One reason many people with alcohol use disorder – formerly known as alcoholism – keep drinking when they want to stop is fear of withdrawal. They know that within a few hours of their last drink, they can expect to experience a range of mild to severe symptoms, but many don’t know that medication may help ease the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Mild symptoms may include mood swings, shakiness, nausea, insomnia, depression, and fatigue. Severe symptoms may include fever, hallucinations, seizures, extreme agitation/confusion, and a dangerous neurological disorder known as Wernicke-Korsakoff sy ..read more

The decision to seek treatment for an alcohol or substance use disorder (AUD/SUD) is a major turning point in life, and a relapse prevention plan is an important part of the treatment process. It’s critical to realize that treatment can change everything. You restore balance to your personal affairs, begin to rebuild your primary relationships with family and others, and learn to live without alcohol and drugs. But what happens once treatment is over? The transition from treatment back to daily life takes planning, attention to detail, and hope for the future. Is there a way to stay connected ..read more

In Part One of this short series, we discussed aftercare plans, with a focus on the importance of a robust relapse prevention plan, and in this article, we’ll share a template for a relapse prevention plan based on the Living in Balance Model developed by the Hazelden Foundation. A Template for Relapse Prevention In general, a good includes a self-care routine that increases emotional and psychological self-efficacy, which is the belief that they can identify and resolve problems they face effectively and efficiently. Once a person in recovery establishes a baseline of self-awareness in t ..read more

Recovery, like life, is filled with ups and downs, highs and lows, successes and setbacks – which is why anyone who enters recovery needs to accept the fact that relapse is real, relapse happens, and the best way to both prevent and recover from relapse is to have a solid relapse prevention plan. To clarify, relapse is when a person in recovery from alcohol and/or drug use returns to using alcohol or drugs after a period of abstinence. Relapse is not exclusive to the disease of addiction, which we now refer to as the disordered use of substances. We diagnose people with alcohol use disorder (A ..read more

In April 1987, the National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) hosted the original Alcohol Awareness Month. The initial goals of Alcohol Awareness Month were to accomplish the following: Increase awareness of the harm caused by alcohol use disorder (AUD). Increase awareness of the negative physical, psychological, and emotional consequences of alcohol misuse Raise awareness about AUD treatment Decrease stigma, misinformation, and fear about AUD treatment After 32 years organizing Alcohol Awareness Month, the non-profit group Partners in Prevention took over, and built on the ..read more

When someone in your immediate circle – a friend, spouse, family member, or other loved one – has opioid use disorder (OUD) and needs professional support for opioid addiction, heroin addiction, or addiction to prescription pain medication, they can find the help they need at a methadone clinic in Tom’s River, NJ. People with opioid addiction can change their lives with medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with methadone, which is one of three medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Methadone Clinics: What You Need to Know M ..read more

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), xylazine test strips are small strips of paper an individual can use to detect the presence of xylazine in an illicit substance. Xylazine test strips are effective for testing any drug, legal or illegal, but in this context – an informative blog for Pinnacle Treatment Centers – xylazine test strips are relevant in that they can prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fatal drug overdose. Many people have never heard of xylazine and have no idea what xylazine is, much less why test strips for xylazine exist. Xyla ..read more

When a family member, friend, or someone important to you has opioid use disorder (OUD) and needs professional support with medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) at a Suboxone clinic in Brick, NJ, then you should inform them that the best possible professional addiction treatment and support is available nearby. Our Suboxone Clinic in Brick, NJ, supports patients with heroin addiction, opioid addiction, prescription opioid addiction, fentanyl addiction, and more. The ongoing overdose crisis in the U.S. affects people from all walks of life. From co ..read more

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that fentanyl test strips (FTS) are an inexpensive, easy-to-use method to test for the presence of the powerful, illicit opioid fentanyl in a variety of drugs. We’ll get into the details on fentanyl in a moment, but first it’s important to understand why fentanyl test strips exist in the first place: to prevent or reduce the chances of fatal overdose. In 2024, fentanyl is almost everywhere in the illicit drug supply – not just in illicit opioids. Drugs that may contain fentanyl include, but are not limited to: Heroin Cocaine Methamphetamine Adde ..read more

People who need treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) at a Suboxone clinic in Tom’s River, NJ should know that the latest and most effective evidence-based treatment for OUD is available nearby. The drug overdose crisis in U.S. has been having a negative impact on people around the country for over 20 years. The citizens of Tom’s River, NJ are not immune, and have experienced the effects of the opioid crisis first-hand. That’s why knowing about the latest treatments – and how to find them – is critical for individuals and families who want to move past the harmful cycles of addiction. What i ..read more