Taking that first step to get clean and sober is hard. It might seem like everything is working against you — your body is fighting withdrawal symptoms and your mind is tossing up every flavor of denial it can come up with. The last thing you need is treatment that ends up making you feel…
Millions of Americans participate in binge drinking, a highly risky pattern of alcohol use that seriously increases the odds of experiencing diagnosable alcohol problems. In recent years, public health officials and private companies have turned to modern digital technology to develop new ways to stop binge drinking and other dangerous patterns of alcohol intake. A…
The first step of addiction treatment is recognizing that alcohol is causing problems in your life. Denial is very powerful, and you may have spent months or years convincing yourself that everything is fine despite your drinking habits. It’s painful to look at what your life is like because of alcohol, but it’s worth taking…
The differences between the needs of teenagers and adults are obvious, but what are the differences between a residential treatment center for teens and one for adults? Because teenagers’ brains are still in development, special attention must be given during treatment. Many times teenaged addicts and alcoholics are exceptionally rebellious and defiant so they require…
If you read up on binge drinking, what it is, the facts, the risks and the statistics, you might be surprised to learn that you binge drink more often than you realized. Does this mean you have a drinking problem? Does it make you an alcoholic? Do you need treatment and do you need to…
LGBT-specific treatment for substance abuse may be the most effective treatment option for members of this community, but the availability of such services continues to lag behind demand. At the same time, research suggests that LGBT people who access general services for substance abuse or mental health issues often face some sort of mistreatment during…
Research has repeatedly found that rates of substance abuse and addiction are higher among the LGBT community than in the general population. These individuals are free to seek a variety of types of treatment for substance abuse, but one such option is treatment designed specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. This can be…
In America, alcohol use and cigarette use are two of the most likely sources of premature, preventable fatalities. In addition, people who combine smoking with excessive alcohol intake have greater overall health risks than people who only smoke or people who only drink excessively. In a study published in 2014 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical…
You lie awake at night worried about your teenager. He or she has always been a challenging child, but recently they’ve morphed into someone you can barely control. You don’t trust their friends, their grades have dropped, and you suspect they’re doing drugs. Any simple request leads to an argument. They’ve had therapy on and…
When the sounds Jingle Bells and Auld Lang Syne trigger the urge to blot everything out with alcohol or drugs, instead of succumbing to the same-old destructive behavior, why not do something different this year? While you may not put inpatient rehab at the top of your holiday list, here are some very compelling reasons…