Adult children with parents suffering from addiction can and should offer help. But be prepared for pushback.   “Dad drinks too much. What should we do?” “I think Mom’s using pills. She needs help.”   Sound familiar? If so, we’re sorry you’re in this situation, but we’re glad you’re reading this. When adult children see their parents misusing addictive substances, or suspect they’re misusing them, it’s natural to want to help.   Maybe they just don’t see what’s happening. Maybe they can’t stop. Maybe they just need someone to offer help.   These may be true…or they may ..read more

People are drinking more than ever. We all know why, of course…the world going into lockdown stressed many people to the point where they turned to alcohol. What has happened as a result is nothing short of devastating. If your drinking grew during the pandemic, or you saw it happening with a friend/loved one, here are some things you should know.   The Pandemic Increased Alcohol Consumption Nationwide A Rand Corporation study in the fall of 2021 found that U.S. alcohol consumption increased 14% compared with before the pandemic. Women, in particular, increased the number of ‘he ..read more

Drug overdoses have increased 30% since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in lethal and near-lethal drug use has devastated our society. What’s the cause of most overdoses? More than any other addictive substance, it’s synthetic opioids—particularly fentanyl. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid, similar to morphine, but a hundred times more potent. Also like morphine, it’s typically prescribed for pain relief. Sadly, this is one more instance of a prescription painkiller triggering addictions on a massive scale. Worse, illegal fentanyl use has exploded across the nation in t ..read more

Sleep & Addiction intersect in all sorts of ways. Good and bad. Poor sleep makes addiction more likely to start. Poor sleep can worsen the problems associated with addiction. Poor sleep makes relapsing after treatment more likely. On the other hand… Good sleep can keep addictions away. Good sleep helps us fight addictions. Good sleep makes recovery stick. Why such a messy, tangled-up relationship between the two? It happens because both sleep and addiction affect the same areas of our body’s internal systems. Let’s dive into the reasons behind this entanglement. It’s the only way we can ge ..read more

There’s no shortage of problems spawned by the pandemic. One deserves more attention than it’s getting, even now. Those suffering from addiction to opioids are worse off than they were in January. While we still don’t know the true cost nationwide, it’s worth talking about the problem, and what (if anything) we can do to help one another.   Snapshot of the Opioid Crisis, 2020-2021 According to several news sources & research studies: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported a 39% increase in total deaths from drug overdose between March-June 2020. ODMAP ..read more

Something that surprises many of our clients is the importance of diet in rehabilitation. Why? Addiction has one of the most damaging effects possible on our bodies. Restoring a healthy diet goes a long way toward recovering from the addiction. A healthy body helps promote a healthy mind. And a healthy mind is what you’ll need to live a better life. So let’s talk about your diet, and addiction’s effect on it. How Addiction Affects the Body We approach addiction as a disorder…and while it’s primarily a mental/psychological one, it has physical aspects that affect the body. The mind develops a d ..read more

What happens if you’re in recovery from alcoholism…but still feel depressed? Depression and alcoholism have a long history together. Some people use alcohol to “self-medicate” when depressed, hoping to numb the pain. It may work for a while…however, alcohol is a “depressant” to the body. Which means it can make pre-existing mental health issues worse. Some people may become depressed after the initial euphoria they experience when drinking. So they keep drinking to avoid negative feelings. The cycle repeats, getting worse each time. Depression and alcoholism fueling each other can feel like yo ..read more

2020 caused tremendous upheaval in everyone’s lives. Did you feel tempted to start or resume drinking alcohol, to deal with the stress? You weren’t alone. According to a RAND Corporation study in September 2020, alcohol consumption increased by 14% among adults over age 30, compared to the same time in 2019. That is an enormous jump in just 1 year! Another study from the University of Texas’ Health Science Center found that alcohol consumption went up 19% among “binge drinkers” (those who drink more than 4 drinks within 2 hours) for EVERY WEEK of lockdown. Now, to say 2020 was stressful would ..read more

A Message from our Director re: COVID-19 Precautions for Addiction Sufferers Support Systems Homes has all treatment programs open (Detox, Residential, Outpatient, Day Treatment) and is accepting clients. Support Systems Homes understands the importance of being proactive and taking serious COVID-related precautions to ensure the safety and health of our staff and clients. As such, our facilities follow all CDC regulatory prevention measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We have also implemented numerous safety protocols to minimize risk, while making sure our clients have acces ..read more