Have you ever been to a music festival or concert and felt like you couldn’t fully enjoy the experience because of the heavy drinking and drug use around you? For those in recovery or who choose to live a sober lifestyle, attending such events can be a challenge. But thankfully, there is a growing movement toward creating designated sober spaces at music festivals and concerts. Alcohol and Drug Use at Music Festivals and Concerts From rock concerts to festivals, music events have long been associated with alcohol or drugs. From a financial standpoint, it makes sense as venues make most of thei ..read more

Sobriety Date: 3/27/2021 Mother of two Wife AA Advocate Rachel M. struggled with trauma, grief, and substance abuse as a high schooler and young adult. Now, a loving wife and mother of two, Rachel is thriving in recovery.   Transcript Rachel drank alcohol or used a drug every single day in high school. After her two family members passed away a month apart. Her habits spiraled out of control. Now a wife and mother of two in recovery, Rachel credits her sobriety to her time and mountainside, taking it one day at a time. And much more. Her story starts with her childhood.  I was an ..read more

Sometimes it can be challenging to come up with healthy coping mechanisms that work best for you, find ways to self-soothe, and manage your physical and spiritual health all at once. But it is critical to address feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. If shifting the focus to your mental and emotional well-being is new, it can be challenging to know where to start. To get inspired, we asked Mountainside’s Clinical team how they have been taking care of their mental health. Here’s what they had to say: Jessica Budinich LMHC, CASAC-Advanced: “I try to set intentions towards strengtheni ..read more

Often when we think of helping a loved one with an addiction problem, most people’s minds jump to helping their child or significant other. The idea that an addicted parent needs help rarely crosses our minds. It is an unnatural thought for us; our parents are supposed to take care of us, not the other way around. When mothers and fathers have an addiction, roles become reversed and the child may become the parent. It is an unsettling and scary situation to be in for many youth and young adults. While there is no playbook for this, there are strategies that might help lessen their feelings of ..read more

Sobriety Date: November 18, 2020 Mother of 2 Yoga Lover Master’s Student Alison B. struggled with substance abuse for most of her early life and ended up in the ICU after a heroin relapse during the COVID-19 lockdown. Her recovery journey starts off with her first trip to Mountainside.   Transcript Alison B. had a roller coaster of a childhood and started taking prescription painkillers at age 12 after a serious car accident. For 20 years, Alison covered up her anger and fear with substances. She went to AA meetings even though she wasn’t sober, and although she connected with the peop ..read more

After over 35 years of problem drinking, I thought I had had enough. Mountainside appeared a good fit for me, and it was. I arrived in November of 2009 and I vividly remember how difficult it was for me to walk through the door. Similar to two magnets pushing each other apart, except inside the building, Mountainside was welcoming me. I learned so much during my 28 days in North Cannan, but, as I realized later, I wasn’t quite ready. Three and a half years of suffering remained. Then, on May 16, 2013 I had finally had enough. I checked in on that day and have not had a drink or drug since. I w ..read more

Sobriety Date: November 18, 2020 Mother of 2 Yoga lover Master’s student Alison B. struggled with substance abuse for most of her early life and ended up in the ICU after a heroin relapse during the COVID-19 lockdown. Her recovery journey starts off with her first trip to Mountainside.   Transcript Alison B. had a roller coaster of a childhood and started taking prescription painkillers at age 12 after a serious car accident. For 20 years, Allison covered up her anger and fear with substances. She went to AA meetings even though she wasn’t sober, and although she connected with the peo ..read more

You have done your due diligence – you found a therapist who specializes in the issues you want or need to focus on, you attend sessions regularly, and complete all the assignments. But at the end of the day, how do you know if therapy is working? 1. Identify Your Mental Health Issues Determining if therapy is making a difference in your life requires self-awareness. Whatever mental health disorder(s) you are dealing with, you need to understand the issues that brought you to therapy to gauge whether the work you are doing with your therapist is bringing about positive change. Progress is goin ..read more

According to the CDC, from 2019 to 2021, there was a 109 percent increase in overdose deaths among adolescents. While teen drug use remained steady for the past few years, many attribute this rise in overdose deaths to the stronger potency and unpredictability of substances. For example, an adolescent may purchase counterfeit prescription pills thinking they are taking one drug but have an entirely different substance mixed inside. We don’t want to sugarcoat it – we understand it can be nerve-wracking talking to your children and teens about drugs or alcohol, especially if you’re expecting a d ..read more

BORGS, also known as “blackout rage gallons”, are the newest party staple popping up across college campuses. A mixture of half water, half vodka, a flavored caffeinated beverage, and electrolyte powder – many young adults are calling this TikTok trend a “hangover-proof” drink. Although some experts view this as a clever way to practice harm reduction and take ownership of one’s choices, others are worried that this is just normalizing binge-drinking habits. We did a Q&A with Outpatient Regional Director Courtney Hulse to get a clinical perspective on the growing trend: 1. Why do some peop ..read more