If you have ever had medical treatment such as surgery or a broken bone, chances are you have been prescribed a painkiller. Painkillers, natural or synthetic, are medications prescribed by doctors to manage moderate to severe pain for a finite period. Painkillers are effective at treating pain by triggering the release of the brain’s feel-good…
Medical science and technology have advanced incredibly quickly in the past century. Treatments and therapies have been developed for a wide range of disorders and diseases previously thought untreatable. Care for addiction has changed a great deal. Those addicted to alcohol were once relegated to being sent to insane asylums, and Sigmund Freud advocated for…
Recovering from addiction is a long process with many stages that require different levels of care. Clients who are looking to recover from addiction may choose between inpatient or residential treatment, intensive outpatient or outpatient treatment, or partial hospitalization programs. Depending on their stage of recovery and their personal circumstances, they can choose the kind…
Meth is one of the most dangerous illicit drugs in circulation today. Using meth leads to numerous mental and physical health problems. It can take a while for these to become apparent. But the signs of symptoms of meth use often show themselves much earlier than some of the uglier impacts. Learning to recognize the…
It is easy and tempting to think of addiction and drug abuse as individual problems that only affect the person using drugs. The reality is far more complex and wide-reaching. Drugs affect a family in numerous ways. The impact of substance abuse tends to ripple throughout a family unit. Drugs affect family members profoundly, often…
Addiction and mental health disorders commonly exist together. There is a profound interplay between substance abuse and mental health issues. One common pairing is bipolar disorder and drug use. Having bipolar disorder does not guarantee that someone will struggle with substance abuse, nor is the inverse necessarily true. Yet a correlation between bipolar and drug…
Can you leave rehab whenever you want? Many people wonder about this question. They may have pictures in their mind of psychiatric wards where people are wrestled to the ground when they try to leave. But that just isn’t the reality of addiction and mental health treatment today. Checking yourself into rehab is entirely voluntary.…
Before you or someone you care about needs to consider trauma-informed substance abuse treatment programs to help them overcome an addiction, it may be worth dealing with long-unresolved trauma. Dealing with trauma means decreasing the chances of developing an addiction. But it can also help with overall health and wellness. For example, getting professional help…
Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) are an essential aspect of care for people struggling with overcoming addiction. For many clients, inpatient care, whether in a clinic, rehab center, hospital, or another treatment facility, can be challenging or simply not feasible. For some, the typical IOP may not even fit into their regular schedule. An evenings-only IOP…
Are you or someone you care about considering getting admitted into an alcohol or drug addiction treatment program? There’s no better time to get your facts straight and shatter the myths about addictive substances and addiction than the National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW). The NDAFW of 2022 happens between Monday, March 21 to…