If you have reached the point where your alcohol or drug use and has started to cause problems in your life and you are considering seeking help, that is excellent news.  Recovery is absolutely the best thing you can do for yourself, your health, your loved ones, and your future. But if you are like most people in your situation, you may be worried about what happens next.  In fact, you may have drunk and used for so long that the idea of giving up is terrifying.  Sure, you know that you will experience withdrawal symptoms during detox, but then what? To ease some of your anxie ..read more

This is the second in a two-part series discussing some of the realistic challenges faced by someone new to recovery.  More importantly, we are also talking about possible solutions to those problems. Keep this in mind -any difficulties that your face when you give up drugs and alcohol are just temporary as your mind and body heal and your life returns to normal.  More importantly, your life during recovery is infinitely better than it was during active addiction. You’ll Feel Physically Unwell Addiction wreaks havoc on your body.  In fact, the World Health Organization has iden ..read more

“Endocarditis is a serious, hard to treat condition that significantly increases one’s risk of death. We are working as a team to help find solutions for communities to combat the spread of pandemics and increase awareness in our cities about the dangers of opioid use and the life-threatening condition of endocarditis.” ~ Dr. Mark Bates, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Research Advancement, Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) In early 2018, a study was that highlighted how intravenous drug abuse can lead to endocarditis, a potentially-fatal bacterial infection of the heart.  A presentat ..read more

When marijuana was first legalized in California, one of the biggest concerns was whether or not marijuana is a “gateway drug” that could lead to the use of “harder” drugs like cocaine, heroin, or diverted prescription medications. The Evidence Already Exists “It’s a red flag. It sort of highlights that there’s a potential association that’s important here.” ~ Dr. Lynn Fiellin, Associate Professor of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine But according to science,  that question has already been answered by a 2012 study. Researchers with the Yale University School of Medicine disco ..read more

The worsening opioid epidemic continues to impact daily life in this country. A new analysis conducted by the National Safety Council found that Americans are more likely to die from an opioid overdose than they are from a car wreck. The analysis, titled “Injury Facts”, looked at 2017’s preventable injury and fatality statistics, as reported by the Nation Center for Health Statistics, a division of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the report, the lifetime odds of dying from an unintentional opioid poisoning are 1 in 96. For comparison, the odds of being killed ..read more

Addiction is a disease that thrives on secrets.  This is why substance abusers using slang or street names for drugs.  By using these code words, addicts can conceal their drug use from unsuspecting family members and friends. And right now, once of the biggest drug threats facing this country is cocaine, currently the third-most-abused drug. Cultivation, production, purity, and availability are all up, while prices are down. The challenge for concerned loved ones is to familiarize themselves with this drug lingo, so they can be aware of the problem that much faster. Southern Califo ..read more

“At its heart, Codependency is a set of behaviors developed to manage the anxiety that comes when our primary attachments are formed with people who are inconsistent or unavailable in their response to us.” ~Mary Crocker Cook, Awakening Hope: a Developmental, Behavioral, Biological Approach to Codependency Treatment One of the consequences of addiction is codependent loved ones —typically, long-suffering spouses and partners. In their desperate efforts to “rescue” or “fix” their addict or alcoholic, the frantic family member will often begin to lose their own identity. They neglect their own ..read more

“I love baseball and I love my teammates like brothers, and I am also fully aware that I am leaving at a time when we should all be coming together for one last push towards the World Series. It hurts me deeply to do this now, but I owe it to myself and to my family to get myself right. I want to take control of my disease, as I want to be a better man, father, and player.” ~New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, the night before the 2015 American League wild-card playoff game A few years ago, CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees, a former All-Star and winner of the CY Young Award,  shocke ..read more

“We all know that the opioid epidemic is taking an unspeakable human toll through addiction, abuse and overdose, but our findings suggest that the toll may be even greater when we consider the cardiovascular effects opioids may have.” ~ Dr. Jonathan Stock, M.D., Yale New Haven Hospital Preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2018 suggests that opioid use raises a person’s risk of atrial fibrillation by up to 34%. This is a serious cardiac condition causing the upper chambers of the heart to quiver chaotically. Atrial fibrillation is one of the to ..read more

A slip is an error in learning… (People) who recover from habits they want to change treat slips very differently. They see themselves as having made a mistake they needn’t repeat. And RECOVERING from a slip gives them stronger confidence in their ability to resist temptation.” ~Dr. G. Allan Marlatt, PhD, Director, Addictive Behaviors Research Center, University of Washington To be absolutely clear – a relapse during recovery from alcohol or drug addiction is NEVER all right… or to be expected… or bound to happen. The primary goal of recovery is ALWAYS to avoid substance use. Keep this in min ..read more