Mental Health

Abuse and trauma Emotional abuse and trauma is often the root of addiction and substance use disorders. Bullying is a form of emotional and verbal abuse and can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW wrote an article on childhood emotional abuse and addiction for Medscape (2017) which states, “Emotional abuse during […]

“We can all help prevent suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).” Anxiety, depression, ADHD, and PTSD often coexist with substance use and addiction. If you or a

Recovery is a lifelong process. Old habits of using drugs or alcohol need to be replaced with healthy, sober ones. Eventually, you will begin to enjoy the excitement of everything in life without drugs or alcohol. When you are substance free, you will discover more about yourself such as your interests, hobbies, skills, and potential

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurological disorder that interferes with the brain’s functions that are necessary to assess, plan, and execute daily life. ADHD sufferers are at higher risk of abusing drugs or alcohol than those without the disorder. Mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) usually co-occur with

Past traumatic events can lead to substance use as a way to ease the emotional or physical pain. While in treatment, a person needs to work through past trauma to identify what contributed to his or her addiction and reveal any mental health conditions that may have developed. Healing from past trauma helps a person

Recovery is a lifelong process that can be difficult, but not impossible. In recovery, old habits of using drugs or alcohol are replaced with healthy new ones. Gradually, you will begin to experience the full joy of everything in life. Living substance free will help you to discover more about yourself such as your interests,

Love and tolerance are major tenets of recovery and it means treating others as you would want to be treated. Love and tolerance start with loving yourself, loving other people, and accepting a person as he or she is. Love and tolerance help you understand you can love someone without having to like everything about

“We can all help prevent suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).” Bullying often occurs in school, on the bus, or the playground and it now involves social

People have opinions about all sorts of societal issues, challenges and problems. Addiction is one that is highly charged with negativity, especially with the opioid crisis careening across the country. Addiction can kill people, ruin their lives and those of their families. Paychecks are squandered for six packs, pints and drugs. Those looking at it

Taking an interest in your recovery is more than going to a detox, and later to a rehab. It’s more than showing up for fellowship and 12 Step meetings. Although you may need to detox and acquire the benefits of a rehab, there is more in addition to meetings, you can do for your recovery.