According to the Drug Policy Alliance, accidental drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50 years old. These deaths are largely preventable by increasing awareness, learning to look for the signs of overdose, having medications such as Naloxone available, and recognizing when people are struggling.
In 2019, the FDA approved esketamine, a derivative of ketamine, for treatment of severe depression when oral anti-depressants alone are unsuccessful. Ketamine is sometimes thought to be a controversial treatment because despite being used for years in the hospital setting as an anesthetic and painkiller, it is also frequently abused as a recreational club drug. … Read More
Change is hard. So hard that in the 1980s, Carlo C. DiClemente and J.O. Prochaska began making personal observations of the clients they treated for alcohol addiction. They noticed that people go through stages of behavioral change as they address their alcohol and substance misuse. This “Stages of Change Model” continues to be used in … Read More
Healthy connection is an important part of sustainable recovery. One way we can connect to others is by reading about personal experiences in the media. The New York Times has compiled a list of recovery memoirs, told from different perspectives, about substance use and journeys of recovery. Their stories are educational and informative for friends … Read More
Physical abstinence from alcohol and other drugs is one of the first steps on the road to wellness, but emotional sobriety, the ability to regulate emotions without external sources, is what allows for true freedom. This article tells us that “the essence of emotional sobriety is good self-regulation.” Emotional sobriety allows us to self-regulate without … Read More
Sometimes people just starting on their path to recovery are hesitant to engage in 12 Step programs. This can be a significant barrier to healing for people seeking recovery, as research has shown that community connection is vital to sustained abstinence. Fortunately, there are several alternatives that can support individuals as they begin their journey.
Substance use disorders are baffling, often times for the person with the disorder, as well as the people who love them. “Why can’t they just stop?” is a common question from friends and family members. People with substance use disorders also find themselves feeling lost and not understanding why they have put themselves in the … Read More
What is mindfulness? How does it relate to recovery? Very often, drugs or alcohol are used to either make us feel less or make us feel more, while taking us out of the present moment. Simply put, mindfulness is the ability to notice what is happening right now. This awareness can serve to help people … Read More
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse has studied people with both substance use disorders (SUD) and eating disorders (ED), and has found that somewhere around 50 percent of individuals who present for eating disorder treatment meet criteria for a substance use disorder, versus 9 percent of the general population who meet criteria for … Read More
Upon first glance, models of addiction that view drugs and alcohol as the problem can be quite compelling. For instance, it is hard to argue that if there are no methamphetamines, there are no meth addicts. But what about the second and third glances? That is what the Hungarian psychoanalyst, Radó,* contemplated in a 1933 … Read More
