The Devastating Effects of Addiction

By Beau Black How does addiction affect you? Substance use disorder impacts all of us, directly or indirectly; the effects of addiction may be physical, relational, financial, or societal. The effects of addiction on those around us, like family, friends, and co-workers, are wide-ranging, but what about… Read More

Family Roles in Addiction and Their Impact on Recovery

By Wesley Gallagher Addiction and recovery are extremely personal experiences. If you’ve experienced either, you know how isolating they can be. No matter what outside forces affect you, ultimately, you are the one responsible for your actions.  However, we are relational beings, and we require the company and support of… Read More

The Importance of Community in Recovery

By Beau Black Substance use disorder affects us all, in a multitude of different ways. The impact goes beyond the addict and his or her family, extending into the community. In our society we may face significant costs as the result of addiction. These costs can come… Read More

How Does Dialectical Behavior Therapy Work in Treatment?

By Wesley Gallagher If you’re struggling with mental health or addiction issues, the best treatment program is one that will work for you and your specific struggles. Ideally, treatment should be catered to the individual and focused on the whole person, which means it will look different from… Read More

Addiction Denial: Could This Be You?

By Clint Fletcher As the worst of the pandemic subsides and we continue our slow return to normalcy, this could be a good time to self-reflect and ask ourselves some important questions. One of those could be whether or not you’ve been living in denial of any health issues that… Read More

Why Length of Stay Matters

By Anna McKenzie Does it really matter how long you stay at an addiction treatment facility? When you’re thinking about going to an alcohol or drug rehab program, you may wonder about how long it will take to start healing. You may also be concerned about the length of… Read More

September is National Recovery Month

Every September for the past 30 years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has sponsored Recovery Month. This important national observance is aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrating the people who get up each morning and bravely continue the journey of recovery. Read More

The Hollower: Childhood Emotional Neglect and Its Effects

Here’s an irony for you: neglect is neglected. In discussions of childhood maltreatment, neglect hovers in the background, included categorically (“abuse and neglect”) but rarely the main focus despite being more prevalent than abuse and just as damaging.[1] The reasons aren’t hard to spot. First, abuse and neglect often occur together,… Read More

How the New Drug Czar May Impact the Opioid Epidemic in America

The opioid crisis may have started with good intentions as doctors over the last 30 years began prescribing more medications for chronic pain. Unfortunately, many doctors and patients didn’t realize that taking opioid pain relievers will quickly lead to addiction. Today, opioid addiction has become a full-scale epidemic that affects… Read More

Growing Up in the Shadow of Addiction

Children of addicted parents who experience relational trauma can carry the imprint of that pain for the rest of their lives. As adult children of alcoholics (ACoA), we can be perplexed about what we’re healing from and how we should heal it. Many of us think that we can… Read More