ADDICTION

ADDICTION

All The Things an Addict gives up During Addiction

Addiction affected every aspect of my life, and there was nothing about my life that didn’t feel stained while I was using drugs. As an addict, I knew that I was consumed by using drugs, but it’s taken me getting clean to realize just how much I sacrificed...

ADDICTION

This Holiday Season, Give the Gift of Life

The holidays I remember as an addict are very different. There is no nostalgia when thinking about the tensions my addiction brought to Thanksgiving dinner, or the pain I saw in my parents’ eyes when I would see them for Christmas.

ADDICTION

Letting Go and Moving Forward after Addiction

As an addict, I was completely haunted by my past.

ADDICTION

The Word of an Addict

Anybody who has lived with addiction, whether as an addict or with an addict, likely understands what I mean when referring to the word of an addict. Promises are made, then guarantees, then more promises, then more guarantees: “I will do better.”...

ADDICTION

Don’t Wait for the Miracle —Go Find It

Addiction robs a person of so much in life. The joys of simple pleasures and hobbies; the warmth that comes from healthy relationships; the fulfillment that comes from being successful in life; the peace that comes from having high character and aiming...

ADDICTION

The Concept of Hitting “Rock Bottom”

Through all my years as an addict, I’ve heard more terminologies and catchphrases associated with addiction and what’s needed for an addict to get clean than I care to count. Perhaps there is no theory or phrase more prevalent than the idea an addict...

ADDICTION

Warning Signs Addiction Is Taking Hold

Confronting a person when suspicion of drug or alcohol abuse arises is usually a pretty daunting task. How does a person know for sure if their loved one has a problem with addiction?

ADDICTION

How Does an Addict Make the Correct Changes to Stay Clean?

I heard the same phrase for years when I was in and out of treatment facilities hoping to turn my life around and get clean: ‘The only thing you have to change is everything’. I’ll be honest, that sounds great on paper and all, but that never seemed...

ADDICTION

Repairing Relationships Damaged by Addiction

The people we love and care about, the connections we have and the bonds that are formed with those relationships, are the foundation that drives us as human beings.

ADDICTION

Addict for Life?

This is a topic that has been on my mind lately. As a former addict who spent years in and out of treatment facilities, the notion that I would be an addict for life was so ingrained in my mind that it stopped being something I questioned or debated.

ADDICTION

Long-term Treatment vs Traditional 28-Day Program

For an addict, the prospect of leaving for treatment for an extended amount of time comes with its own fears. For the addict with a family who depends on them, that prospect can feel overwhelming.

ADDICTION

The Power of Not Giving Up

Losing hope. Giving up. These are all common themes an addict deals with while going through the pitfalls created by addiction. Unfortunately for the loved ones of the addict, these elements associated with addiction aren’t exclusive to the person using...

ADDICTION

What Is a Successful Recovery?

I hear this a lot when talking with addicts or their loved ones who are searching for the best place to find help: “How do I know this will work? How do I know they won’t relapse as soon as they walk out of the door?”

ADDICTION

Trick or Treatment—Home for the Holidays or Getting Help

It’s that time of year again. As October approaches the first wave of the holiday decorations are appearing in the form of pumpkins, witches and cobwebs. Next, we’ll have Thanksgiving in November, Christmas in December, then ring in the new year in...

ADDICTION

Vaping THC and the Dangers of Drugs in 2019

As the country debates the dangers of vaping and whether it’s a safer alternative to smoking tobacco, lawmakers have been working to induce bans on products that are flavored as the toll rises of people who are reporting illnesses that are linked to...

ADDICTION

Painkiller Please

In this modern age of medicine, the most common way of handling anything that causes a little bit of pain seems to be to find the right form of painkiller.

ADDICTION

Happy Halloween—What Mask Are You Wearing?

As October approaches, Halloween approaches with it. It’s admittedly a fun time of year, where kids and grown-ups alike can ditch their everyday attire, get their creative juices flowing and try to out-do their classmates, friends, or co-workers as they...

ADDICTION

The Rise of Fentanyl

With news stories regarding overdoses being churned out at seemingly every corner as the opioid epidemic continues to sweep the country, there is one word that has become as constant as anything else I’ve seen in these heartbreaking stories: fentanyl.

ADDICTION

Leaving Treatment without a Plan Is Like Going on a Road Trip without a Map: You’re Going to Get Lost

When a person prepares to leave treatment, the hope is always that they have a plan in place that afterwards gives them the best chance to succeed. But what is that exactly? Having a solid plan is obviously important, but sticking to that plan is where...

ADDICTION

Are Relationships in Early Recovery a Good Idea? I Think Not…

For a lot of addicts who make the decision to clean up their lives and go to treatment, the days and weeks after a person leaves are at once both a very exciting and extremely critical time that will set the stage for whether a person continues to live...