The death of a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences in anyone’s life. It’s a situation that’s both painful and impossible to change. It often leads to depression and, for people recovering from addiction, it might lead to relapse. As difficult as it is to work through grief, it doesn’t have to… Continue Reading How to Avoid Relapse while Grieving
Bipolar disorder, which used to be called manic depression, is a condition characterized by alternating depressive and manic episodes. Nearly six million American adults struggle with bipolar disorder. It is a difficult condition that often leads to problems with work and relationships. It also frequently leads to addiction. More than half of people with bipolar… Continue Reading Do You Know the Signs of Bipolar Disorder?
Relapse is common among people fighting addiction. Rates of relapse depend on the substance, but typically the rate is higher than 50 percent, and for opioids, the relapse rate may be at least 80 percent. That might seem discouraging, but there are several things to keep in mind. First, a relapse doesn’t mean you’ve failed.… Continue Reading What Happens Before a Relapse?
It’s often said that addiction is a family disease. Addiction doesn’t just affect the person with the substance use issue. It affects everyone close to her, and especially her family. Addiction makes you unpredictable and unreliable. The people around you constantly have to guess which you they’re getting. That can be especially stressful for children.… Continue Reading The 5 Roles People Play when a Family Member is Addicted
ADHD is a major risk factor for addiction. Having ADHD makes you about 50 percent more likely than the general population to develop a substance use issue, most commonly alcohol. People with ADHD often have racing thoughts that jump from one topic to another, which can be exhausting. They often try to turn down the… Continue Reading Can You Take ADHD Medication while Recovering from Addiction?
Everyone worries sometimes, but if that worry is excessive, persistent, or irrational, it can harm your health. Anxiety has been linked to a number of health problems, including digestive issues, heart disease, pain, headaches, insomnia, and frequent illnesses. Anxiety can also lead to depression and addiction. However, there are healthy ways to manage anxiety. Here… Continue Reading How to Keep Anxiety from Damaging Your Health
Recovery capital comprises everything you have working to your advantage when trying to stay sober. The more forms of recovery capital you have, and the better the quality, the easier recovery will be. On the other hand, if you have little or no recovery capital, you may have trouble staying sober even if you have… Continue Reading What is Recovery Capital?
Everyone experiences anxiety sometimes. It’s normal to feel anxious before a test or a job interview, but if you feel anxious most of the time and about relatively minor things, you may have an anxiety disorder. Signs of anxiety disorders include panic attacks, phobias, constant worry, and insomnia. Anxiety isn’t just unpleasant or inconvenient. It… Continue Reading 5 Ways Anxiety Affects Your Health
For a long time, addiction was considered a character flaw or weakness. People who became addicted, usually to alcohol or possibly opium, were thought to be weak-minded people who made poor choices. Now, largely as a result of the efforts of Alcoholics Anonymous, most people believe that addiction is a kind of disease. Some percentage… Continue Reading Is Addiction a Matter of Nature of Nurture?
We’ve come a long way in understanding addiction, but unfortunately our language doesn’t always keep up. We now know that addiction has a large genetic component and that your risk of addiction has a lot to do with social factors, trauma, and mental health. Despite this, much of our language about addiction remains accusative and… Continue Reading Why Language Matters When Discussing Addiction
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