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Substance Abuse

How to Know it’s Time for Rehab

Wondering if it’s time to go to rehab? Chances are, if you’re reading this, the answer is yes. Jokes aside, here are some guidelines for those who are unsure if their “partying” has crossed a line. You Are Having Health Issues If you are having...
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Substance Abuse

Is a Sober Living Home Right for You?

Getting ready to leave treatment and feeling unsure about your next steps? Are you wondering if a sober living home is right for you? Leaving the safety of treatment can be scary! Most people will be faced with returning to their jobs, families, and friends...
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Substance Abuse

Is it Dangerous to Withdrawal from Benzos?

Benzodiazepines—often known as “Benzos”—for short, is the class of drug that includes Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin, among others. These act as central nervous system depressants that work by slowing brain activity, and are generally prescribed to treat alcohol withdrawal, anxiety, panic attacks, and seizures. While...
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Substance Abuse

The Family’s Role in Addiction Treatment

The old adage is true: addiction is a family disease. And as such, a family can play an essential role in a loved one’s treatment and recovery. As addiction can take a massive toll on a family’s wellbeing, getting help for yourself while the addict...
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Substance Abuse

Signs a Loved One May be Addicted to Pills

Prescription drugs – much like anything else – can be lifesaving when used as intended but can often turn into an addiction. No one should have to suffer from extended pain or other debilitating conditions. When over-the-counter drugs won’t cut it, such as when recovering...
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Substance Abuse

Stages of Withdrawal

What Is Withdrawal and How Does It Work? Withdrawal is a phrase used to describe the physical and psychological symptoms that occur when a substance is reduced or abruptly stopped. When someone has depended on drugs or alcohol for a long time (or even just...
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Substance Abuse

Managing Co-occurring Disorders in Recovery

A co-occurring disorder is defined as having a substance abuse disorder as well as one or more mental health issues. These can be tricky to navigate while still in the throes of addiction as one issue often amplifies the other. Many people resort to self-medicating...
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Substance Abuse

Do’s and Don’ts of Early Recovery

If you are just starting out on what is, hopefully, a lifelong journey of recovery, it might seem like tough going. We get it and have been there. Early recovery can be marked by anxiety, depression, regret, and fear about the future. Not to mention...
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Substance Abuse

Signs and Symptoms of Alcoholism or Addiction

Oddly, it can be astonishingly difficult to diagnose oneself as an alcoholic or an addict. Our lives can be burnt to the ground, in smoldering flames all around us, and yet we still can’t see it. The spectacular levels of denial and delusion surrounding addiction...
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Substance Abuse

“He Did Not Want to Die”: Inside Fentanyl’s Deadly Rein

Swainson Brown was a beloved chef at a restaurant on Shelter Island, near New York City. One night in August, he consumed cocaine, which authorities said he had no idea was laced with fentanyl. Mr. Brown was among six people in the community who died in three...
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Substance Abuse

How Long Do You Need to Stay in Treatment?

Let’s be honest—choosing the right treatment center for the right length of time can make the difference between life and death for someone struggling with addiction. And figuring out how long you should stay for the best chance of success can be confusing! Here are...
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Substance Abuse

The New Meth Crisis

For years now, we have heard about the seemingly never-ending scourge of the opioid epidemic. In fact, on this blog, we have written extensively about the soaring rates of overdoses associated with opioids that break records each year. Turns out, a parallel crisis exists, but...
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Substance Abuse

America’s Overdose Problem

As we’ve written about before on this blog, America is in the midst of an overdose epidemic of epic proportions – and it seems to be getting progressively worse. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) just released their annual statistics on the country’s overdose deaths,...
Featured image for “Twin Pandemics: Overdoses are More Common and Deadly than Ever Before”
Substance Abuse

Twin Pandemics: Overdoses are More Common and Deadly than Ever Before

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published its ever-more grim overdose statistics, and it’s not looking good. The data set is published annually and tracks the previous year’s deaths attributable to overdoses as well as where those ODs occur and what drugs...
Featured image for “Record Setting Overdose Rates as Pandemic Continues”
Substance Abuse

Record Setting Overdose Rates as Pandemic Continues

Overdoses are again on the rise as the coronavirus pandemic rages on. As we reported earlier, fatal ODs surged in tandem with the arrival of COVID-19 and its associated interference with routines, jobs, recovery activity, and essential health services. Recent research suggests that trend has...
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Substance Abuse

SPRC Primary Mental Health Care

 Finding the right treatment for you or your loved one’s specific needs can be challenging. Mental illness does not respond to a “one size fits all” approach—which is why our program is designed to offer personalized treatment to address an individuals’ unique needs. Our goal...
Featured image for “The Hidden Epidemic: Coronavirus Pandemic Unleashes a Spike in Overdose Deaths”
Substance Abuse

The Hidden Epidemic: Coronavirus Pandemic Unleashes a Spike in Overdose Deaths

New data is pointing to a dangerous nationwide uptick in drug overdoses since the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic. Recent reporting indicates the spike is being driven by myriad social and economic factors – including a loss of funding for treatment programs, increased social isolation,...
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Substance Abuse

How Addiction Affects the Brain

First things first: understanding what drives addiction is not generally enough to beat it. However – an understanding of the way addiction hijacks the brain can help to explain why so many people who want to quit find themselves totally powerless. Cognitive researchers have made...
Featured image for “Overdose Deaths Have Dropped But Remain Shockingly High”
Substance Abuse

Overdose Deaths Have Dropped But Remain Shockingly High

Recent figures released by the Centers for Disease Control indicate that 2018 saw the first decline in drug overdose deaths since 1999. Overdose fatalities dropped by 4.1%, compared to 2017, and the drop mostly involved natural and semi-synthetic opioids. Despite the improvement, the numbers remain...
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Substance Abuse

Does Rehab Work?

As Shawn took a seat on his first day of treatment, the group counselor stood up and issued a dire warning: “Look to your left. Now look to your right. According to the statistics, two of you won’t make it.” In Shawn’s case, it was...
Featured image for “Overdose Deaths Drop for the First Time Since 1990; Fentanyl Remains Deadly Risk”
Substance Abuse

Overdose Deaths Drop for the First Time Since 1990; Fentanyl Remains Deadly Risk

For the first time in over three decades, the US in 2018 recorded a drop in the number of drug overdose deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control’s annual survey. The decline came almost entirely from a dip in the number of deaths associated...
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Substance Abuse

Choosing the Right Treatment Center: 10 Things to Ask

Long-lasting recovery from compulsive and self-defeating behaviors is possible, and seeking treatment is a perfect place to start. Although, admittedly, choosing a treatment center can be a daunting and overwhelming prospect. Here we offer some guidance you can trust to help you find your way to...
Featured image for “Finding Peace at Last: How Neurofeedback Therapy Helped Samantha Get the Help She Needed”
Substance Abuse

Finding Peace at Last: How Neurofeedback Therapy Helped Samantha Get the Help She Needed

By Megan Krause Believe it or not, your brain really does want to be healthy. It might not always seem like that, we know. Sometimes it seems like our brain is attacking us from a million different angles. We’ve been there, too. Our brains have...
Featured image for “The Problem on the Street: Fentanyl and The New Face of the Opioid Crisis”
Substance Abuse

The Problem on the Street: Fentanyl and The New Face of the Opioid Crisis

The Opioid Epidemic The opioid epidemic continues to rage across the country, with a record 72,000 drug overdose deaths estimated in 2017, up sharply from the previous year, which itself was record-breaking. The statistics are heartbreaking, and often leave us feeling powerless in the face...
Featured image for “How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Changed Cherie’s Life – and It Can Change Yours, Too”
Substance Abuse

How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Changed Cherie’s Life – and It Can Change Yours, Too

Cherie McMahon had always been a nervous kid. Her anxiety increased in her 20s, compounded by bouts of depression and obsessive-compulsive behavior. She was plagued by stress and self-doubt. She had insomnia. Her relationships began to suffer. Last summer, the 34-year-old Phoenix native finally had...
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Substance Abuse

How We Are Celebrating National Recovery Month

September is National Recovery Month—a time when people whose lives are touched by addiction come together to celebrate stories of hope and change. Every year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sponsors Recovery Month to bring attention to substance use disorders and honor those...
Featured image for “Overdose Stats for 2017 Are In: Drug Deaths Are Breaking Records”
Substance Abuse

Overdose Stats for 2017 Are In: Drug Deaths Are Breaking Records

Early estimates suggest that 2017 is the deadliest year yet for drug overdoses in America. Some 72,000 people died—that’s 200 people a day or one death every eight minutes. This means drug overdoses in 2017 killed more people than guns, car crashes, or HIV/AIDS ever...
Featured image for “Hope For the Hopeless: Can You Get Sober if You Don’t Believe in God?”
Substance Abuse

Hope For the Hopeless: Can You Get Sober if You Don’t Believe in God?

Can you get sober if you don’t believe in God? The short answer is: sure you can, come on in! But there is more to the story… Often people in need of help for their alcoholism or drug addiction wander into treatment centers or 12-step...