Just about everyone has heard the term “functioning alcoholic” before–but what does it actually mean? Is it an apt description or just a form of denial? How do you know when someone needs help for a drinking problem? This North Jersey Recovery Center article will answer these questions and more.  How Can You Tell If Someone Has Alcoholism? Watching someone you love caught up in the throes of addiction can be very painful and leave you feeling worried and helpless. But how can you tell if someone has alcoholism? In many cases there are signs of alcoholism you can look for. Some signs are b ..read more

Entering the Holiday Season Sober and Stress-Free The time of year when families and friends gather for the holidays is fast approaching. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve can bring about a wide range of emotions for many. For some, warm nostalgia and love of family. For others, it may be sadness and loss in remembering those who are no longer here to celebrate the holidays.  Many people feel a certain amount of anxiety around the holidays as well. It’s far more common than you might imagine. The hassles of air travel or highway traffic on the busiest driving days of th ..read more

In Vino, Veritas?  It’s not a secret that alcohol and drug addiction can take some dark and unexpected turns. When people are heavily under the influence of drugs or alcohol, behavior can become less predictable. Everyone has at least one person they know who has a complete personality shift when they drink or use mind and mood-altering substances.  For some people this is just as simple as removing their ‘filter’ so they speak more freely than they might otherwise and say things perhaps they shouldn’t. But for a small percentage of the population, the right amount of a substance can ..read more

Men, Women, and Alcoholism Take what you know about alcohol addiction and sit with it for a moment. Now, close your eyes for a moment and conjure up an imaginary stranger with a drinking problem in your mind. Picture the clothing they might wear. Their height and build. How their hair looks. The way they walk and their manner of speech. Hold that picture in your mind’s eye for a moment.  Now for the magic trick: You probably pictured an adult man of about average height, over 40 years of age with a few days’ growth of beard. Chances are, regardless of your gender identity, the person you ..read more

Entering the Holiday Season Sober and Stress-Free The time of year when families and friends gather for the holidays is fast approaching. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve can bring about a wide range of emotions for many. For some, warm nostalgia and love of family. For others, it may be sadness and loss in remembering those who are no longer here to celebrate the holidays.  Many people feel a certain amount of anxiety around the holidays as well. It’s far more common than you might imagine. The hassles of air travel or highway traffic on the busiest driving days of th ..read more

In Vino, Veritas?  It’s not a secret that alcohol and drug addiction can take some dark and unexpected turns. When people are heavily under the influence of drugs or alcohol, behavior can become less predictable. Everyone has at least one person they know who has a complete personality shift when they drink or use mind and mood-altering substances.  For some people this is just as simple as removing their ‘filter’ so they speak more freely than they might otherwise and say things perhaps they shouldn’t. But for a small percentage of the population, the right amount of a substance can ..read more

Drinking and Drugging in NYC Let’s get real, addiction recovery is challenging just about anywhere. But getting and staying sober in New York City might just be like playing the game on HARD. Yeah, it’s a cliche, but it’s true. This city does not sleep. Three of the joints on The World’s 50 Best Bars list are found here (Katana Kitten, Dante, and Attaboy, if you must know). No matter what drug you want or what time of day or night it is, in New York City, you will find it – or it will find you. Whether you find yourself in an East Village bar sucking back artisanal concoctions or vibing in a H ..read more

This week’s tragic news of Steve Harwell’s passing did not pass without notice in the recovery community. How did Steve Harwell die and what does it tell us about the pressures of fame and celebrity alcohol addiction? We will explore those questions in this North Jersey Recovery Center article.  Smashmouth’s Steve Harwell Claimed by Celebrity Alcohol Addiction Steve Harwell We now know that Steve Harwell’s official cause of death was acute liver failure. Harwell died surrounded by his loved ones after a brief stay in hospice. The fact he was in hospice tells us that his death, sad as it w ..read more

The vast landscape of the illicit drug trade keeps infiltrating with new drugs, some more dangerous than others. But none as visibly horrifying as Krokodil had yet entered the market. However, just as the world has barely begun to recover from the chilling tales of Krokodil, a new drug called Xylazine has emerged, bringing with it a sense of dread and disbelief.  The once obscure veterinary tranquilizer for horses and animals has quietly risen from its clinical origins to become a shocking presence on the streets of the United States. It has found a disturbing new purpose among human user ..read more

Understanding Trauma and Addiction More than ever, people are becoming aware of the links between addiction and trauma. But before we look at the interplay between trauma and addiction, we will define trauma and describe the signs and symptoms that may result from it.  In psychological terms, trauma consists of the emotional response to frightening or intensely stressful events. For example, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is one of the more well-known trauma conditions, but trauma manifests in many different ways. Trauma typically comes from either physical danger or harm or emoti ..read more