What can we learn from mindful meditation? Mindful meditation in addiction treatment is the practice of being “in the moment,” and it is much more than just simple relaxation. Practicing mindfulness is about increasing your self-awareness by observing your thoughts, attitudes, emotions, and environment without attaching...
Are you too young to be forgetful about certain things that only older adults worry about? You walk into a room and immediately forget what you were looking for. You’re out with friends or at the grocery store, only to realize that you forgot your...
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) defines addiction as “a complex condition, a brain disease manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences.” By definition, addiction is a relationship formed between an individual and a substance rather than a human being with another human. When individuals...
The Pursuit of Pleasure in American Society Drug and alcohol addiction doesn’t always stem from anguish and painful experiences. We just want to be happy. In fact, the pursuit of happiness is one of our unalienable rights as human beings, as is oft quoted from the...
Call it self-awareness, spiritual awakening, epiphany, “aha” moment or moment of clarity -- all of these terms boil down to a moment in time when one realizes the truth about something that changes his or her life forever. Under the influence of drug and alcohol...
No one will be “found out” The passage of Proposition 47 in November 2014 provided relief for many who lived with substance abuse addiction, as this measure reduced the legal ramifications of drug use from a felony to a misdemeanor. However, the stigma associated with drug...
In the weeks and months leading up to your spouse’s job loss, you probably noticed the red flags but did not realize how serious it was affecting his or her employment. One of the major signs of substance abuse addiction is poor decision-making, which affects...
When you’ve got nothing left to lose, you are capable of anything – which can be good or bad. For risk-takers, this can be an opportunity to live like you’ve never lived before. It’s the beginning of a new life, a fresh start, to go...
The first non-opioid medication, Lucemyra (lofexidine hydrochloride) for opioid withdrawal symptoms, was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as...
The Problem with Addiction Treatment Today A 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reveals that among 20.2 million Americans aged 12 and older, only 908,000 reported seeing a need for treatment for illicit alcohol and drug abuse. Of the 908,000, about 65.2% did not...
