burnout out and compassion fatigue. Understanding burnout and compassion fatigue

What comes to your mind when you think of an alcoholic and drug addict? Do you immediately envision a person on the side of the street, begging for change and holding a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag? Do you envision a person in a crack house shooting up drugs and sleeping under a bridge? If these are the images that first pop in your head, then you have been watching far too much television. There are over 21 million people in the United States who have alcohol and/or drug addictions.

People addicted to alcohol drink compulsively and often claim to have an addictive personality. It is a convenient myth. I heard of a dentist who approached his dental work with compulsive attention to detail. His crowns had to fit perfectly. He was fanatical about bite adjustment and his workspace cleanliness was impeccable--all things I like to see in a dentist, because I do not like pain . . . or recalls.

There are 3 levels of agreement. The first level is the lightest and most casual which we will call an agreement. An agreement is a simple commitment between two people, such as making an appointment to go to lunch next Friday at a certain restaurant. The next level of agreement is a Contract. This type of agreement has some legal ramifications, and is often done in the form of writing. This type of agreement carries more responsibility, and more consequences if it is broken. An example is a contract to borrow money from a bank to purchase a house.

Drugs are presented to every teenager at one point or another. No matter what the discussions at home have been, no matter what a “good boy or girl” that your kid really is, the curiosity of what drugs are about will likely grab him or her at some point in time because here is what the trend today is:

What is relapse? Addiction relapse is generally considered to be the return to addictive behavior that person use it after a period of abstinence. To prevent relapse is a key factor of a treatment program. A relapse prevention plan plays a vital part in the addiction treatment, because, the relapse can be extremely frustrating for people who have addictive behavior and for families. The relapse means treatment failure for some people. I think the value of a program or a rehab center is based on its relapse prevention plan.

Inspired by the popularity of the movies, ‘The Secret’ and What The Bleep,’ which reveal the Laws of the Universe to the adult within you - Cathryn Taylor invites you to take this process one step further. She encourages you to share this ancient wisdom with your Divine Inner ...

Why Use a Breathalyzer? If an officer suspects that the driver operating a motor vehicle is driving under the influence of alcohol, the officer may ask the driver of the vehicle to submit to a Breathalyzer Test. Submission to a Breathalyzer Test is voluntary, but the legal consequences for refusing the test may be very costly. The Breathalyzer Test measures blood alcohol content (BAC) as based upon the amount of alcohol detected on the breath. A simple, easy-to-use device is

When a person decides to get sober the idea of staying sober can be overwhelming. The fear of relapse looms large. A quick review of the literature suggests that the success rate is relatively small when compared to the number of people who attempt to find sobriety. According to a 2003 study, the Caron Foundation documented that nearly 50-90% of people relapse within the first year after treatment or involvement in a 12-step program. Precursors to relapse can include anger, f

The most widely used and statistically proven treatments for drug addiction are called “evidence-based” therapies because of their rigorous testing and government approval. These therapies include one-on-one counseling sessions, peer-group discussions, and family therapy. However, there are other highly successful drug addiction treatments which rehab clinicians across the country use every day to treat their patients. One of these methods is known as reality-based therap

*This article is excerpted from "Overcoming Prescription Drug Addiction". For more information, go to www.prescriptiondrugaddiction.com nnIt’s difficult to say with precision just how many Americans are abusing prescription drugs, although estimates are available. According to 2007 statistics, nearly 17 million Americans aged twelve or older reported having used prescription drugs—painkillers, sedatives, tranquilizers, or stimulants—for nonmedical purposes d

A lot of conflicting emotions surface when you think you notice alcoholic behavior in someone you love. In fact, it is emotional when you realize that you may have a problem with alcohol yourself. It takes a big person to look in the mirror and honestly assess whether alcohol is becoming a problem in your own life, but it is equally as difficult to look at someone you love and think that they may have a problem. The first step to getting through this is to educate yourself on

Often when I teach alcohol education classes I like to ask my students, "Have you sensed whether alcohol is affects your mood?" I hope to address how alcohol and drinking can have a great impact on your mood. I'll also show you some real world examples of the way alcoholic beverages play a pivotal role in your mood.

There are various behaviours that a sex addict can exhibit that make being in a relationship with them extremely difficult. Some of these can include a porn addiction, phone sex, online affairs and in some of the severe cases, prostitutes and strip clubs. Someone who has a problem with sex addiction is far from what anyone would desire as a partner, however, you may be enabling their behaviour without even knowing that you are doing so. To understand how this can actually ha

As a counselor for both classroom and online alcohol awareness classes, I have learned from my students their new affinity for mixing alcoholic beverages with caffinated energy drinks such as Red Bull. since I stopped drinking alcohol before energy drinks came into existence, I wanted to understand how this combination has become so popular. If You Swallow This, You'll Swallow Anything

This is the second post in the series of tactics used by addicts and alcoholics to avoid accountability. Accountability is necessary for all of us. People in recovery need to do everything in their power to remain accountable—this will help them deal with temptations and triggers when they come up. Continuing where we left off at number 4.

I started this article as a reply to a question related to these two articles: * Tactics Used to Avoid Accountability 1 * Tactics Used to Avoid Accountability 2 There are more tactics coming in the near future. Here is the Question. "So when we notice these things in a loved one or friend, what is the best way to approach it?" That is a great question that probably has a million different answers since even though addicts and alcoholics share a lot of similar behaviors, we are all unique in some ways that will change how you should approach them.

If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you, ---Jesus

What is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)? Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a condition in which a person has an unstable mood, disrupted cognitive processes, and problems with behavioral or impulse control. BPD is more common, affecting 2 percent of adults, mostly young women. If you have borderline personality disorder, don't get discouraged. Because, treatments for BPD have improved in recent years and most people with BPD can live happy. What are the symptoms of BPD? • Intense but short episodes of anxiety or depression • Suicidal behaviorr

Alcoholism, like other forms of addiction, is a condition that can progressively worsen. The progression tends to fall into a series of 3 to 4 "steps" with particular behaviors inherent to each. Understanding the characteristics of each of these stages of alcoholism is important for a person to successfully assist an alcoholic recover. In the first stage, the alcoholic physically and psychologically starts to develop a resistance to alcohol's intoxicating effects. When the dr

For more than 25 years, scientists have been hard at work formulating vaccines for nicotine, cocaine and other addictions. Growing recognition of addiction as a brain disease has spurred renewed interest in medical solutions such as vaccines.

Isolation is often thought of in physical terms, as being a process where people physically remove themselves from other people and live apart, either from society or from family and friends and other people. Isolation is sometimes thought of as a good thing, often in the context of someone who lives apart from other people in a spiritual or religious context, such as a hermit or a monk. Isolation is quite often confused inadvertently, with the idea of people living with a measure of solitude or separateness from other people.

Alcoholics Anonymous History and a Relationship with God By Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved Moving from Being “in Recovery” to Having “Recovered” Would you like to recover from alcoholism and addiction? Do you believe that God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, can relieve you of those problems? According to the fourth edition of Alcoholics Anonymous--known affectionately withi A.A. as the “Big Book”--an effective way to recover from alcoholism is to

In the nineteen seventies, burning pot or weed was initially extremely popular. Given that hashish really is a organic and natural plant, folks thought that it couldn't create any sort of dangerous consequences to their physical health. Individuals who use pot show completely different physical and even personality impacts. Almost all feel really sleepy but yet normally pleased, thus, making this plant their favorite for kids. however, whatever is utilized in loads may not be

Drug and alcohol addiction recovery is a process, and a process that continues for life. Unfortunately, because no one is ever "cured" completely from the temptations of addiction, relapse is too often a part of the recovery process. A drug or alcohol relapse does not mean the end of recovery, it's merely a stage in the journey that needs to be effectively dealt with. Although relapse can be emotionally difficult on both the recovering addict and the family, relapse should never mean an acceptance of failure.

OLD AGREEMENTS I’ve been trying to make clear to you that the only worthwhile course of action, whether for a sorcerer or an average men is to restrict our involvement with self image, we must shatter our mirror of self-reflection. -Don Juan Matus When we look at the nature of addiction, ...

The answer to the question in the title of this article is: “Yes, but with the need to understand the limits of online help.” Definitions The words "alcohol dependence" or "addiction" are often used without definition. So, let's first define some terms. As used in this article, ...

Collecting is a worldwide popular hobby which from an early age strikes with the desire to have every stamp of your favorite children magazine or every Barbie doll ever made in history. Some individuals save their collecting hobbies throughout the years to even make them bigger, others either stop collecting or just jump to another theme and start a new collection, this time, usually smaller. However, even if we don't want to agree on this, we are all creatures with desire to

When Is One Drink, One Drink Too Many? A growing number of individuals in our society are being born with, or have developed, an inability to tolerate alcohol. If, for genetic reasons, an individual lacks the natural enzymes and chemicals necessary to metabolize (break down) any food substance, then proper digestion, assimilation and the excretion of poisonous wastes does not occur, causing harmful affects to the mind, body, and the emotions.

The 12 Steps are tools that have helped millions of people overcome their addictions, whether it be to alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling or even food. Originally, the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous were developed by Bill Wilson in the 1930's after he had a spiritual awakening and overcame his alcohol addiction.