Support Series: Self-Care

Self-care is an important recovery tool. Engaging in self-care is an appropriate and healthy way to bolster physical and psychological well-being. During the dark winter months which include the stressful holiday season, uncomfortable feelings or situations can easily threaten emotional stability and potentially trigger relapse.    Self-care has been defined as providing adequate attention to… Continue Reading Support Series: Self-Care

A patient asks his therapist "What is dual diagnosis?"

What is Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

Dual diagnosis is a term that treatment professionals use to identify mental illness and co-occurring substance use. Both conditions form a symbiotic relationship in which one either contributes to or draws from the other. For instance, a client may self-medicated to cope with a mental illness. Likewise, excessive substance use can intensify the symptoms of… Continue Reading What is Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

A nurse talks to a surgery patient about how to limit your risk of addiction after surgery

How to Limit Your Risk of Addiction After Surgery

Prescription opioids have been a major driver of the opioid epidemic that claimed nearly 60,000 American lives in 2017. Many people who would not otherwise have been exposed to opioid drugs were prescribed excessive amounts of painkillers following surgeries or other medical procedures, developed a physical dependence, then became addicted. Some of these people turned… Continue Reading How to Limit Your Risk of Addiction After Surgery

a doctor studies a medical interface and wonders does alcohol kill brain cells

Depression Isn’t All in Your Head, Part 1: Problems with the Standard Model

This is the first of three posts based on the work of writer Johann Hari, whose search for answers about his own depression led to his book Lost Causes: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression–and the Unexpected Solution. Most of us are familiar with the standard explanation for depression: depression is the result of a… Continue Reading Depression Isn’t All in Your Head, Part 1: Problems with the Standard Model