Blog
Why Military Trauma Can Lead to Addiction
Active members of the military, veterans, and their families are more likely to experience issues related to mental health and substance use disorder (SUD). The most common substances misused by men and women with a history of military service include alcohol and...
What Is a ‘K-Hole’ and Is It Dangerous?
Ketamine is a strong sedative that causes a person to disconnect from themself and their environment. Some seek out this unique experience for the sensory distortion and escape from a stressful reality. There are many harms of ketamine abuse, including dependency and...
Finding Healing Through SMART Recovery
Everyone responds differently to treatment, making personalized care plans essential during recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). Facilities like West Coast Recovery Centers provide a wide range of options, including SMART Recovery and 12-Step groups. According...
What Role Does Grief Play in Addiction Recovery?
Giving up drugs and alcohol can feel akin to losing a way of life. Clients in addiction recovery often go through a grieving process that can be challenging to work through. Family members may also face severe stress and anxiety in having to reorient household...
Meeting the Needs of Women in Recovery
Women attending rehabilitation programs for substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring conditions have distinct issues that therapists need to address during therapy. Women in coed programs benefit from gender-specific therapy sessions focusing on the issues they...
Are Stress and Anxiety Disorders the Same Condition?
Stress is a short-term response to an external threat. Anxiety disorders are long-term and are in response to an unidentifiable trigger. These conditions are closely related and can show up with similar symptoms. Applying healthy coping techniques can help you improve...
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Addiction Recovery
Everyone experiences anxiety and stress at specific points in their life. Although these feelings are perfectly natural, they can become unhealthy if you spend too much time and mental energy feeling stressed about events you cannot change or control. Mindfulness is a...
Are You Pretending to Heal in Addiction Recovery?
Although positivity is often seen as a trait worth developing, toxic positivity is not authentic. Individuals in outpatient programs may be faking their commitment to their treatment plan and progress. This can have negative outcomes for the individual's long-term...
Why Gratitude Heals in Recovery
Practicing gratitude in recovery has become a common topic when it comes to recovery. Even though it seems like something you should do, it is not always the first thing you may want to spend your free time doing. It can also be difficult to know how to express and...
How Do “Hands-On” Therapies Help Addiction?
Learning and growing through personal experience is a process that taps into a person's intuition and subconscious. While moving through physical space, a person can process painful thoughts and emotions more deeply and effectively. Experiential therapies are a unique...