Addiction | Substance Use Disorders | Treatment
The Real Truth About Loving an Addict
The following is a guest post by Cathy Taughinbaugh of Treatment Talk. “Love recognizes no barriers, it jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” Maya Angelou We often think about the people we love. I’ve been thinking about all of us who love an addict. For us mothers,…
Read MoreChildren on RX Drugs Become Adults with Drug Addictions
Children on RX drugs become adults with drug addictions because addiction is a developmental brain disease and the misuse of drugs during brain development (ages 12-25) is a key risk factor for developing this disease. The following is a guest post by Leslie Botha, Marketing Director for Courage to Change Addiction Recovery Ranches, in which…
Read MorePreventing Suicide Among People Who Abuse Alcohol or Drugs
Preventing alcohol or drug abuse can be critical to preventing suicide, primarily because of the chemical and structural brain changes caused by substance abuse. These sorts of brain changes interrupt neural networks responsible for judgment, memory, emotion, logical thinking – the very areas of the brain a person needs in order to “think straight.” The…
Read MoreSecondhand Drinking | Secondhand Drugging (SHD)
Secondhand drinking, secondhand drugging – they’re as real as secondhand smoke. They are what happens to those who are on the receiving end of a person’s drinking or drug abuse behaviors. What is Secondhand Drinking | Secondhand Drugging (SHD) SHD refers to the negative impacts of a person’s drinking or drugging behaviors. It is what…
Read MoreAddictions Are Treatable Brain Diseases
The idea that addictions are treatable brain diseases is foreign to most people. The definition of the disease itself – addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease – is little understood, and as such, so are its treatment. The following is a guest post by Judith Ann Miller, Ph.D., and CEO of Courage to…
Read MoreThe Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study
Astounding findings about the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) on brain development are now available. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) – Childhood Trauma If you’ve been following my blog or my books, you will have repeatedly read that one of the key risk factors for developing a substance abuse problem and/or addiction is childhood trauma.…
Read MoreBorderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder and the substance abuse | addiction connection explained. The importance of understanding is, in part, due to the role mental illness plays as one of the five key risk factors for developing an addiction. Often people who suffer from a mental illness, such as borderline personality disorder, also suffer from substance abuse…
Read MoreContinuing Care | 3rd Phase of Addiction Treatment
Continuing Care | 3rd phase of addiction treatment – what is meant by this? Doesn’t completing a rehab program or involvement with a 12-step program fix it? First to the Issue of Continuing Care | the 3rd Phase of Addiction Treatment Because addiction – whether it’s an addiction to illegal or prescription drugs or to…
Read More