If you’ve skimmed the headlines in recent years, you know prescription opioid addiction is a true American crisis. And things are only getting worse. The CDC reported a 38% increase in deaths by opioid overdose from December 2019 to December 2020. Maybe, when you see this statistic, you think to yourself, “That’s so sad. I’m…
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Substance use disorder and mental health issues often deliver a one-two punch—occurring at the same time for people who could really use a break. Or, to borrow another cliche, these dual diagnoses kick folks while they’re already on the ground. What’s up with that? Why do we see a prevalence of co-occurring mental…
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If you’ve had an injury or surgery, you may have taken opioids to manage pain. But you may be surprised what happens as you heal. It may only take a short period of misuse before it becomes opioid dependence. You may not realize how much you’ve relied on opioids until you try to stop taking…
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We all know about the supposed power of first impressions. Allow us to illustrate how this applies to substance abuse treatment. Cut someone off in traffic only to sit across from them at a dinner party minutes later? That’s bound to be awkward. Show up to your first day on the job early, sharply…
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Where do you turn when you need help understanding addiction? There’s a book for that. They have a way of transporting us from all that we know into a completely unknown world—that is, from our own mind to the mind of the narrator. We see and understand things as they see and understand them. …
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Just this morning, my husband said, “My knee hurts. Must have slept on it funny.” I chimed in, “Yeah? I did something to my shoulder. It’s been giving me trouble for days.” And here we are, folks. Our bodies—these glorious things that once rolled around on the ground with friends, powered through…
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If your loved one is living with addiction, it can be hard to wrap your head around their behavior. You may see the way it affects your life and realize you’re struggling to cope, too. If it’s time for addiction treatment, why is family therapy important? Family therapy can help your loved one get…
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If you have an addiction, you’re an addict, right? No? OK, can I make a confession? As a writer, it pains me to mess with the easygoing flow of a sentence in order to meet a need for a client. Let’s say they want me to include the phrase “feathers of a peacock in…
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DBT. Ah, the elusive acronym. Ever find yourself in the middle of a conversation nodding your head along to phrases like “Send a QFE to the BCD, ASAP, will ya?” Okay, so maybe that’s an exaggeration, but the feeling remains. Before we agree to do something, we’d like to get our heads around that…
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When you finally take that brave, bold step toward substance abuse treatment and recovery, you want to know you’re walking in the right direction. Who wouldn’t? When you enter treatment for addiction, you’re giving your time and effort as an investment. And we’re right there with you in saying we hope it’s an investment…
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