Addiction | Substance Use Disorders | Treatment
Early Trauma Can Change a Child’s Brain
Early trauma can change a child’s brain. These brain changes can alter the physical and emotional health of that child across their lifetime. Seriously. And why might readers of BreakingTheCycles.com be interested in this topic? Because trauma – also referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) – is often at the root of alcohol and…
Read MoreKey Information About Alcoholism
How many times has your loved one promised to stop or cut down their drinking only to relapse – again? How many times have they looked you straight in the eye and said, “No,” when you ask if they’ve been drinking? How many times have they driven, ruined a family gathering or hurt your feelings deeply…
Read MoreUnderage Drinking – How Teens Can Develop an Alcohol Use Disorder Before Age 21
Underage drinking is one of the key risk factors for developing an alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use disorder is the umbrella term for drinking patterns that include binge drinking, heavy drinking, alcohol abuse and alcoholism. It is often considered a right of passage; something most teens and young adults under 21 go through. As such, the…
Read MoreParental Alcohol Use Disorder Causes Trauma
Growing up in a home with parental alcohol use disorder “can feel like life in a war zone,” writes frequent guest author, Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT, in her article below. Darlene is the author of Codependency for Dummies and Conquering Shame and Codependency: 8 Steps to Freeing the True You, and her latest eBook is titled, Dealing with a Narcissist, 8…
Read MoreHelping Families Recover from the Opioid Epidemic – Scott H. Silverman
“Sometimes the hardest words in the English language are ‘I need help,’” says crisis coach, family navigator and author Scott H. Silverman. I invited Scott to join me on a Zoom call to talk about his latest book, The Opioid Epidemic, What you don’t know will destroy your family and your life! He started our…
Read MoreWondering if You Drink Too Much?
Wondering if you drink too much? This can be a tough question to answer. And who even knows or decides what’s too much? Is it drinking a couple Scotch on the rocks most evenings? Is it buying a 24-pack of beer on Fridays and finishing it by Sunday night but not drinking the rest of…
Read MoreUsing Brain Science to Treat Substance Use Disorder
Using brain science to treat substance use disorder (SUD) can be a HUGE help. Why? Because substance use disorder (aka alcoholism, addiction, alcohol or other drug abuse) is now understood to be a brain disorder, sometimes referred to as a brain disease. As Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)…
Read MoreCommunication in Families with Alcohol Use Disorder
Communication in families with alcohol use disorder can feel like a minefield of misunderstandings. It’s just about impossible to say what you really want to say because that would be taking a stand against drinking behaviors. And we feel paralyzed just considering doing something like that. Think about it. Can you imagine telling someone who…
Read More