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Drug and Substance Abuse Articles
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- Who Is An Alcoholic - by Submitted on Sep 21, 2011 from Charles SomerHave you ever wondered if you or a loved one is an alcoholic? There are many different definitions and explanations of what alcoholism is and who can be classified as suffering this addiction. Many times these designations are chosen by the various treatment facilities, perhaps the best way to ...
Views: 1783(2 votes) - Why Home Drug Testing Can Help Solve the Prescription Drug Abuse Problem - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2009 from Anne HamiltonPrescription drug abuse is extremely common in the Unites States with a large number of younger school children resorting to such medicines to obtain their highs. It is the second most commonly abused category of drugs after marijuana as estimated by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. ...
Views: 1806(2 votes) - Siblings - The Forgotten Ones - How Siblings Get Hurt - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2010 from Judy HerzanekThe Parable of the Prodigal Son While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with compassion the father ran to the son, threw his arms around him and said, "Welcome home." His son had come to his senses. "Let's have a party!" His brother refused to come ...
Views: 3046(5 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Do You Need Detox After Relapse? - by Submitted on Nov 07, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWhile most people realize that relapse is a common experience for addicts in recovery, they often do not know how to get back on track after relapsing on alcohol or other mood altering drugs. Although relapse is commonplace, it is predictable, and thus preventable. For many recovering ...
Views: 6520(3 votes) - Family Dynamics of Addiction Exposed: Identifying The "Real Problem" and What To Do About It - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2009 from Peggy FergusonMany non-addicted spouses complain about how their addicted significant other is driving them crazy, making them depressed, or leading them toward suicide or homicide. These comments only illustrate the destructive nature of the family dynamics of addiction. The addicted and non-addicted ...
Views: 3339(3 votes) - Addiction, Self-Harm, and Eating Disorders from a Metaphysical Perspective - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2009 from Kristen FinlaysonAs a licensed therapist I worked with many individuals who presented with significant self-destructive behaviors. In therapy, depending on the presenting difficulty, we addressed the reasons why the client engaged in those behaviors. Taking uppers for Depression, downers for Anxiety, cutting to ...
Views: 7717(5 votes) - Extra, Extra, Read All About It! Ten Million Children on Drugs! - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2009 from Regina MurphyAlthough this headline will not appear in The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal maybe it should. The chances of a child being addicted to drugs to alter their moods in adulthood increase exponentially if they are prescribed medication by a psychiatrist or doctor at an early age. Parents ...
Views: 2203(2 votes) - From Alcoholic Enmeshment to Rational Recovery - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2009 from James KrehbielTodd came to see me at the encouragement of his mother. He "talked the right talk" about leaving his drugs and alcohol behind, although he had a long track record of failed attempts. Todd had been in and out of residential treatment programs without success. This young man looked to me and ...
Views: 1897(2 votes) - How to Scare Your Kids Into Avoiding All Drugs - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2010 from Scott & Stephen PetulloA very concerned mother recently wrote to us because she had discovered that her 17 year-old son was smoking pot. She was worried about addiction and asked us what we would do in her situation to help him realize the spiritual and other consequences of his choices. Even though we intuitively ...
Views: 3781(2 votes) - Is Alcohol Romancing Your Teen? - by Submitted on Nov 13, 2011 from Ronae JullHe was just eleven years old when he first tried alcohol at a friend's house, and by age 14 Jack was drinking regularly. He joined the millions of teenage boys and girls who had what he called a "positive experience" with alcohol, yet the long-term effects were devastating. During his later teen ...
Views: 1893(2 votes) - Minor In Possession Online Courses Benefit Teens Going Through Difficult Times - by Submitted on Apr 17, 2012 from Ari NovickThe time when man is usually prone to many behavioral influences is during the youth phase of life. At a young age, many factors come to play in the life of a human affecting him positively or otherwise. During this stage, one is full of energy and exuberance and there is high proclivity for ...
Views: 1801(2 votes) - Purple Drink, Cough Syrup Abuse - What "Syrup" Does to Your Body - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2011 from ChooseHelp.com Addiction TreatmentPurple Drink Promethazine and Codeine containing cough syrup abuse has become popular in certain circles, especially in Houston and the South. Mixed with soft drinks and soda, it is drank and taken in high doses creating a euphoric effect that can "slow" people down. This relatively new ...
Views: 11786(2 votes) - Rick S. Personal Recovery Story - by Submitted on Apr 26, 2011 from Addict's Friendhttp://www.addictsfriend.com Sober, Happy, & Free Author: Rick S. Reprinted From: The Community Health Alliance -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I grew up in Chicago, one of six kids. My dad worked three jobs most of my childhood, and ...
Views: 1534(2 votes) - Sex, Drugs, CNN & You - A Blueprint to Eliminate World Poverty - by Submitted on Sep 20, 2009 from Danish AhmedHi there everyone!! You've heard of living in the moment and the Power of Now, right? Does it make sense to live life that way 100% of the time? It actually wouldn't work. There are times when we want to contextualize the past, anticipate the future, and be conscious of impact that we ...
Views: 4097(5 votes) - Teens Need Help Understanding Alcohol Now more than Ever - by Submitted on May 31, 2011 from Ari NovickWhen Do Teenagers Drink the Most? If you don't think your son or daughter drinks, think again. If you think your teen hasn't been exposed to drugs or alcohol, think again. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about ...
Views: 1433(3 votes) - Troubled Teenagers – Identifying and Dealing With Tough Issues - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2011 from Christina BottoTeenagers need help and guidance, but it can sometimes be difficult for parents to recognize when to intervene in their teen’s life. Today’s teenagers face different problems and challenges than those you experienced as a teen. Emotional pain and distress can be expressed in many different ...
Views: 2785(3 votes) - How to Get Your Troubled Teen Back on Track - by Submitted on Apr 05, 2012 from Ken RabowWhy are so many young people willing to self-sabotage every aspect of their potential future? Not participating in class, not doing the required studying, staying up late, sleeping most of the day away and missing more and more school. For quite a few, video gaming and/or substance abuse is ...
Views: 5755(4 votes) - One More Essential Tool For Preventing Relapse in Early Addiction Recovery - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2009 from Peggy FergusonMost non-addicted people have routines and organizing structures in their lives that help provide stability. An addict's lifestyle is often one of chaotic instability and disorganization. A general lack of structure and routine contributes to this disorganization and chaos. An addicted ...
Views: 3478(4 votes) - addiction treatment center - by Submitted on Mar 22, 2019 from Addiction AideSIGNS OF DRUG WITHDRAWAL Drug withdrawal refers to a set of symptoms that occur as a result of cessation from a drug or medication that one has habitually used for a prolonged period of time. The symptomology of withdrawal is as varied as the substances that produce their effects. One can ...
Views: 933(1 vote) - *** A Story of Hope - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2009 from Debra Norton“Before I came to Amistad, nobody ever took time to teach me how to do something. I just had to figure it out on my own. Now I have mentors who are like me. They have been drug addicts and they have been incarcerated but they are doing something different with their life today. I could ...
Views: 2595(1 vote) - *** Amity Foundation’s Annual Acknowledgement Ceremony - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2009 from Debra NortonWe need to send a message to the world. Let it be known that the people in our penal institutions are not invisible; they are not to be thrown away. There is redemption that can be had in the lives of every human being. We stand here in solidarity today with Amity Foundation to say that we ...
Views: 2785(1 vote) - 3 Everyday Coping Tips for Life after Drug Rehabilitation - by Submitted on Aug 29, 2018 from Brooke ChaplanSpending time in a drug rehabilitation center can go a long way towards helping you live clean and sober. Maintaining the same sobriety outside of a treatment center, however, can be challenging. Inside a treatment center, you are surrounded by others struggling with the same things you are as ...
Views: 1174(1 vote) - Addiction and Recovery: Do You Really Have to Hit Bottom to Recover? - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonThere is a generally misguided notion that you have to "hit bottom" to be able to get sober and stay sober. "Hitting bottom" is usually seen as the loss of the things that you value in your life. It is an individually defined event and the concept has probably hindered the recovery efforts of a ...
Views: 2806(1 vote) - Addiction and Recovery: Preventing Relapse After Surgery - by Submitted on May 19, 2009 from Peggy FergusonYou are ultimately responsible for your own addiction recovery. When you know that you have to have surgery, it is important to keep everyone treating you informed about your recovery and addiction history, including the names of the drugs, the amounts, the lengths of time that you took them, ...
Views: 4547(1 vote) - Addiction and Recovery: Ten Common Myths about Alcohol and Drug Addiction - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonPeople who don't know much about alcohol and other drug addiction, often buy into common myths and stereotypes about addiction and addicts. It is important to replace mistaken assumptions and judgments about addiction, so that you can approach those afflicted with the illness, with compassion ...
Views: 4194(1 vote) - Addiction and Recovery: The Emotional Highs and Lows of Early Recovery - by Submitted on Sep 21, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWhen someone makes a decision to get the help that they need to quit drinking and using other drugs, everything begins to change. As an addict’s body begins to detox and as she is consciously trying to interrupt the momentum of addicted use of a chemical (including alcohol), she goes through ...
Views: 4869(2 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Understanding The Nature of Addiction to Understand Cross Addiction - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2009 from Peggy FergusonEarly addiction recovery is a fragile thing. One of the most frequent contributing factors in relapse is something we call "cross-addiction". Essentially what cross-addiction means, is that if you are alcoholic or addicted to other mood altering drugs, you a potentially addicted to all mood ...
Views: 2892(1 vote) - Alcohol Addiction Symptoms and Signs - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2009 from Rich HenryAlcohol is a word that appears so much in our daily lives and culture that it is difficult for a non-alcoholic to imagine a life of alcohol addiction. Yet, no matter how much one may despise the term and the addiction, psychiatrists describe an alcoholic as one who exhibits any or all of these ...
Views: 2077(2 votes) - Anger May Stem from Alcohol and Other Drugs - by Submitted on Jul 22, 2009 from Buck BlackThere can be more to the anger iceberg than just feelings. Often people come to my office because of anger management issues and when I assess them for the reason behind the anger, they have extensive alcohol or other drug use. Others may have a brain injury. In cases where drinking or ...
Views: 2160(1 vote) - Best-Selling Self Help Book Uncovers Factors Prompting Drug Abuse - by Submitted on May 21, 2010 from Leah FriedmanAbuse of Street drugs and powerful prescription drugs has been all over headlines, reportedly creating mental and physical repercussions which millions around the world have discovered can be avoided through the principles contained in L. Ron Hubbard’s best-selling self-help book ...
Views: 2327(1 vote) - Court Ordered 12-Step Attendance is Illegal - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2009 from Tom HorvathThis article is not intended to convey legal advice, which can only be provided by an attorney licensed in your state. What follows is an addiction psychologist’s summary of a legal issue he has been following for over a decade. The “establishment” and “free exercise” clauses of the US ...
Views: 2154(1 vote) - Family Dynamics of Addiction and Recovery: How to Let Go and Regain Your Peace of Mind - by Submitted on May 24, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWhat are you afraid of? Fear and anxiety are part and parcel of daily life with familial addiction. Fear is a paintbrush that colors almost all aspects of family life. Some fears are easily recognizable in an addicted family: "What if he gets arrested?" "When am I going to get the call in the ...
Views: 1711(1 vote) - Family Members Know You are Going to Relapse in Your Addiction Before You Do - Listen Up - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonThe family dynamics of recovery is rarely smooth sailing. Relapse, which is a process, has a tremendously negative effect on significant others. Family members who have labored and struggled to remain with the addict through all the active years of addiction, to assist them in finding their way ...
Views: 4805(1 vote) - How to Treat Drug Addiction - by Submitted on May 10, 2009 from Menno SpijkstraThe treatment of drug addiction is actually a combination of spiritual, traditional and the medical way that allows the patient to fight being drug addicted. It is critically important for people to look at some ways of treatment for drug addiction because it is a fact that this addiction is ...
Views: 1803(1 vote) - Marijuana Addiction Symptoms and Signs - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2009 from Crystal SmithPerhaps no drug has invited as much heated debate and ferocious argument as marijuana. Marijuana has been a source of fierce pro and against positions mainly because it is considered by many to be the least harmful of drugs; and whether or not marijuana addiction is an actual threat is debated ...
Views: 3040(2 votes) - Marijuana, Motivation, and Legalization - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2009 from William BerryThere is a lot of discussion these days about the legalization of substances, especially marijuana. These discussions and articles focus on how it might improve the economy, to decriminalization resulting in fewer deaths and a drop in the growth of HIV cases, to medical benefits of marijuana. ...
Views: 3012(1 vote) - Opiate Addiction Symptoms and Signs - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2009 from Crystal SmithOpiate addiction is an insidious problem that has plagued society for centuries, but perhaps never more so than today. A two-edged sword, opiates can heal or destroy. An opiate is any drug derived from the opium poppy plant. The main opiates are morphine, heroin, and codeine. Thebaine and ...
Views: 2951(1 vote) - The Evolution of Alcohol Abuse Counseling - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2012 from Vonda KingThe alcohol addiction counseling that is available today is much further advanced than the primitive approach used previously for treating alcohol addiction. Alcohol addiction has existed for many years and is widely known as "alcoholism". Drinking, occasional overindulgence and getting a ...
Views: 1869(1 vote) - The Life and Death of a Drunk - by Submitted on May 17, 2009 from David HarmMy favorite recovery author is John Bradshaw. He is the one who introduced me to the idea of the inner child. And he also helped me understand that alcoholism is never a primary illness, but rather it is a secondary disease. Bradshaw believes that the primary illness is co-dependency or as he ...
Views: 2094(1 vote) - Tips to Help You Reduce Alcohol in Social Situations - by Submitted on Jun 03, 2009 from GARTH DELIKANTalk to a partner or friend – they could help you highlight some self-help ideas. Try to stop drinking alcohol on weekdays and make some minor lifestyle changes like increasing your physical activity. When you are drinking, try to substitute every second drink with water, non-alcoholic beer, ...
Views: 2102(1 vote) - Working Through Feelings in Addiction Recovery - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2009 from Peggy FergusonOne of the most important tasks necessary for maintaining abstinence and growing in recovery is learning how to appropriately work through feelings. Many people use alcohol and other drugs in place of dealing with or managing emotions. Alcoholism/drug addiction often involves skill deficits. ...
Views: 8253(1 vote) - Tips to Stop Enabling - by Submitted on Oct 12, 2009 from Beverley GlazerThere are very fuzzy boundaries between helping and enabling. If you’re enabling, you think that you’re helping, but what you’re doing is anything but helpful. Here's some information so that you don't confuse the two. Helping When you help someone you are doing something that they cannot ...
Views: 15791(4 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Plan Your Vacation, Not Your Relapse! - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWhen facing the loss of most of one’s structure in situations like vacation or business trips, relapsive thinking can return, even in established, stable recovery. The relapse thoughts can include some of the below, but this is not an all inclusive lists. When planning a vacation or business ...
Views: 4050(2 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Prevent Relapse By Making Good Choices - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2009 from Peggy FergusonRelapse is a process that occurs over time, in the context of significant decisions. Many people who relapse say that drinking or using was the furthest thing from their mind just before they consumed the chemical. In reality, most of the time, relapse was in process some time before the ...
Views: 4613(2 votes) - Cross Addiction and Relapse - Examples and Relationships - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2009 from Peggy FergusonCross addiction is one of the leading causes of relapse in early recovery. Cross-addiction involves being addicted to all mood altering drugs. The following are illustrations of cross addiction. 1. Some people become cross-addicted in their efforts to camouflage their addiction. ...
Views: 4897(2 votes) - Guide to Eliminating Deception and Dishonesty - How to Get Real in Addiction Recovery - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2009 from Peggy FergusonMany people, while active in addiction, engage in deceptive, dishonest behavior, and diversionary tactics. These are part and parcel of addiction and the need to keep the extent of their problem hidden. It is difficult to juggle all the demands of being addicted with all the "normal" demands of ...
Views: 7321(2 votes) - Addiction and Recovery: Drinking or Using Dreams as a Normal Part of Recovery - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2009 from Peggy FergusonWhen you have a drinking or using dream, you may wake up not really knowing if it actually happened. Many people in early recovery find it disturbing and frightening when they experience a "using" dream. Drinking and using dreams are those dreams where the central theme or experience is about ...
Views: 4883(2 votes) - Addiction As Disease Does Not Equal "Get Out of Jail Free" - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2009 from Peggy FergusonSometimes family members have a hard time with the idea that addiction is a disease. When this is the case, it often has to do with the issue of responsibility. Sometimes family members believe that "disease" is equated with a "get out of jail free card" or not being held responsible. This is ...
Views: 2297(2 votes) - Addiction Recovery: 12 Do's and Don'ts For the Family While the Alcoholic is in Rehab - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2009 from Peggy FergusonYour significant other finally went to rehab. With all the events leading up to his agreeing to go to treatment, it may feel like a let-down. You may have breathed a big sigh of relief as you drove away from the airport or the treatment center after dropping him or her off. You may feel hope. ...
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