How Does Alcohol Misuse Affect Health?
Having a drink seems like a simple enough activity until you find yourself unable to stop and completely overwhelmed by how drinking is affecting your health, relationships, and work. Alcohol misuse impacts the brain in multiple ways, compromising not only your ability to make decisions but also to control your actions. How Does Alcohol Change the Brain? Alcohol triggers the pleasure center of the brain. This is the part of your brain wired to seek out things that are good and healthy for you, like eating healthy food and exercising. This is...
read moreCan Alcohol Addiction Lead to a Behavioral Addiction?
Does alcohol addiction make you more likely to develop behavioral addictions, such as gambling, shopping, or exercise addiction? Studies say yes. An international research team from Yale University looked at various factors that contribute to the onset of addiction. They found that several genes and their variants can trigger both substance use disorders and the onset of other types of addictive behaviors. That means a couple of things: Addiction can be linked to genetics (evidence for which can be found in multiple studies). Those...
read more7 Alternatives to Opioid Pain Medication
You have pain. Your doctor is no longer willing or able to offer you pain medication to treat it. This can seem infuriating, and it’s happening throughout the U.S. because of the rise in opioid-related overdose and death. You may be terrified about the lack of ability to stop your pain. What can you do? Opioids Work but Create Risk Opioids are powerful drugs that work to change the way your brain experiences the pain signal. When you incorporate this medication into your treatment, it helps to stop the brain from recognizing those pain...
read moreHow Veterans Can Transition Back to Civilian Life and Overcome Addiction Challenges
Transitioning from the intensity of military life back to civilian life isn’t simple for anyone. In some situations, it’s quite difficult to make this move, especially if you have been in combat or other intense scenarios in which your life and well-being have been on the line. Studies from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs make it clear. There’s ample risk to the mental health of veterans, with 1.7 million people receiving mental health treatment in VA treatment centers in just 2018 alone. Even so, it’s likely that the onset of...
read moreWhat Can You Do When Your Loved One Is Addicted to Alcohol?
You watch them drink all of the time. They have a drink in their hand no matter when you see them. Sometimes you think they go to work just so they have the money to buy alcohol. Perhaps your loved one is pulling away from you, and it seems like all you can do is watch as alcohol use disorder takes over their mind and body. What can you do? It’s common to feel overwhelmed and helpless at the same time. The easy thing to believe is that all they have to do is put down the drink, and everything will improve. That’s not likely to be the case,...
read moreJob Loss and Addiction: How to Get Back on the Right Path
Drug and alcohol addiction often leads to numerous complications throughout a person’s life. One of the hardest parts of this often is the loss of a job. From an employer’s point of view, a person who comes into work intoxicated or uses substances at work is a liability risk. Not only do they perform poorly, but they also may be more prone to causing accidents, creating conflicts, and putting other people at risk. Job loss due to addiction happens because employers need to protect themselves and their employees. What do you do when you’ve...
read moreCould Your Veteran Need Drug Treatment?
Drug addiction is a complex disease that presents itself in people in various ways. Veterans, in particular, are vulnerable due to the mental, emotional, and physical challenges that often result from their time of service. You might view the veteran you love as confident, strong, and courageous, but they may also be struggling with a wide range of emotions, mental health disorders, and physical ailments. They may be hiding it well, or they could be expressing it in a way you don’t understand. Signs a Veteran May Have a Drug Addiction How do...
read moreAre You Ready for Drug or Alcohol Addiction Treatment? 5 Signs It’s Time
Drug and alcohol addiction isn’t something you can hide. You may know you’re struggling with your ability to control what you are using, even if you’re not willing to admit that just yet. For many people, substances are a tool for dealing with stress, trauma, pain, and just life itself. You may believe you can control your use or stop at any time. The reality is, when dependence occurs, it’s nearly impossible for a person to stop using these substances on their own. The sooner you get into a treatment center, the more likely you are to...
read more7 Strategies for Improving Communication with Your Loved One
During drug and alcohol addiction treatment, one of the foundations of success is communication. If you cannot communicate well with your loved ones or they cannot communicate with you, there’s a limit to your quality of life and your ability to recover. It’s not easy. Sometimes it feels downright impossible to talk about what you’re feeling, what your needs are, or even just share your thoughts. But don’t give up. The strategies we offer below can help. #1: Listen First The core first step in learning to communicate is to learn to listen....
read moreDon’t Wait – Why You’ll Benefit from Addiction Treatment Now
Are you ready to recognize the need for drug and alcohol treatment? Perhaps you know it’s something you have to do, but not right now. You want to focus on the holidays and being with your family. “I’ll go in January,” you say. Don’t wait. There are many benefits to treatment now. The Holidays Could Be Better Getting into drug and alcohol treatment right now means that you’re not going to go through another holiday spent arguing with family and friends over your substance use disorder. It means you will be doing something for yourself and...
read moreInsurance Welcome
