Siblings in Addiction Recovery – Repairing the Relationship

Siblings in recovery — trying to repair a relationship with a sibling who is in recovery can be extremely difficult and is such an important topic. Today’s guest author, Alexis Harbison, discusses the restoration of her relationship with her brother, a recovering heroin addict. She writes, “In order to do this, we must be willing…

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Prescription Opioid Pain Medication Misuse

Understanding how the brain maps chronic pain helps explain how a person can develop an opioid use disorder. In other words, abuse or become dependent on opioid pain medications. Scope of the Problem The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shares the following facts in their March 18, 2016, report, “CDC Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for…

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When Mommy or Daddy Is the Problem – Alcohol Misuse | Secondhand Drinking

secondhand drinking IS childhood trauma

When mommy or daddy is the problem, a child can experience childhood trauma, aka Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). And the problem I’m talking about is a parent’s alcohol misuse or the other parent’s coping with their drinking behaviors. In other words, a parent whose drinking (alcohol misuse) changes their behaviors and/or a parent experiencing secondhand drinking — the…

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Five Pillars of Recovery – Guest Author, Jesse Sandler, LCSW

Today’s guest author, Jesse Sandler, LCSW, shares the five foundational behaviors he likes his clients to focus on while in the beginning stages of their recoveries — sleep, hygiene, exercise, intake, and social. Jesse is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy for people in addiction recovery. He works at a dual-diagnosis intensive outpatient…

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Games to Help With Addiction | Codependency Therapy

Games to help with addiction | codependency therapy – seriously? What’s in a Game? Play Therapy for Adults by Kathleen Grant, MA, LMFT, and Laura Osborn, PsyD, CHT, is a book like no other I’ve read in the genre of books that can help families recover from addiction. It’s like no other for three key…

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Living With or Divorcing a Spouse Who Drinks Too Much

Having a family members with a substance use disorder causes secondhand drinking for children

Living with or divorcing a spouse who drinks too much can be a terrifying, exhausting nightmare — especially when children are involved. In fact, one of my most frequently read blog posts is Fears for Children When Divorcing an Alcoholic. I wrote it to address one of the most common issues mothers, fathers, and family law attorneys have expressed…

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Study Drugs | Guest Author Allison Kreiger Walsh, J.D.

Parents may have heard their teens and college students mumbling about the power of “study drugs,” but what are they and what do they do? Today’s guest author, Allison Kreiger Walsh, J.D., of Advanced Recovery Systems (ARS), separates fact from fiction in today’s post. ARS is a network of addiction recovery programs, including online educational…

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