Key Takeaways Veterans face a higher risk of substance use disorders due to service-related trauma, chronic stress, and co-occurring mental health conditions, making recovery more complex and deeply personal. Meaningful recovery outcomes go far beyond program completion and include stability, engagement in care, mental health improvement, and long-term support planning. Defining Wellness tracks internal recovery … Read more
Thought about boundaries much? It’s a topic that comes up so often in the addiction treatment and recovery process. With that said, boundaries are more than just lines on a map or fence posts on a property. They can also be your safety blanket for keeping relapse at bay and sticking with your sobriety goals … Read more
If you have a loved one who’s trying to overcome a drug or alcohol addiction, you want them to get better, right? You may even desire to figure out how to help someone with an addiction, yourself. That’s why undermining your loved one’s recovery or encouraging their addiction may be the last thing you’d want … Read more
Thanks to withdrawal, overcoming an addiction isn’t something you can accomplish through quitting substances cold turkey or relying on sheer willpower. Getting help from a detox facility is often the first step in sobriety and establishes the foundation for the rest of your recovery. Whether it’s an alcohol detox, opioid detox, or a marijuana detox, … Read more
When you’re traumatized, the term “complex trauma” may feel off-putting. But what is complex trauma, exactly? And if you think you may be dealing with it yourself, where did your trauma come from, and how can you find healing? Though complex trauma may sound complicated (it does have “complex” in its description, after all), complex … Read more
If you’re struggling with substance abuse or addiction, what should you do next? You may have been trying different ways to quit drugs or alcohol on your own, and nothing’s working. Maybe you’ve realized that you need help to finally achieve sobriety. But if you’re considering professional treatment, which kind should you choose? After all, … Read more
If you’ve been trying to overcome alcohol addiction — or if you have a loved one who’s struggled with alcoholism — you know what it means to be drunk. But do you know what it means to be a dry drunk? While such a term may sound made-up, dry drunkenness is a very real thing. … Read more
What was that thought that just popped into your head? Did it seem random and unexpected, or was it something you anticipated thinking about? Sometimes you can experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts on a regular basis, even though you’d rather not have them come across your mind. Are intrusive thoughts normal or cause for concern? Are … Read more
When you’re using one substance (such as alcohol, opioids, or cocaine), it gets much easier to start taking additional substances as well. Over time however, this habit of using two or more substances and a regular basis can lead to polysubstance abuse and addiction. But what exactly is polysubstance use disorder (PUD) and how can … Read more
We all want good things for ourselves, right? You would certainly think so, but that’s not always the case. Such a reality may be hard to fathom; why would anyone be afraid of success, after all? Yet more often than not, limiting beliefs, fear of failure, and self-destructive behavior can get in the way of … Read more