Blogs
Cap Your Alcohol at 10 Drinks a Week: New Draft Guidelines
New draft alcohol guidelines, released today, recommend healthy Australian women and men drink no more than ten standard drinks a week and no more than …
Psychoactive Substances
What Are Psychoactive Drugs? Alcohol and drugs are psychoactive substances because they directly alter the functioning of the central nervous system. A drug is “psychoactive” …
Benefits of Recovery vs. Discomfort of Withdrawal
How Can I Withstand the Discomfort of Withdrawal? Although withdrawal symptoms cause discomfort, the benefits of stopping substance abuse greatly outweigh the harm of addiction …
What Happens After Treatment?
In recovery circles, there is a lot of focus on treatment. Admitting you have a drug or alcohol problem and being willing to seek treatment …
5 Tips for Surviving in an Increasingly Uncertain World
A recent study showed that North Americans are becoming less tolerant of uncertainty.The U.S. presidential impeachment inquiry has added another layer of uncertainty to an …
A Kinder, Better Way: How CRAFT Uses Love and Kindness to Heal Families with Addiction
About ten years ago, I got one of those letters. It was painful to read it but once I had a drink, my pain turned …
The Brain, the Criminal and the Courts
8.30.2019On March 30, 1981, 25-year-old John W. Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan and three other people. The following year, he went on trial for …
When the Skull Is a Bell: Interview with Poet Michael Lee
Michael Lee will always lead me back to the inextinguishable part of the self where the ones we’ve lost are alive in another form. There’s …
Podcast Review: Seasons of Sobriety
The first time I met Howard M. was in June of 2012, at a recovery retreat. Just eight months sober and sequestered among dozens of …
Difficulty Trusting Yourself and Others in Recovery
How Does Addiction Erode Trust Before Recovery? It is very common for people who struggle with psychiatric or substance use disorders to have difficulty trusting …
Fear in the Early Stages of Recovery
Before Recovery, Fear May Be a Way of Life Before recovery, people often live with a great many fears. You might be afraid of someone …
Opioid Crisis in U.S. Military Driven by Combat Exposure in the War on Terror, Research Finds
United States military service members who experience combat are more likely to misuse prescription painkillers than those who don’t engage in combat, according to a …
Life Goes On: Reflections on 2019
Last week I celebrated seven years sober after making it through one of the most difficult years of my life. I have a published book …
Jeff Finds a SMART Solution
This month we spoke with Jeff, an alumni of the Sunshine Coast Health Centre. He checked in for treatment in January of 2019 and has …
Practice, Not Perfectionism, In Recovery
The Time to Start Recovery Without Perfectionism Is Now Putting off decisions to make change comes up all throughout the recovery process, especially when the …
How Do You Know is Someone Is Using Heroin?
I Want to Know If My Loved One Is Using Heroin When you or a loved one struggles with a heroin addiction, it can be …
AIDS Awareness and Substance Abuse
Observing AIDS Awareness Month December is AIDS awareness month, and thanks to research and preventative services, many of those living with HIV/AIDS are able to …
On World AIDS Day, SAMHSA reaffirms commitment to Ending HIV Epidemic with support from partners
By: Neeraj Gandotra, M.D., Chief Medical Officer On World AIDS day, SAMHSA is privileged to work with our federal, state, and local partners in our …
7 Tips for Dealing with Insomnia During Detox
What Is Insomnia, and Why Is It Linked to Detox? Insomnia occurs when a person has persistent symptoms related to difficulty falling or staying asleep. …
Demi Lovato Reportedly Bonded With New Beau Over Sobriety
On November 12, “Sorry Not Sorry” singer Demi Lovato took to Instagram to unveil something special: her new relationship with boyfriend Austin Wilson. In a caption under …
“Patriot Act” Host Hasan Minhaj Talks Mental Health, Stigma
Netflix’s Patriot Act recently returned for a new cycle and host Hasan Minhaj is tackling the hot button topic of mental health. Ahead of the show’s return, the …
Morning Roundup: Nov. 15, 2019
Is There A Difference Between Dependence & Addiction? [Scientific American]Mother Who Forced Her Kids To Sell Drugs Sentenced To Prison [WNEP] Forget Cali Sober. Now There’s Vape …
Facts & Fables: William Schaberg Explores the Big Book’s True Origins
It’s been 40 years since Earnest Kurtz’s Not God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous, which was the last substantial scholarly research into AA’s early years. This …
Cannabis Use Disorder Rising In The US
It has been a popular misconception that you cannot become dependent on cannabis. It’s called cannabis use disorder and it is a lot more common than people …