John Lee

2013’s Best Expert Addiction and Mental Health Answers!

The best of the best – an incredible collection of 12 comprehensive expert answers on subjects as diverse as the ethics of passing bipolar on to biological children, organ donation for alcoholics, talking to small children about addiction and staying sober at college as a freshman alcoholic.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) – An Effective Supplement for Trichotillomania and Other Impulse Control Disorders?

Could an inexpensive over-the-counter amino acid supplement really help you best your hair-pulling, skin picking, nail biting or other form of impulse control disorder? Initial research suggests that it just might.

What Is Methadone? – An Introduction

Although methadone has long been a somewhat controversial and unfortunately stigmatized medication, it’s also the most effective medication for the treatment of opiate addiction. A daily dose of methadone removes all drug cravings and withdrawal symptoms from even the most severely dependent opiate abuser and lets you get your life back on the right track, free from the pulls of temptation. Methadone has a low entry cost and is easily available throughout America.

Can a Doctor Prescribe You Suboxone? Are You an Appropriate Candidate?

Suboxone is a medication that can be prescribed in month-long take home doses and that can take withdrawal pains and drug cravings away – letting you get your life back on track. Unfortunately, not everyone can or should take this medication. Find out if you are an appropriate candidate for Suboxone treatment by reading this checklist of situations that would bar you from using the drug.

Why Is It Sometimes Hard to Find a Suboxone Doctor? The 100 Patient Limit

The DATA 2000 Act made it possible for doctors to treat opiate addiction with controlled substances from clinics and private offices. Office based treatment with Suboxone is convenient and perfectly suited to the needs and wants of many considering the recovery process, but frustratingly, it is not always easy to find a doctor capable of prescribing Suboxone in your area. Read on to learn why not all doctors can prescribe this medication and to find out how to find a doctor that can!

Treating Acute or Chronic Pain While on Suboxone

Pain often leads to pain medication – which too often leads to addiction – but what do you do when trying to overcome an opiate addiction but still have need for acute or chronic pain management? Here is a brief guide to treating pain while on Suboxone.

Heroin Addiction: Physical Dependence + Addiction Brain Changes = A Tough Drug to Beat

Withdrawal symptoms don't tell the whole story. Learn why persistent cravings make heroin so tough to quit.

Volunteering in Recovery – Strengthen Your Sobriety by Helping Others

Volunteering in recovery: Help others find recovery as you increase your own chances for lasting sobriety! Here are some ideas for getting started.

7 Characteristics of Effective Addiction Treatment for Older Adults and Seniors

It's a given that older adults and seniors do better in treatment programs with peers of a similar age, but what else do you need to look for to find a great addiction treatment program that's going to work well for an older adult or a senior?

Late-Onset Alcoholism – Alcohol Rehab for Older Adult

Late-onset drinking: The causes and consequences, the differences between late-onset and early-onset drinking and the unique treatment needs of older alcoholics.

Do You Need Addiction Treatment? Consider Whether Your Lifestyle Matches Your Values? If It Doesn’t…Maybe You Do

Overcoming ambivalence: How does the ‘ideal you’ compare with the ‘current you’? Not sure? Well, take a few minutes to complete the following exercise and find out how far you’ve strayed from the life you’d love to have. If your lifestyle strays too far from your goals and values, you may want to consider serious action to get back on track.

Recognize the Physical Signs of Stress and Learn 2 Quick Ways to Turn it Off

Listen to your body to quickly diagnose a stress reaction... and quickly regain your calm with 2 easy stress-busting techniques.

Mental Health Interventions

Interventions are most commonly used to help convince a reluctant loved one of the need for addiction treatment, but interventions can also be used to convince people with eating disorders, sex addiction, gambling disorder, OCD and other compulsive or destructive behaviors of a need for treatment and change.

The Importance of Harm Reduction Programs: Why Abstinence-Only Programs Aren’t Enough

Some drug users are willing to get help but aren't ready to quit at this moment. Recognizing this, harm reduction programs exist to minimize the health, economic and social costs of drug use at the personal and community levels.

Group Therapy - Info Sheet

None of us goes through life in isolation – and the problems we face in life are rarely as unique as we believe them to be! Group therapy is a very effective form of counseling that harnesses the power and authority of a group of people facing similar challenges for support and learning and toward behavior change.

Cocaine Cravings and Cocaine Withdrawal Symptoms Timeline

Learn what to expect from cocaine withdrawal and learn how long your cravings will last – and what you can do to tame your urges.

Eating Disorder Relapse: 50 Warning Signs That Predict Relapse

Are you sliding toward relapse? Check your current thoughts and behaviors against a list of 50 eating disorder relapse signs.

Marijuana Harm Reduction: 20 Easy Strategies for Cutting-Down

Twenty effective tips for moderating your marijuana habit.

Alcoholism: Preventing Wet Brain with a Daily Thiamine Supplement

Do you drink heavily? Would a daily thiamine and multivitamin supplement reduce your risk of brain damage? Read on to find out more.

Methadone Dosing – Finding the Right Dose for You

An insufficient daily dose increases your odds of relapse, but how much methadone do you need each day? Read on to learn more about what doses work for most people and what factors influence your dosing requirements.

Eating Disorders: Exploring Recovery – What Is It? What Does It Feel Like?

We don’t yet have a standardized definition of eating disorder recovery, but what does recovery look and feel like? Survivors and experts explain and explore the lifetime journey of ED recovery.

Kleptomania

Do you feel overwhelming urges to steal things that you don’t need, that have little value and which you could easily afford if you wanted to pay? Do find that stealing gives you a momentary sense of pleasure or relief from the tension that builds up prior to stealing? If so, you could be one of the less than 1% of people who experience kleptomania disorder – an impulse control disorder that’s very tough to manage without treatment.

Skin Picking Disorder

If you pick at your skin long and hard enough to cause sores or lesions on a re-occurring basis and you feel distressed about your habit and/or your inability to control your picking habit, then you may have skin picking disorder (dermatillomania) a treatable type of impulse control disorder. Learn more about getting diagnosed, the causes and consequences and the treatments that are used to reduce the severity of symptoms.

Passionflower to Treat Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms

Learn more about this herbal medicine that’s research-proven to reduce the agitation, irritability, insomnia and anxiety of an opiate withdrawal.

Good Listener? Test Yourself, and Learn How to Improve!

Want a quick and easy way to improve your relationship? Try listening instead of talking for a change!!! To start with take this quick self test to assess your listening skills and areas of weakness, and then learn 14 simple listening skills to start using right away.

Obesity Statistics: The Scale of the Problem and Its Consequences

Obesity had nearly tripled in the last few decades and if you’re an adult in America today that’s not overweight or obese…you are in a real minority. Read on to see more obesity statistics and to learn more about the consequences and incidence rates of one of America’s greatest health challenges.

Are You Obese, Overweight or at a Healthy Weight? Calculate Your BMI Score Here to Find Out

Learn how to calculate your BMI Score. Although far from perfect, the Body Mass Index (BMI) score is used to determine what obesity category you fall into.

For Parents: 7 Ways to Help Your Child Overcome Obesity Stigma

Is your son or daughter overweight or obese? If so, then you’ve got to be on the lookout for weight-based victimization and do your best to counteract the stigma of obesity with proactive measures in the home and within the family. Here are 7 ways to get started.

The 10 Principal and Sometimes Sneaky Causes of Obesity

Are you overweight? You surely know that by eating less and exercising more you’d probably lose weight – but are you aware of the more subtle causes of weight gain – like your sleeping habits, the medications you use and your sex and age? Read on to find out what’s making you fat and get a better sense of what’s needed to lose those extra pounds.

Quick Food Addiction Self Test

Worried about the compulsive nature of your relationship to food? Take this very quick quiz and see if you might meet the diagnosis for food addiction.

The Behavioral and Neurological Evidence for Food Addiction

An overview of some of the evidence supporting the still controversial concept of food addiction – evidence from behavioral studies as well as from animal model and neurological research.

The Important Role of Bystanders – Teaching Great Kids How to Beat Bullying

An overwhelming majority of bullying incidents happen in front of peer bystanders – but no adults. Research shows clearly that when bystanders speak out against the bullying the bullying usually stops within seconds, but in an overwhelming majority of incidences, and for a number of reasons, bystanders do nothing to help. Learn more about the role bystanders play in the perpetuation of bullying and learn how you can teach your child to put a stop to any bullying she sees, while making sure she stays safe.

Parents - Don’t Raise a Bully! Parenting Strategies that Reduce Violence and Bullying

Bullying is learned behavior and it can be learned in the home. Here’s how to help your child reject violence and unhealthy aggression.

Handling and Preventing Stress: A 3-Step Approach

Feeling stressed out? Want to reduce the negative impact of stress on your health and happiness? Here is an easy 3-part recipe to more serenity.

In Recovery and in Pain? You Need to Watch Your Stress

Pain ups stress and stress worsens pain – and BOTH increase relapse risks. Learn how to control stress to manage pain.

Cut Down Your Drinking or Drug Use Instead of Quitting – How to Make a Plan

If you can’t or won’t quit, here are 6 questions to answer when making a plan to cut down your substance use.

Considering Marijuana Maintenance: Cannabis as a Substitution Therapy for Alcoholism

Looking at the scientific evidence for and against marijuana as a substitution medication for alcoholism.

Make Up for the Past: 7 Ways to Strengthen a Romantic Relationship in Early Recovery

A relationship strengthening worksheet: once in recovery you can improve intimacy and relationship satisfaction and you can do it from day 1, and since a sober intimate partner can provide such great recovery support, making things right at home is one of the best things you can do for everyone involved.

In Recovery and in Pain? Should You Take Addictive Pain Pills?

Addictive pain medications pose a real threat to anyone in recovery, but then, so does chronic and untreated pain. Learn of drug-free pain management strategies, and a safer way to take narcotic drugs.

Bullying Warning Signs - Is Your Child a Victim?

Bullying is serious and harmful and unfortunately all too common. Is your child a victim of bullying at school? If you answered with a no; are you absolutely sure that you’re right? Learn about the warning signs of bullying and be ready to spot it and intervene early when necessary.

Workplace Bullying

Playground bullies grow up and sometimes become workplace tyrants. If you’re the victim of bullying at work you need to make it stop, before your health, well being and career potential is adversely affected. Learn more about how to recognize both overt and covert forms of bullying and learn how to handle a workplace bully to make the harassment stop.

5 Reasons Why Teens Abuse Drugs and Alcohol. Understand the Motivation So You Can Stop It.

The 5 most common reasons why adolescents use drugs or alcohol - Until you understand the motivation behind the drug use it’s hard to respond appropriately.

Protracted Withdrawal - What It Is and How to Make It Through

Learn about protracted withdrawal, why you might experience unpleasant symptoms and what to do if your symptoms just won’t go away.

Do You Need Couples Counseling? Ask Yourself 12 Questions and Find Out

Sure, things aren’t great… but are they bad enough to warrant couples counseling? Probably better to err on the side of caution, but if you’re really not sure, take this quick and easy self test designed to diagnose a relationship in distress.

DWI Court - Alternative Sentencing for Alcoholics

DWI courts, based on the model of drug court, offer chronic DUI offenders a chance to beat alcoholism for good.

Alcoholic Pancreatitis - Treatments and Pain Relief

Understanding the causes, treatments and prevention of painful pancreatitis.

Alcoholism: Why Some Become Drunks ...and Others Don't

Why can some people drink heavily and never become alcoholics when other people get addicted so quickly?

How Many Calories Are in That Drink?

Learn how many calories some common alcoholic drinks contain.

Wet Brain – Alcoholism and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Long years of heavy drinking may lead to a thiamine deficiency, and a syndrome known as Wernicke-Korsakoff (wet brain). Much of the brain damage experienced is unfortunately irreversible.

AA and Terminal Uniqueness - Are You As Unique As You Think You Are?

A lot of people attend a single AA meeting and dismiss the group as "full of people that have nothing in common with me". 12 steppers call this phenomenon terminal uniqueness. It's very common, and it's usually completely false.

Genetics: Is Alcoholism Hereditary?

While the biological basis of alcoholism is far from completely understood, research now seems to indicate that there is a genetic predisposition passed through families that leaves some more vulnerable to abuse. For anyone with an alcoholic close relative, extra caution must be exhibited when using alcohol.

Alcohol Abuse and Stomach Pain? It's Probably Gastritis

Heavy drinking can cause acute or chronic stomach pain.

Alcohol Health Risks: The Physical Effects of Chronic Drinking

Years of chronic and heavy drinking can substantially damage the organs and systems of the body, and although some of this damage is reversible, sadly, some of the cognitive declines are not. As follows are a list of some of the major organs, and how alcohol abuse can affect each of these organs.

Find Out How Your Drinking Compares to American Averages

The more you drink the greater your risk to develop a problem… but how does your drinking compare to American averages? Find out where you fit in and find out - based on how much you drink - your risk of developing an alcohol abuse disorder.

How to Control Your Drinking on Your Own – From Problem Drinking to Moderation

So you’re drinking too much and you want to change – you have 2 choices, either cut down or quit entirely. While abstinence is the safest course of action it’s not for everyone, and some people want to at least try to cut down before conceding to a need for complete sobriety. Do you want to become a more moderate drinker? If so, here’s how to do it….

Alcoholic Women: Unique and Serious Health Risks

Although it may not be fair, women alcoholics suffer a far worse fate than men. They get more cancers, more liver disease and experience greater cognitive declines. Anyone drinking to excess needs help, but women alcoholics shouldn't wait even one more day. Get help, get sober; feel better.

Should You Consider Disulfiram (Antabuse)? Learn the Facts, Benefits and Risks

Here’s how it works: take a pill each morning and know that for the rest of the day even a sip or two of alcohol will make you feel horribly ill. Need to quit drinking? Is disulfiram a good option for you? Read on to learn more about this FDA approved alcoholism treatment medication.

How’s Your Liver? 8 Ways To Mend Your Liver After Quitting Alcohol

How’s your liver? Find out more about alcoholic liver diseases, and most importantly, learn 8 ways to heal your liver now that you’re no longer drinking! (If you’re still drinking too much, there’s really only 1 thing you need to do - stop hurting your liver.)

A Timeline for the Restoration of Cognitive Abilities after Quitting Alcohol

Researchers say that your brain can make a nearly complete recovery – so long as you give it some recovery time. Here's a timeline of when you can expect different cognitive abilities will return to normal after you quit drinking.

A Timeline Charting the Progressive Nature of Alcoholism

Here are 2 facts about alcoholism: It tends to get worse over time (it is progressive) and most people experience a fairly similar progression of symptoms and consequences. Here is a timeline which charts the progressive experiences of alcoholism through the early, middle and late stages. If you have a drinking problem, find out where you fall on the timeline and consider what’s coming in the future.

How AA Works – Identifying the Individual Mechanisms That Help People Maintain Abstinence

OK – so we know that AA helps people stay sober…but how and why does it help? Well, some of the ways people benefit from AA include: by changing their social networks, by experiencing less depression, by increasing self-confidence and others.

Meth Cravings and Meth Withdrawal Symptoms Timeline – A Countdown to Feeling OK

What to expect and when to expect it – here’s a timeline for meth cravings and common meth withdrawal symptoms. Use this to count the days till you’ll feel OK again.

Do You Have Undiagnosed Adult ADHD? Here’s a Guide to Getting a Diagnosis

Wondering if you might have undiagnosed adult ADHD? Well, diagnosing adult ADHD isn’t easy or straightforward (you have to show that you've had it since you were a child, for starters) - so here’s a brief guide to what you can expect to encounter in the diagnostic process.

Compulsive Hoarding

Do you or someone you love have a house that is literally overflowing with possessions? People with compulsive hoarding disorder have a very difficult time organizing and discarding possessions, even things that to the rest of us - seem like “junk”.

Compulsive Hoarding Self Test

Do you or someone you love have a problem with compulsive hoarding? Take this self test to find out.

Anxiety Statistics – Prevalence Numbers

More than 40 million American adults have an anxiety disorder; making anxiety disorders America’s most common mental health condition.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

The facts about OCD - What it is, making a diagnosis, understanding who is at risk and learning about effective treatment options.

9 Ways to Deal with Stress; Stress Management Techniques

Chronic stress can lead to mental and physical health conditions. Minimizing your stress exposure is best, but many of us can’t practically eliminate stress – so instead we must learn to manage the stress we do experience.

The Physical Signs of Chronic Stress

Chronic stress harms the body. Do you live under chronic stress? Is your body sending you a message?

Acute Stress Disorder

A condition that can emerge only days after a traumatic event and that produces symptoms similar to post traumatic stress disorder.

Specific Phobia

Anxiety in a dangerous situation is healthy; anxiety in a safe situation is not. A phobia is an unreasonable fear that can reduce quality of life. Phobias are very treatable but very few people with specific phobia get help.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Children

Between 3% and 4% of children experience generalized anxiety disorder. It’s up to parents and caregivers to learn the signs and symptoms of this disorder and to initiate treatment, if necessary.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

An abnormal and developmentally harmful fear of separation from parents or caregivers.

Understanding Panic Disorder

Panic disorder sometimes occurs after the experience of unexplained panic attacks. A panic disorder is characterized by an enduring fear of experiencing another panic attack, and the way that fear influences life and quality of life.

What Is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder FAQs

PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Answering some frequently asked questions about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Childhood Social Phobia

Learn to spot the signs and symptoms of social phobia in children.

Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)

Learn about social phobia, an intense anxiety surrounding certain social interactions that interferes with the ability to live a happy and normal life.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is a fear of public situations, which in extreme cases, can lead to a person becoming housebound.

Eat Well, Feel Better. Good Nutrition for Less Anxiety

Here are 6 easily made dietary changes that can help you to reduce the anxiety you feel.

Beta Blockers for Anxiety

A high blood pressure medication that can reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety.

Do You Have an Anxiety Disorder? Know the Signs.

Do you have an anxiety disorder? Ask yourself the following 7 questions.

Does Insurance Cover Online Counseling?

Facts about insurance plan (or managed care plan) coverage of the costs of online counseling

Online Counseling – How Does It Work?

An explanation of the different methods used to deliver counseling over the internet

How Can You Know If Your Online Therapist Is Reputable?

5 ways to ensure that you are dealing with a legitimate therapist or counselor

Online Counseling - Why You Have to Reveal Your Identity

Although you might like to stay anonymous through the use of a pen-name – online counselors, in most cases, will need to know who you are and where you live, before they can ethically provide therapy.

Is Online Counseling Right for You? Practical Considerations

Will you benefit from online counseling? Consider these practical and technical issues before deciding.

Online Counseling for Health and Wellness

With online counseling, therapy isn’t just for people with mental illness. The internet expands easy access to counseling services to people who otherwise would unlikely ever seek help. Online counseling delivers effective, convenient and affordable wellness, prevention and life coaching therapies to anyone in need of assistance.

The Advantages of Online Counseling

A description of some of the many benefits of online counseling.

The Disadvantages of Online Counseling

Despite the many benefits of online counseling, it has its drawbacks. Here is a list of some of the disadvantages of online therapy.

Online Counseling – Privacy Concerns

How to protect your privacy when engaging in online therapy. Easy techniques to ensure confidentiality.

Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Bulimia Nervosa

Signs of an Internet Sex Addiction

A listing of some common signs and behaviors associated with internet pornography addiction.

Sex Addiction Medications

An overview of the medications sometimes prescribed to help control the symptoms of sex addiction.

Overcoming Sex Addiction – Is Abstinence Necessary?

Many sex addicts wonder how they can possible give up sexual activity to recover from their addiction - do you really have to give up sex to beat sex addiction?

Recognizing Problematic Sexual Behaviors

A list of some common behaviors of sexual addicts.

Residential Sexual Addiction Treatment

What types of counseling are offered in residential sexual addiction treatment programs?

Are You A Sex Addict?

Answer 3 easy questions to find out.

Depression in Men

Men are often reluctant to get help for a mood disorder, feeling that complaining about "feelings" is somehow, unmanly; yet millions of American men live with depression, it is truly an equal opportunity mental illness! Learn the facts about men's depression, the different ways men display symptoms of the disease and learn how and why to get treatment that works.

Antidepressants, SSRIs - FAQs

Answers to common questions about a frequently prescribed class of antidepressant medication.

The Different Types of Bipolar Disorder

The signs and symptoms of the 4 basic varieties of bipolar disorder

Sexual Dysfunction and Anti Depressants (SSRIs)

Depression can cause sexual dysfunction and depression medications can actually worsen the problem. Here are the facts about SSRIs and sexual dysfunction, as well as solutions to the problem.

Is It Grief or Depression? (Or Complicated Grief?)

Understand the difference between grief, complicated grief and grief that triggers a major depression.

How to Help a Loved One Cope with Depression

9 ways to help a person with depression

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Depression

An evidence based (proven to work) kind of psychotherapy for the treatment of depression; CBT helps people change the way they think, so they can change the way they feel.

SSRIs and Suicide; What Are the Risks?

Should you take an SSRI/ Antidepressant? Find out about the FDA's black box warning on SSRIs for those under 25 years of age.

Why Women Are at a Greater Risk of Depression

One woman in 8 will succumb to depression during a lifetime. Why are women at a greater risk of this disorder than men? Scientists aren’t yet sure, conclusively, but they have some theories.

Teen Suicide Risk Factors and Warning Signs

Teens with depression and other mental illnesses or those that abuse drugs or alcohol are at a greatly elevated risk for suicide. Learn the risk factors and warning signs of this preventable tragedy.

Recognizing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes alternating periods of mania (an emotional high) with periods of depression (an emotional low).

Depression - Lifestyle Changes That Can Help You Feel Better

Although lifestyle changes should not replace professional treatment (medication and psychotherapy) combining treatment with a few easy changes to your daily routine can accelerate the healing process.

Teen Depression

As many as 5% of adolescents will suffer a major depression, and depression dramatically increases the risks of suicide, the 3rd leading cause of teenage death. Thankfully, teen depression, if recognized, is very treatable.

Nutritional Remedies for Depression

Poor nutrition can cause depression and worsen or prolong depressive symptoms. Good nutrition can protect you from mood disorders and if you're already depressed, help get you feeling better faster. Learn what foods to eat lots of and what foods to avoid, and eat yourself well again!

Bipolar Disorder Treatment Options

An overview of common treatment approaches for bipolar disorder

Atypical Depression

People with atypical depression can sometimes feel joy and happiness in appropriate situations. This is called mood reactivity, and it's what differentiates atypical from clinical depression.

Depression and Relationships – Living with a Depressed Spouse

Depression and healthy relationships don’t often go hand in hand – after all, people experiencing depression have trouble caring about their own life, let alone the wants and needs of those around them. Nevertheless, depression treatments work well and an understanding partner can be invaluable to someone going through mental illness – and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Learn what you can do to help when your romantic partner suffers from depression.

Depression: 4 Supplements That May Reduce Symptoms of Depression

A review of the effectiveness and risks of 4 clinically tested supplements for the treatment of depression (SAMe, L-methylfolate, St John’s Wort and 5-HTP).

Depression Self-Help: An Action Guide to Planning Your Time and Feeling Better

If you’re struggling with depression and lacking the energy or motivation to get out of the house as much as you should try this easy diary activity to schedule in a few more worthwhile activities each week.

Suicide Risk Assessment: The SBQ-R Test

Protect yourself and those you love - Take this 4 item suicide behaviors questionnaire and find out if you’re considered ‘at risk’ to commit suicide.

Dealing with the Brain Zaps during SSRI/SNRI or Tramadol Withdrawal

Get the basic facts about this distressing symptom of SSRI/SNRI and tramadol withdrawal. What they feel like, what makes them worse and what (might) make them better.

Childhood Obesity - How Parents Can Safely Encourage Weight Loss

Obese kids should be encouraged to lose weight for greater physical and often mental health. Learn how to encourage weight loss, without increasing the risk of an eating disorder.

The Dangers of Diets - Learn The Facts

Diets just don't work. 95% of dieters regain any weight lost within 1-5 years, and since futile dieting can harm your health as well as increase your risks for an eating disorder - say no to diets!

Body Dysmorphism Disorder (BDD) - Symptoms, Dangers and Treatments

People with BDD are fixated on a certain part of their face, or body - believe it to be very ugly and noticeable, and worry about it enough to influence quality to of life. In extreme cases, BDD can cause social isolation or even suicide. Understand BDD, and learn how treatment can help.

Anorexia Nervosa - Signs, Symptoms and Risks

Anorexia nervosa, the deadliest mental-health disorder, is a fixation on weight control - literally a form of self starvation. Learn the signs, symptoms and risks of the disease.

Compulsive Eating - Under-Diagnosed and Dangerous

Compulsive eaters tend to be obese, and most people will suggest that the solution to their problems lies through a better diet. Diets don't work well though when food is used as a coping tool.

Eating Disorders - Residential Treatment Options

The differences in price, treatment intensity and therapies between the three different types of residential facilities for eating disorder treatment.

Binge Eating - Facts and Answers

More people suffer binge eating than any other form of eating disorder - by far. Binge eating is also chronically under-diagnosed.

If Outpatient Doesn't Work – Why a Residential Eating Disorder Rehab Might

Although some find solutions to eating disorder challenges through outpatient therapies or group support, others never seem able to break free without more intensive therapy on a residential basis. Learn 7 real advantages of an inpatient stay, and why a residential facility can offer more.

Ipecac Abuse - Deadly Purging

Ipecac kills. Now rarely recommended for use even after accidental poisoning, regular abuse of the emetic syrup is exceedingly dangerous - 10% of bulimics have used it to purge, and some use it with regularity.

Laxative Abuse; It Can Kill - And It Doesn't Work

Tragically, a habitual cycle of binging and purging with laxatives can lead to serious organ damage, and a risk of death. It also won't cause real weight loss.

Eating Disorder Treatments - An Overview

Learn what treatment approaches work for people with eating disorders.

Bulimia Nervosa - Signs, Symptoms and Risks

Bulimics binge eat and purge, as a means of weight management and also as emotional control. Learn what signs indicate tough-to-spot bulimia.

No Diets! How Parents Can Help Kids Learn Healthy Eating Habits

Teach your kids to love their bodies - start by loving your own! Learn why what parents do matters a whole more than what we say, and put into practice easy strategies to keep your kids safe from eating disorders.

Eating Disorders in Men - More Common Than You Think

Almost 1 million American men suffer an eating disorder.

5 Question Test for Eating Disorders

Take the following 5 question test to find out if you have an eating disorder.

The Dangers of Pro-Ana Websites (Pro Anorexia)

Pro Ana websites support anorexia as a lifestyle choice and celebrate extreme thinness as beautiful. People using these sites gain support for their unhealthy eating behaviors; and from within a community of like minded people, dangerous behaviors become normalized. Research shows that the use of pro-ana sites can worsen the severity of an eating disorder.

Excessive Exercise - 15 Warning Signs of Compulsive Exercise

Are you a healthy exerciser or do family and friends express concern at how often, how long and how hard you train? Is exercise fun for you, or is it something you NEED to do so you don’t feel guilty, anxious and depressed? Learn more about the warning signs of compulsive exercise and learn better and more joyful ways to weave fitness and health into your lifestyle.

10 Step Treatment Guide for Bulimia Nervosa

Are you struggling with bulimia? Read on to learn what treatments you need and what you don’t in this 10 step guide to overcoming this damaging eating disorder

Do You Have Binge Eating Disorder? Take This 5 Minute Test to Find Out

Take this quick self test based on the APA’s diagnostic criteria to see if you might have an eating disorder that needs treating.

Binge Eating Disorder: 6 Treatment Recommendations

Struggling with binge eating disorder and ready to get help but not sure where to turn or how to start? Here are 6 guidelines to getting the help you need, when you need it.

Binge Eating: Learn Mindful Eating to Gain Conscious Control over Your Binges

By learning to eat mindfully, even when binging, you can retake conscious control over an automatic behavior.

The CUDSAIR Method – A Framework to Defuse Anger and Resolve Relationship Disputes

If anger and fighting taints an important relationship are you willing to try something new that might help to reduce the tension and arguing? If you are, consider the CUDSAIR method. It’s a structured system for conflict resolution that minimizes personal attacks as it keeps the focus on finding a solution that’s acceptable to everyone.

Fixing a Troubled Parent-Teen Relationship - 10 Easy Steps to Better Interactions

After getting into trouble with drugs or alcohol (or behavior problems) your teen child needs you more than ever. Unfortunately, the negativity that accompanies these situations often poisons the parent-child relationship to a point where it’s hard to effectively parent. Here are 10 easy ways to repair the damage.

Preventing Relapse: 7 Common Exercise Excuses - Refuted!

Getting into a daily exercise habit reduces your odds of addiction relapse – so what’s stopping you? Here are the 7 most common exercise excuses – all refuted!

L-Theanine for Anxiety – Self Medicating Anxiety with Tea?

How about a cup of tea? L-theanine may not replace your need for therapy or medication, but if you struggle with stress or anxiety, or even if you don’t, the soothing and cognition enhancing effects of this tea amino acid may be just what you need.

Pain Catastrophizing – Does Your Negative Attitude Worsen Your Pain?

In pain? Your attitude predicts more about your long-term chances of future pain and disability than your disease or your current pain level.

Adolescent Marijuana Addiction Self Test

Smoke marijuana? Got 2 minutes to spare for a self test? If so, answer yes or no to 12 questions to make sure you don’t have a marijuana problem.

Tai Chi for Better Mental Health – The Evidence

Tai Chi is known to yield physical health benefits like improved muscle strength and balance, but can it also alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, reduce stress and improve mood and self esteem? Read on to find out what clinical researchers say about Tai Chi as a treatment for psychological well-being.

Acupuncture Works as Well as CBT for PTSD

Researchers at University of Louisville School of Medicine ran an experiment on acupuncture as treatment for PTSD and they found that it worked as well as the more conventional treatment of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Mindfulness Meditation – Research Says It Changes Your Brain in Just 8 Weeks

A growing mountain of evidence points to meditation’s effectiveness in controlling and reversing conditions as varied as anxiety and depression to high blood pressure and diabetes, but new research out of Massachusetts General Hospital shows that just 8 weeks of meditation training and practice actually results in physical grey matter changes in the hippocampus.

Understanding Addiction - The Roles of Impulsivity and Compulsivity

Learn how the brain changes of addiction exacerbate problems with impulsive and compulsive acts – how impulsivity drives early addiction and compulsivity and impulsivity perpetuate later stages and most importantly, what you can do to retake control.

5-HTP for Depression - Does It Work? Is It Safe?

Thinking about taking the natural supplement 5-HTP for depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia or any number of other serotonin linked conditions? Well, read on to find a summary of the clinical research on its effectiveness and a discussion on the risks and side effects of its use.

Fentanyl Addiction and Withdrawal

Fentanyl, often sold under the name Duragesic, is a schedule 2 narcotic, and is one the most potent and dangerous of all the abused pain medications.

Inhalant Addiction - Symptoms, Risks and Treatments

Inhalant addiction is a recognized disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, and the abuse of inhalants can lead to serious health consequences and death.

Adderall Addiction

An effective and safe medication for ADD/ADHD but a dangerous amphetamine for those that abuse it.

Ritalin Addiction

Used to treat ADHD, when abused, Ritalin is very pleasurable and also very addictive. Thousands of people suffer addictions to Ritalin, and no matter how they got addicted, they deserve treatment to help them get better.

Codeine and Promethazine Cough Syrup Addiction and Withdrawal

Syrup, syzurp, lean - whatever it's termed - it's dangerous, addictive and the detox is tough.

GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate) Addiction

An addiction to GHB can develop in only weeks of heavy use, and once addicted, GHB addicts face a serious and possibly dangerous syndrome of withdrawals.

Marijuana Addiction Self-Test

About one in ten who begins experimenting with marijuana will find themselves addicted to the drug. Are you addicted to marijuana? Take this test and find out.

Use Cocaine? Watch Your Heart Health!

People who use cocaine have an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and other forms of heart disease. Cocaine causes high blood pressure, can cause cardiac infections, causes the heart to work harder as it shrinks blood vessels, can lead to an enlarged and weakened heart and to a host of other cardiovascular conditions. The chronic use of cocaine can lead to serious damage, but most scarily, cocaine can lead to heart failure even after a first experimentation.

Marijuana – Daily Smokers Talk About the Harms of Frequent Use

According to self-report data taken from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the more often you smoke marijuana, the more likely you are to self-report problems stemming from that use.

APA Recognizes and Describes Marijuana Withdrawal Syndrome

Although for years people believed that marijuana wasn’t addictive, we now know that a small percentage of people will become marijuana dependent. For years researchers also believed that quitting marijuana resulted in no syndrome of withdrawal symptoms – but a growing body of research evidence now shows that marijuana withdrawal symptoms are very real and that they can be very serious. In light of this evidence, the American Psychiatric Association has proposed including cannabis dependence in the upcoming edition of the DSM-V. Here are the proposed DSM-V diagnostic criteria for marijuana withdrawal.

Understanding Addiction - What You Need to Know

Want to understand addiction? Here are the straight facts from the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

70 Reasons Why Life is Better without a Heavy Marijuana Habit

Thinking about giving up marijuana but not sure you’re ready to take the plunge? Well, here are 70 benefits of quitting – all first-hand accounts from previously heavy users about how life changes for the better once you don’t need to get high all the time.

Smoke Marijuana? Then Know Your Ranking - Compare Your Marijuana Habit to American Averages

Do you smoke marijuana? Want to know how your habit compares to the average American’s? Find out your percentile ranking here.

Meth Addiction - How to Stop Using Successfully

Find out how the physical, psychological and cognitive consequences of long-term meth use make quitting so challenging, and how addiction treatment can help you to compensate and stay clean for long enough to give your body and mind a chance to heal.

MDMA / Ecstasy Addiction – The Basic Facts

Is MDMA addictive? Does it actually do you long term harm? How do you know if you have a problem? Read on to find the answers to these questions and more.

Ativan (Lorazepam) Addiction Self-Test (Works for any Benzodiazepine)

Wondering about your use of Ativan (lorazepam) or any other benzodiazepine? Well then, take this 2 minute benzodiazepine addiction self test and find out if you have an addiction, and if so, how serious it is.

Ambien Addiction: Understanding What’s Happening in Your Brain

Learn what increases your risk of Ambien addiction, the particular dangers of use and how to overcome both Ambien dependence and addiction.

Vicodin Addiction – Pain Management during Opiate Tapering

Tips for controlling chronic pain while tapering off Vicodin, such as: an example tapering schedule, experts that can help, alternate forms of analgesia, helpful lifestyle changes and more.

Humility; You Can't Get Sober Without It!

Humility means admitting to the Lord that you cannot get better without His help. It means not worrying about what others may say about your recovery, and it means the end of denial. Real humility before God is the first step to getting better.

Powerlessness…Not Passivity!

Although you are powerless over your addiction and in need of God's help, you must not confuse powerlessness with passivity. You need to work to get better!

Step 10, Staying Sober Through Christ

The first 9 steps of the Christian 12 steps pull us up from the pains of addiction, step 10 keeps us healed. Step 10 is for life...step 10 is for God!

What are the Christian 12 steps to sobriety?

Christians have taken the 12 steps of AA and altered these storied recovery steps to better reflect the healing power of direct prayer to Jesus Christ. Christian rehab uses the Christian 12 steps as a part of a spiritual solution to addiction, and when combined with prayer, bible study and religious instruction; recovering addicts leave treatment well equipped for a lifetime of better and sober living before God.

Making Amends; Don't be Selfish!

When we make amends thinking of how we will feel better, we get nothing. When we make amends truly thinking of how we can make someone else feel better; we gain so much!

Christian Recovery - Jesus Said, One Day at a Time!

The Gospel of Mathew teaches us valuable recovery lessons, and reminds us that with a faith in the Lord, we have no need to worry about tomorrow!

Bible Passages of Recovery - Courage

Recovery is scary. Even thinking about recovery is scary. It's a life transformation, and big changes in life are always frightening...but Christ walks with us. Christ does not test us with more than we can bear, and He commands Hope and Courage. Have faith, He walks with you, and He will walk you through recovery. Have faith, read the Bible and Pray, and do not be afraid.

Christian Recovery: Let Go and Let God

Any journey to recovery begins with an acceptance that without God's wisdom, strength and love, that we have no chance. Let go and let God...He will show us the path and He will give us the strength to walk it! Don't worry anymore, beleive in Him, and get better!

Steps 1 & 2: Coming to Grace Through Recovery!

Working through step 1 and 2 of the Christian 12 steps, you learn to accept God's gift of grace into your life; and you learn that through the grace of God you can get better!

Step 4, Honesty and Truth Before God

Through step 4 of the 12 steps, making a fearless and searching inventory, we understand how we are flawed, we emerge past resentments in life that otherwise pull us to relapse, and we also rediscover our need for Christ. Step 4 is tough, it can be painful, but it's also beautiful!

A Christian Intervention - The Right Thing to Do!

Learn about how a Christian intervention can work, and why it's always the right thing to do.

Bible Passages of Recovery - Strength

This life can be tough...when we travel our journey alone, but the Lord has strength to spare! Use His strength and you will not fall. Use His strength and you will recover!

Noise and Stress – How Environmental Noise Levels Can Spike Your Stress Load

Need to cut your stress load but not sure where to start? Well, if you live or work in noisy surroundings your environment may affect your physiological stress response in ways you’re not even aware of. Reduce some of the noise pollution from your life and see if you don’t feel a little more of the serenity you’re after!

Al-Anon, Family Needs to Take Care of Itself

You're no good to anyone if you break down. You need to get support, get educated and learn what you can do, and what you can never change. Al-Anon can help.

Why There is Always Hope

Although there are few things more painful than watching a loved one fall ever deeper into addiction and abuse, there is always hope, families can influence change, and people do beat addictions every day!

For Teens - Is Mom or Dad an Alcoholic? Take This Quiz to Find Out

Six or more yes answers in the following quiz indicates that your mom or dad is an alcoholic.

Are You Enabling?

Enabling refers to any behaviors on your part that make it easier for the addict or alcoholic to continue abusing without facing the true consequences of their drinking or drug usage. It's easy and natural to enable, and we do it because we care and want to protect our loved ones; but to really offer love and care, the best thing anyone can do is to stop all enabling behaviors, and let the addict face the consequences of their own behaviors. It's tough to do, but it's one of the best ways to help someone you love who abuses drugs or alcohol.

Best AL Anon Quotes – Find Out if Al Anon Makes Sense for You

Do you worry about a loved-one’s drinking? Are you curious about AL Anon but not sure if it’s a good fit for you? Read on to learn a bit more about the benefits of Al Anon family meetings and find a selection of quotes that really encapsulate the wisdom of this 12 step program.

Drug Rehab for Concurrent Addiction to Alcohol & Pain Pills

Conservative estimates report that more than 6 million Americans are battling with an addiction to pain pills, and many of these people are co abusing alcohol and other drugs in combination with prescribed opiates.

About Salvation Army Rehab

For Christian men and women, especially those with financial need, the Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARC's) run by the Salvation Army can offer needed access to long term and comprehensive residential treatment.

Drug Rehab for Borderline Personality Patients

Drug rehab for borderline personality patients is effective, and standard protocols of drug rehabilitation therapy can be used to influence behavioral change, but because of the increased complexity of treatment, a longer and more intensive period of residential rehab will almost invariably be required.

10 Ways to Evaluate the Quality of a Drug Rehab

When you decide to get help you need to get help fast...but you also want to make sure that you receive care in a quality facility, offering you a legitimate chance at sobriety. Here are ten quick ways to evaluate the quality of any drug or alcohol rehab under consideration.

The Advantages of Private Treatment Centers

When choosing a rehab center, a decision must be made between public and private drug treatment facilities. For most people, it comes down to an eligibility for public programs and a cost benefit evaluation of the relative merits of each. In general, for those with the means, a private drug treatment facility offers more.

Gay and Lesbian Drug Rehab

For any number of reasons, the prevalence of substance abuse within the gay, lesbian and transgender community greatly exceeds the percentage of heterosexuals with addictions.

Drug Rehab for HIV and AIDS Patients

Drug rehab for patients with HIV and AIDS is both more complex than normal drug rehabilitation treatment, and for a number of reasons, more vital.

Parental Involvement In Drug Rehab

The decision to finally intervene in your child's life and either convince or mandate drug rehabilitation is rarely a decision taken lightly, and whether your child bottoms out (legal problems, school expulsion) or intervention occurs before the worst has arrived, the emotional stress and trauma of addiction and the difficulty in knowing how best to help can easily overwhelm.

Improve Yourself in 4 Ways and Beat Addiction for Good

Addiction is a complex disease that affects the mind, body and soul. To beat addiction for good you’ve got to be ready to make some serious changes and improve yourself. Read on to find out how making improvements in your physical, psychological, interpersonal and spiritual functioning can help you to overcome addiction for good.

5 Questions to Ask When Picking a Drug Rehab

Choosing the right drug rehab is no easy task, and since the right program can make the difference between success and failure, the stakes are high and making the right decision is pretty important. Here are 5 questions you need to ask and answer about any rehab under consideration.

Should You Go to Rehab? Use a Decisional Balancing Exercise to Decide

Think you need rehab or some form of addiction treatment but struggling with ambivalence and indecision? Take 10 minutes to try this cognitive behavioral technique called decisional balancing and you might find it easier to evaluate the pros and cons and to choose the best course of action.

The Costs of Drug Rehab

Information on the average costs of private addiction treatment and the program costs of many of the country’s best known rehabs.

Court-Ordered Drug Rehab and Addiction Treatment: What You Need to Know

Answers to your basic questions about getting into a treatment program rather then sent to a jail cell. How it works, why it works and where to find court approved treatment.

Getting Insurance to Pay for Drug Rehab – How Health Insurance Companies Evaluate Rehab Claims

Will your health insurance pay for your rehab stay? Read on to find out how insurance companies make approval decisions and make sure you can prove that you need the care you’re entitled to.

Relapse Prevention Programs - Learning to Avoid Relapse after Drug Rehab

Learn why virtually all addiction treatment programs spend a great deal of time and energy teaching relapse prevention strategies. Why they do it, what they teach and what you need to learn.

Before Drug Rehab: Learn Your Detox Options

Answers to common questions, such as: Do you need detox? Where can you get detoxed? How much does it cost? Social or medical…clinic or hospital…how do you know what kind of detox you need? How do you know when withdrawal symptoms are dangerous?...

An Overview of the Goals and Therapies of Drug Rehab

An overview of what you need to learn in drug rehab, the changes you need to make and the therapies used to teach you what you need to know.

Quit Drinking? Now Eat Your Veggies! Understanding Alcohol-Related Oxidative Stress and the Role of Antioxidants

Learn what all that drinking did so you can know how to make up for it now. You can’t undo what’s done, but through good food and lifestyle choices today, you can restore good health, avoid exacerbating any damage, minimize your chances of disease and earn yourself a long and healthy life.

The Value of 12 Step Facilitation in Drug Rehab

While some people disparage AA/NA as unscientific or even cult-like, there’s actually quite a lot of research that demonstrates its effectiveness. Read on to learn more about how and why AA and NA work.

The Best of 2013 - Addiction and Mental Health Articles!

The 12 most read, influential and helpful resource articles of the past 12 months.

Zubsolv vs. Suboxone: Similarities and Differences

Zubsolv is a new drug for opiate dependence. Like Suboxone, it’s composed of a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. Read on to learn about how it works and how it differs from Suboxone.

Advice on Setting a Marijuana Quit Date

Once you decide it’s time to quit, improve your odds by picking a quit date, telling loved-ones about your plan, and getting prepared.

How Stress Erodes Your Memory – And What You Can Do to Improve Your Recall

Stressed out and wondering why you’re so forgetful these days? Try stopping to smell the roses for a change and see if your memory doesn’t improve a bit… Learn more about how chronic stress impairs your ability to form and retrieve memories and learn how chronic stress destroys brain cells and leads to accelerated age-related memory loss; and most importantly, learn what you need to do to protect yourself from this type of cognitive decline.

Adolescent Mental Health – When to Seek Professional Help

How can you differentiate between normal adolescent behaviors and those that indicate a more serious problem? Here are some guidelines from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on when to seek help and what warning signs to be on the lookout for.

Teen Conduct Disorder – Understanding Abnormally Bad Behavior

Having serious trouble with a teen son or daughter that includes heavy drinking or drug use and problems with violence, bullying or law breaking, extreme deceit and a disregard for the rules of the house and even the rules of society? If yes, you may have a child with conduct disorder and the drinking and drug use may be just a symptom of this treatable mental illness.

Prayers for Families of Alcoholics or Addicts

You can do a lot, but only Christ can truly heal. Pray for God's grace and wisdom, pray for an acceptance of your limits and pray that your loved one will feel God's love and get better.

A Prayer for Parents of Troubled Teens

The Lord will heal your teen. Let Him. Pray for the strength and wisdom to do all you can do and nothing more. Pray so that you may transform your pain and anger into love, and pray that your teen may soon feel God's healing power.

A Mother's Prayer. From Sadness, for Love.

We will for always remember our grown children as the innocent laughing souls they were, and it hurts us deeply when we see them in pain. Pray for love; pray that they feel God's love.

Family Prayer of Forgiveness

We do not need to forget, but we must forgive. We must protect ourselves, but we must also act only from love and with kindness. Pray for forgiveness and for love.

A Family Prayer of Faith and Hope

Believe in God, and believe in prayer, and believe that God can do all things. There is always hope. Pray.

Al Anon Prayer for Family

A prayer for grace. A prayer for understanding and a prayer for wisdom. Let God guide you and allow you to live well, for Him.

Prayers for Each of the Christian 12 Steps

Overcome addiction with the Christian 12 steps as you also build a deep foundation for a true life in Christ. Working the 12 steps is rarely easy, but through them you reap a glorious reward. Pray for guidance, strength and courage, and find through Christ what you seek.

First Step Prayers

Pray for truth and of truth. The first step is a simple admission of our powerlessness, and because what seems so simple sometimes feels so hard, we pray.

2nd Step Prayers

The Christian 12 steps evoke beauty and power. They lead us away from drugs and alcohol as they lead us back to a strong connection with Christ... but although the process works, the journey is far from easy. Here are some prayers long used for when times get tough.

3rd Step Prayers

In the 3rd of the Christian 12 steps, we pledge our will and our lives to the God of the Christian Bible.

4th Step Prayers

When we look deeply, and honestly at our strengths, but also at our weaknesses, we rarely like what we see. Pray for the courage and resolve to complete this task.

5th Step Prayers

Pray for the courage to say what needs to be said and for the humility to say it right.

6th Step Prayers

Prayers for understanding, so that we may use our new self-awareness to live better, for God.

7th Step Prayers

We pray and He frees us. Here lies true glory of God! Pray for freedom from your shortcomings, and you shall be freed.

8th Step Prayers

Preparing to make amends takes real courage. Prayer helps a lot.

9th Step Prayers

Here you truly need the power of Christ. Pray for the strength and resolve to make amends well

10th Step Prayers

Pray to live a better life. Pray so that you may not harm as you did while using, and pray so that when you do harms, you see them quickly, and can make immediate amends.

11th Step Prayers

Pray for a life of peace, of sobriety and of Christ. the 11th step is for life.

12th Step Prayers

The 12th step is for life. Pray for the strength and commitment to lead others to Christ.

The Knots Prayer – A Recovery Strength Prayer

A simple prayer to recite whenever fear, guilt, shame or self-doubt threaten to derail your recovery efforts.

Marijuana Addiction: Is It Real? Read the Evidence and Decide for Yourself

Can you get addicted to marijuana? Many dispute its existence but experts say marijuana addiction is very real. Read the supporting evidence and then decide for yourself.

Self Test: How Much Does Pain Affect Your Quality of Life?

Does your pain limit your quality of life severely enough to warrant opioid treatment? If on opioids, do they improve your quality of life enough to justify their risks? Test yourself to find out.

36 Cocaine and Crack Harm Reduction Strategies

Whether you’re cocaine dependent or a recreational user, harm reduction makes sense for everyone. If you can’t or won’t stop, read through this list of 36 ways to stay healthier when you use and adopt those strategies that make sense for you.

Use Opioids for Chronic Pain? Make Sure You Can Answer the Following 10 Questions

Don't consider (continue) chronic opioid therapy unless you can answer the following 10 questions.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder

If you have intermittent explosive disorder you experience uncontrollable bouts of rage that last 10 or 20 minutes, that often result in violence or destruction of property and which are way out of proportion to the situation or the provocation. Your disorder almost surely reduces your quality of life and it may cause you to lose your job or get expelled from school, have trouble maintaining friend or romantic relationships – or it may even land you in jail. Fortunately, for those that seek treatment, help is available and you can learn to get better.

Hospitalization or Partial Hospitalization…What’s the Difference?

It's tough to make an appropriate decision about treatment when you can't understand the terminology used by drug treatment facilities!

Why ADD/ADHD Increases the Odds of Addiction - And How to Get Better

About half of all ADD/ADHD patients will suffer an addiction to drugs or alcohol at some point. Learn why ADD/ADHD increases the risks for substance abuse, and more importantly, learn what's uniquely needed for effective ADD/ADHD and addiction treatment.

Can You Have a Relative That Needs Treatment Committed?

When they are a danger to themselves or to others, can you have them committed? Will the state do what you cannot, and force someone in need of treatment to get help?

Dual Diagnosis: A Better Lifestyle For Better Health

All of us benefit from healthier lifestyle habits, but those feel-good benefits are exaggerated beautifully for those suffering a mental disorder. Get enough rest, eat well and get some exercise; it makes a big difference.

Dual Diagnosis…Don’t Diagnosis on Your Own!

With an increasing pop-culture awareness of mental health conditions there is a tendency for individuals or families to attempt a self diagnosis, and even to take treatment steps based in this self diagnosis. Don't do it!

Family Support After Rehab. Keeping a Dual Diagnosis Addict Sober

Drug rehab is a great step forward, yet it's only the beginning of the recovery journey - and the months and years after rehab present some pretty significant challenges to the dual diagnosis addict in recovery. Family can help, but they have to be tough.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Drug or Alcohol Abuse

PTSD and substance abuse go hand in hand, and since each condition exacerbates the severity of the other, alcohol or drugs are never a good idea. Get help at a facility that combines effective treatments for PTSD and substance abuse, and turn the corner to a brighter tomorrow.

Bi-Polar Disorder and Addiction…Dangerous and Prevalent

Bi-polar sufferers who also abuse drugs or alcohol are 20 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population. This fact alone compels immediate treatment for anyone with a dual diagnosis of bi-polar and addiction. Don't wait to get help.

Elements of Effective Treatment for People with Co-Occurring Disorders

People with co-occurring disorders need treatment which integrates substance abuse and mental health therapies at the same time. Read on to learn more about 8 elements of effective co-occurring disorder treatment programs.

Using Coping Cards and Coping Statements to Improve Mental Health

Coping cards filled with coping statements can help you trade negative self talk with healthier, more positive replacements. Writing coping cards is an easy, no-cost intervention that might just help you. Read on to learn how to get started.

The 4 Quadrant Model – a Co-Occurring Treatment Framework

The 4 quadrant model provides a framework to help you understand what types of co-occurring disorder treatment you need most.

Why Suboxone Is Safer than Methadone

Suboxone is a safer drug than methadone – and so treatment with Suboxone is far less likely to result in tragic overdose (although methadone too, is safe, if used strictly as directed). Suboxone is safer because it is a partial opiate agonist rather than a full opiate agonist and so it can produce only limited effects. It is partially because of this increased safety profile that you can get month long take home doses of this medication.

15 Tips for Easing Opioid Withdrawal Headaches and Muscle Pains

Tapering from opioids or quitting cold-turkey? Here are some home-remedy tips to ease your discomfort.

Change Your Thinking and Feel Better: Learn to Identify These 10 Very Common Cognitive Distortions

Do you ever feel angry when people don’t act as they should? Do you ever get hung up worrying about the worst case scenario? Do you forget to value your positive qualities as you obsess over your less favorable attributes? If you answered yes to any of the above, then cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) might be just what you need.

Reverse the Health Consequences of Chronic Stress with ‘The Relaxation Response’

Could 10 minutes a day save your life? You can’t avoid stress, but if you’re smart, you can use techniques like ‘the relaxation response’ to offset the chronic health consequences. Read on to learn how to get started…

Do You Need to Go to Rehab?

Do you need rehab or outpatient treatment? Here’s an overview of your treatment options and an explanation of what variables to consider when deciding between residential and outpatient care.

OTC and Prescription Medications Used to Alleviate Suboxone Withdrawal Symptoms

A list of SAMHSA recommended medications for managing the withdrawal symptoms that occur during Suboxone tapering.

When to Get Counseling

Could counseling help you live a happier life? Counseling and psychotherapy are not only for those experiencing mental illness, they are appropriate for people experiencing a variety of normal challenges who want to live more fulfilling lives. Here are 20 common reasons why people might see a counselor to get some assistance.

The Difference between Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis

A brief explanation of the differences between psychotherapy and psychoanalysis.

Xanax Withdrawal Symptoms & How to Quit Xanax

Learn what to expect from a Xanax detox, and how to deal with Xanax withdrawal symptoms.

Problems With Rapid Opiate Detox

Although rapid detox promises a very tempting pain free period of detox, there are problems with the safety, efficacy and cost, and addicts considering the relative merits of an opiate detox may need to be concerned.

Cocaine Detox

The cravings can feel overwhelming, and you'll never feel lower in your life; but cocaine addiction can be beaten. Get into treatment, get away from access to drugs, and learn what you'll need to know to stay sober. Take a step forward to a better life; get help now and never use again.

Prescription Opiate Detox

No matter how you got addicted, once dependent, you need to endure the pains of opiate detox. Few people have the strength to go it alone, and when the pains get bad and pills can be bought at the nearest pharmacy, it's hard to maintain resolve. For the best chance at sobriety you need professional help; help that can ease the pains of detox and also keep you away from access to pills and a too easy failure. It’s not going to be easy and you can expect some discomfort; but you can do it. Don’t let a fear of detox deter you from what needs to be done. Get off pills today, start enjoying life again tomorrow.

Suboxone for Opiate Detox and Long Term Therapy

A newer and in some ways preferable alternative to methadone maintenance therapy for the treatment of opiate addiction is Suboxone therapy. Suboxone therapy can be used to help addicts overcome the initial pains of withdrawal safely and humanely, and can also be used as a long term form of opioid replacement therapy.

Alcohol Detox and Withdrawal Symptoms

Need to detox? Learn more about alcohol detox and find out what withdrawal symptoms you can expect, how long it will take to end and whether or not you need professional help to make it through to the other side.

GHB Detox, Withdrawal and Overdose

GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate), when taken in heavy doses for a period of days, can cause a physical addiction, and a dangerous syndrome of withdrawal.

Ecstasy Detox - You Pay a Price for Artificial Pleasures

You pay a high price for fleeting hours of pleasure, and the sooner you stop using and abusing ecstasy, the sooner your mind can begin its healing process, and the sooner you can return to life of natural happiness. If you can’t stop on your own, get help; life's too short and too beautiful to risk it all for a few pills in a club.

Codeine and Promethazine Detox - Cough Syrup Withdrawal

Learn the three ways to break an addiction to codeine and promethazine.

Tips for Dealing with Insomnia During Marijuana Detox

One of the most difficult aspects of quitting a heavy marijuana habit is the insomnia that often plagues that first week or so. Although in time you can expect to sleep better naturally, struggling with insomnia during those first days of withdrawal can sometimes derail good attempts at abstinence with a relapse born of frustration and a need to sleep! While there aren’t yet any medications approved to treat marijuana insomnia, you can take some steps to get a better night’s rest. Learn more here…

Lofexidine and THC – Medications to Treat Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms

While Lofexidine is not yet FDA approved, it is used in Europe to treat heroin addiction. Initial research results out of The New York State Psychiatric Institute suggest that combining Lofexidine with low doses of oral THC reduces the severity of marijuana withdrawal symptoms and relapse rates.

Xanax Detox – How Fast Should You Taper?

Information on how long a total Xanax tapering program should last and how quickly you should reduce your daily dosage.

Adderall Withdrawal Symptoms Explained

Learn about common Adderall withdrawal symptoms, how to gauge the severity of your addiction and withdrawal and how to support a loved-one through the detox process.

How to Taper off Benzodiazepines – 11 Secrets to Success

11 tips for making a tapering plan that minimizes the discomfort, puts you in control of the process and gets the results you want.

Valerian Root - An Herbal Remedy for Marijuana Withdrawal Insomnia

Should you take valerian root to fall asleep while dealing with marijuana withdrawal insomnia? Read on to learn more about the safety and clinical effectiveness of this herbal anti-insomnia medication.

10 Life or Experiential Factors That Influence the Severity of Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms

Thinking about giving up your marijuana habit but worried about the withdrawal symptoms… And how tough are they, anyway? Well, everyone’s experience differs, but read on to learn about 10 life and experiential factors that are associated with more challenging withdrawal symptoms.

At-Home Opiate Detox: Medications Used to Reduce the Severity of Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms

Thinking about a home opioid detox? Talk to your doctor before you get started to find out more about a bunch of over the counter and prescription medications that can help to reduce the discomforts of the withdrawal period.

Crystal Meth Detox – What You Need to Know

Read this before you start your meth detox and find out: what to expect, whether you need an outpatient or residential detox (or whether you can do it on your own), how to stay safe and how to make it through protracted withdrawals.

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal: What to Expect - How to Taper – How to Cope

Done wrong, a benzodiazepine detox can turn into months of agony. Done right, by slow taper, it’s very manageable. Read on to learn more about what to expect, how to taper, how to minimize your withdrawal symptoms and how to cope with those you do experience.

Quitting Benzodiazepines – Weighing the Pros and Cons

Thinking about quitting but not sure if you’re ready? Want to quit but worried about the withdrawal symptoms and your pre-medication anxiety? To stop or not…how to make up your mind!?! Well, read on to find a list of common quitting pros and cons, and then make your own list – and then make a decision, once and for all.

Overcome Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms by Focusing on Cognitive Improvements

Many people find that heavy marijuana use causes reversible thinking and memory problems. By focusing on the cognitive improvements of the first weeks of recovery, you can find the motivation to continue to work to avoid relapse.

Detox Info: CBT Improves Success Rate when Tapering from Benzodiazepines or Z Drugs

Rebound withdrawal symptoms, like a return of panic or insomnia, make benzo tapering tough. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is research proven to help you manage rebound withdrawal symptoms and increase your likelihood of a successful taper.

Tips for Coping with Opiate Withdrawal Induced Restless Legs Syndrome

Those creepy-crawly-jumpy legs that make sleep impossible – there are few things worse than the restless legs of opiate withdrawal. Only time will solve the problem, but there are medications and home-remedy treatments that can minimize their severity. Read on to get the tips you need to get to sleep.

Tramadol Detox – Withdrawal and Tapering Guidelines

A how-to guide to tramadol tapering - What to expect from tramadol withdrawal, how to taper, example tapering schedules to minimize your discontinuation symptoms and practical advice on low dose reduction tapering.

Tramadol Withdrawal – Think Twice before Considering an Ultra Rapid Detox

Most experts won’t endorse ultra rapid opiate detox for conventional opiates, and for tramadol, with its dual mode of action, the procedure is probably less effective and more dangerous.

Relapse Prevention: How to Relax with Imagery

Learn to relax with imagery in 7 easy steps; it’s a great skill that protects you from relapse.

The United Nations on 'Addiction Treatment Rights'

No matter what you’ve done or who you are, you are entitled to drug addiction treatment that is respectful of your dignity and rights as a human being.

The Neurological Model for Food Addiction – How the Overconsumption of Food Causes Addiction-Like Changes to the Brain

NIDA researchers explain food addiction by showing how overeating can lead to changes in the dopamine pathways of the brain, and showing how these changes alter our ability to regulate impulses to eat

How to Handle Negative Emotions without Drugs or Alcohol - Using Mindfulness and Mental Imagery to Cope with Uncomfortable Feelings

Learn distress tolerance skills like mindfulness and imagery so you can handle uncomfortable feelings with out needing to get drunk or high.

Opioid Risk Factors. How Pain Can Lead to Addiction. Assess Your Risks!

Should you take opioids? Pain and addiction go hand-in-hand. Learn why pain ups addiction risks and who’s most at risk to develop a problem.

Stressed or Anxious? Why (and How) to Control Your Breathing

Find out why anxious breathing makes you feel bad and learn a simple, 30-second Deep Breathing Exercise that restores your inner calm.

"Party Schools" And The Risks Of Substance Abuse During The College Years

Earning a reputation as a notorious party school does little to enhance the prestige of an institution, but reactions to these persistent reputations vary drastically between colleges. Some schools have enacted fundamental policies designed to influence substance use, while others have offered little more than lip service reactions.

Substance Abuse and Family Violence

Intoxication leads to a great deal of family violence... violence against children, spouses and the elderly. Find out what you can and can't do to help, and learn how to stay safe.

9 Important Rules for Supporting a Teenager with an Eating Disorder

Learn how to effectively support a teen who is already receiving professional care, but who still needs a ton of support from the rest of the family.

Heroin Harm Reduction Guide - Advice & Tips for Users

Here are 50+ heroin harm reduction tips... because anything that prevents overdose and keeps you alive and healthy increases the odds of finding eventual lasting recovery.

A 9-Step Guide to Assertive Anger Management and Conflict Resolution

Anger issues? Do you need to work on a healthier conflict resolution? Learn how assertiveness can help you deal with anger in a productive way.

The Intervention Letter – The 5 Essential Components of a Successful Intervention Letter

Why you need to prepare a personal script to read before an intervention and the 5 components of an effective letter.

Drug Treatment During Pregnancy

The issues surrounding drug treatment for pregnant women are both complicated and conversely clear. While the enactment of a comprehensive and inclusive policy towards treatment options for pregnant women continues to elude us, the motivation and ideation of the essential nature of this treatment is shared by all.

Supporting a Heroin Addict - 6 Ways to Help and Support Positive Change

Six effective ways to help a treatment-ready heroin user that you love make positive changes - what to do and how to help.

Personal Alcohol Harm Reduction Ideas – Small Steps of Progress You Can Take on Your Own

If drinking’s a problem but you can’t or do not want to stop, consider taking small steps right now to minimize the harms associated with use. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Avoid Marijuana Relapse: Identify High Risk Situations and Prepare Coping Strategies

To prevent early marijuana relapse, identify high risk situations and prepare specific coping strategies in advance.

How Long to Stay on Suboxone – Advice from a Suboxone Doc

Four pieces of advice on how long you’ll need to use Suboxone from one of America’s leading experts on the use of the drug.

A Review of the Science Supporting Meditation as a Treatment for Substance Abuse

Can sitting quietly and focusing on mindfulness of breath really help you to manage cravings and overcome relapse as well as other forms of addiction treatment? Read descriptions of a few clinical research studies which show just how well the ancient practice of meditation seems to work as a complementary treatment for substance abuse and addiction.

Alcohol Abuse Screening Quiz for Women - The 2 Minute TWEAK Test

Take the 2 minute alcohol abuse screening quiz TWEAK - designed specifically for women.

Tough Love - for a Dual Diagnosis Patient - It's the Only Real Kind of Love

Treat the disease, not the symptoms. Dual diagnosis addicts use manipulation as a way to continue to drink or drug, and family can only influence change through tackling the real root of the problem, and by being tough...tough love

What Do You Want out of Treatment? Not Sure? Here’s a 50 Item Checklist of Options to Consider

You’re more likely to get what you want when you know what to ask for – when you know what you need! If you don’t already know exactly what you want out of treatment (most people don’t) here’s a 50 item checklist to give you some ideas.

Understanding Randomness – Why the Machine Is NEVER ‘Due’ to Pay Out

No matter how long a slot machine goes between payouts – when you press that button, it’s never more or less likely to pay off. Understand the true nature of randomness and understand that past events do not influence future outcomes. People who fail to understand the truth about games of chance are more likely to make poor betting decisions and are more prone to developing gambling problems – so get educated and save your money and yourself!

Suboxone Treatment - How to Improve Your Odds of Success

The 5 secrets to finding success with Suboxone: What you need to know about Suboxone addiction treatment for heroin or pain pills.

Intervention Tip #3 – Collecting Information for Treatment Planning

Step 1 – answer the questions in this article. Step 2 - take this information to an addiction professional. Step 3 – get a treatment recommendation.

12 Ways to Keep Your Family Healthy while Living with an Alcoholic or Drug Addicted Person

Addiction is a chronic disease with periods of active use and remission; and it’s also a personal disease which has whole family repercussions. If a person you love struggles with addiction, it is likely that you will experience periods in life during which your loved one struggles with alcohol or drug use. Here are 12 tips for keeping your family life as healthy and happy as possible during these times of use.

Group Therapy in Drug Treatment

Is there strength in numbers when it comes to addiction therapy? Find out what's behind group therapy in drug treatment.

Teenage Addiction Treatment: 6 Factors to Consider When Deciding between Residential and Outpatient Care

Once you decide your adolescent needs addiction treatment, the next vital step is determining what level of care is required. Read on to learn more about the 6 factors professionals consider when deciding on an appropriate level of care.

Do You Have an Investment Gambling Problem? Answer These 20 Questions to Find Out

Do you invest responsibly or do you wager on trades in ways that mimic how problem gamblers wager at casinos? What truly motivates your investing? Worried you might be in it for the dangerous thrills? Answer the following 20 questions to learn more.

Marijuana Harm Reduction: 6 Easy Rules to Reducing Harms and Preventing Problems

Six guidelines for marijuana harm reduction, from the Canadian Society for Addiction Medicine.

Creating Sober Excitement – Beating the Blahs to Beat Relapse

After a few months, it’s easy to hit a recovery wall and start to feel bored and dissatisfied with your new clean and sober lifestyle. This dissatisfaction will pass, but until it does, you can lower your risk of relapse by taking some time to plan islands of excitement to look forward to.

Music Therapy – Healing through the Primal Emotional Language of Music

Even if you’re tone deaf and rhythm challenged, music therapy may be what you’re looking for. Music therapy uses music as a language of communication and expression, as something to get your muscles moving or as a tonic to deep stress or anxiety, or even physical pain – and it’s been found helpful by those with conditions as diverse as substance abuse, Alzheimer’s, developmental delays and many others. Learn more about how music therapy heals and find out if it might be just what you’re looking for.

Adult ADD/ADHD: How to Gain Social Skills by Improving Non Verbal Communication

If you have adult ADD/ADHD you may have difficulty sustaining attention when in conversation with another person – and because of this you’re more likely to miss the important information that’s communicated through body language and through other forms of non verbal communication. Fortunately, with effort you can improve. Here are 8 ways to get better.

After Infidelity – Can Marriage Counseling Help?

Although infidelity can end a marriage, it doesn’t have to. Read what the experts recommend you do after learning of an affair and, if you decide to reconcile, learn what steps you can take to rebuild your marriage after such a betrayal of trust.

Quitting Cannabis? Avoid Boredom-Relapse with 50 Fun Alternatives to Getting High

Boredom can kill a marijuana quit attempt, so don’t get bored! Here are 50 easy and enjoyable activities that substitute for getting high and help keep you distracted from your marijuana cravings.

Tapering Marijuana to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms

If you can’t get past marijuana cravings and withdrawal symptoms, tapering down before quitting may help you find success. Get tips and suggestions here.

Ready to Live Your Dreams? Considering ADHD Coaching? Learn the Basics Here

Is an ADHD coach worth the money? What can you expect to get out of a coaching relationship? Do experts recommend coaching? Learn the basics here and find out if coaching might be right for you.

Scientology and Saunas in Drug Treatment

Programs that offer sauna treatments as a core component are likely Scientology-related. This treatment is not backed by any legitimate medical organization.

Sweat Lodges in Drug Rehab

The intensity of a sweat lodge experience, rooted in Native American traditions, offers hopes of a spiritual rebirth, greater self-knowledge and peace.

Suboxone for Pain Pills. No Detox Pains

A newer and far preferable alternative to methadone, Suboxone might be what you need to help you finally break free from pain pill addiction.

5 Reasons Why You Need Professional Help to Beat Addiction

Some people can do it on their own, most of us can't. Find out how checking into drug or alcohol rehab can help you get better. You can beat your addiction, but you may need a little help to do it.

Equine Assisted Therapy for Addiction Treatment

We can sometimes learn more about ourselves through a few hours of working with horses than we can through months of psychotherapy - and we don't even need to ride horses to do it! Learn the benefits of equine assisted therapy for addiction treatment.

EMDR in Drug Rehab - What Is It, and Why Is It Used?

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy - what is it, and how can it help in addiction recovery?

Biofeedback in Addiction Treatment

Biofeedback Therapy is a relatively new form of alternative therapy that uses specialized instruments and technology to measure quantifiable reactions and responses of the body.

Want Quality Treatment? Evidence-Based Therapies Increase Your Chances of Lasting Addiction Recovery

If you want to be sure you'll get value and benefit from an addiction treatment program, make sure they offer evidence based therapies - interventions that are actually proven to work!

ADHD Addiction Treatment - How Learning to Focus Helps You Succeed

If you can’t focus to complete essential tasks you’ll create unnecessary stress - and stress definitely ups your risk of relapse. Safeguard your recovery by learning focus skills that make it easier to stay on task.

Improved Substance Abuse Coverage under the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will start on January 1st, 2014 - and from that day forward, most people will have coverage for essential mental health and substance abuse treatment services. Learn more about how the ACA might affect you.

Should You Quit Marijuana and Alcohol? How to Evaluate Your Situation

If you drink or smoke marijuana make sure it's a conscious and examined choice - one you've made after looking carefully at the pros and cons of your decisions. You’ve only got one life to live so make it a conscious one and make it count – and if alcohol and marijuana pull you down, have the resolve to make some changes.

Antidepressants and Alcohol – A Guide to SSRIs in Addiction Treatment

Should you take an antidepressant during early recovery - or while still drinking/using? Does your substance abuse cause your depression or is it the other way around? Read on for an overview of your options and for more information on when SSRIs will help, and when they won’t.

Grief Counseling

Grief is a normal and healthy process during which we work through the emotional pain of loss. Between 10% and 20% of those in bereavement, however, will get ‘stuck’ in this process – never making any real progress towards healing, suffering a condition known as complicated grief. People enduring complicated can benefit greatly from grief counseling.

Intervention Tip #2 - Assessing the Severity of the Addiction

How can you find a solution when you don’t understand the problem? By accurately assessing the severity of the addiction you are better able to select an appropriate level of care.

Heroin Withdrawal: Detox Medications, Treatments and Advice

You can detox safely on your own, but getting medication and professional support improves your odds of success. Learn about your different medication and treatment options.

How to Choose a Counselor (Therapist)

5 things to think about when trying to find an effective counselor - and a to-do list for selecting someone that’s really going to be able to help!

Drug & Alcohol Rehab Programs

You can’t make a good choice about treatment until you can make an informed choice about the care you need. Read on to find a listing and explanation of the most common types of residential addiction treatment programs. Just knowing what’s available and starting to think about your needs and wants takes you a great first step forward to finding a treatment program that’s right for you.

Are You Addicted? Use the American Psychiatric Association's Assessment Test to Find Out

How serious is your problem? Take the APA's 11 question test to self-diagnose the situation.

Vicodin Addiction - Your Treatment Options

Is it Vicodin addiction or just Vicodin dependence? Not sure? A self test here can help. Next, learn about effective treatment options.

Ibogaine for Opiate Addiction Treatment: Miracle Cure or Illegal and Dangerous?

Ibogaine addiction treatment - can a single session really cure opioid addiction (no withdrawal symptoms or drug cravings)? Learn more about the risks and benefits here.

Should You Consider Getting Addiction Treatment Through Clinical Trials?

Having trouble finding or paying for quality addiction or mental health treatment? Well, if you’re lucky there’s a clinical trial recruiting subjects near you and if you’re eligible you may be up for free treatment from some of the nation’s top addiction specialists. Read on to learn about more of the benefits, and the legitimate risks, of clinical trials participation.

Beat Gambling Addiction, Sex Addiction or Internet Addiction with this 4 Step Program

Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz and his Four Step Program - through mindful awareness you can learn to overcome internet, gambling and sex cravings as you retrain your brain to stop sending such urgent messages of need.

OxyContin Addiction Treatment

You can break free from an OxyContin addiction, people do it every day - but if you’re like the vast majority, you will need addiction treatment to do so and you may want to consider using medications like Suboxone or methadone that greatly increase your odds of longer term success and recovery.

Ready to Quit Marijuana? Learn Coping Skills to Improve Your Odds

Quitting marijuana: What separates those who succeed from those who fail? Learn about the characteristics of successful quit attempts and learn coping strategies to help you succeed in your attempt to break free. 

Do You Really Need Treatment? Take This Quick Addiction Severity Test and Find Out

Know you have a problem but not sure how serious it is or if you need treatment? Take this 1 minute addiction severity self test and learn how your level of addiction ranks.

Behavioral Couples Therapy for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse: How and Why It Works So Well

Get research-proven behavioral couples therapy and learn how to create the kind of relationship that supports recovery instead of enabling abuse.

Addiction Treatment: Why You Probably Need to Quit All Drugs and Alcohol – Not Just Your Problem Substance

Want to know why an addiction to one drug means you have to give up all the other ones? Here are 4 great reasons why clean and sober needs to mean clean and sober from everything.

Those Good Old Bad Old Days – How Selective Memories Sabotage Recovery and How Treatment Helps You Squash Them

Selective memories of drug or alcohol use - where you remember the fun and forget the pain - are common in recovery, and unless you’re careful…they can END your recovery. Learn what triggers selective memories, how to spot them and how to squash them.

Facts about the Matrix Model of Intensive Outpatient Cocaine or Methamphetamine Addiction Treatment

Learn more about this evidence based 16 week intensive outpatient treatment program, specifically: class frequency and program length, therapies used, degree of family involvement, evidence supporting its effectiveness and typical benefits.

Addiction Treatment: Drug Refusal Skills - Why You Need to Re-Learn How to Say NO!

If you’re trying to quit drugs or alcohol you need to re-learn how to say no. It sounds a bit childish, but it’s true and it’s very necessary, which is why most addiction treatment programs teach drug refusal skills as an essential recovery skill to master. Want to learn how to say no like you mean it…read on.

Addiction Treatment Medications: Should You Take a Drug to Quit a Drug?

Though it might seem odd to take new drugs as a way to quit old ones, addiction treatment medications, when combined with behavioral therapies, can help a great deal to keep you on the path of recovery. Learn more about what’s available and why they’re used.

An Overview of Effective Methamphetamine Addiction Treatment

Find out: why you need treatment, the three primary stages of methamphetamine treatment, whether you need residential or outpatient treatment, about the Matrix Model and about the kinds of therapies to look for in an addiction treatment program targeted at stimulant users.

Make a Relapse Drift Chart and Avoid Drifting Toward a Slip-Up

There are certain things you do that keep you sober and certain things that you could do that bring you closer to relapse. To make sure you do more of the former and none of the latter, take 5 minutes and make up a relapse drift chart to put on your fridge and check with once a week.

Cocaine Addiction Treatment – How to Get Started

Learn about the most common cocaine treatment options, whether you need residential or outpatient care, where to find local treatment, how to evaluate your treatment options and more.

Marijuana Addiction Treatment – An Overview of Effective Programs, Therapies, Medications and Supplements

A complete introduction to marijuana addiction treatment – Find out whether you need it, about treatment options and how to choose the right type and about therapies, medications and supplements that work.

Ambien Addiction and Withdrawal: Tapering and Treatment Options

Don’t quit Ambien before you know what you’re up against and have a plan for success. Learn about 2 tapering methods and one method of rapid detoxification (with flumazenil) as well as about the brain changes associated with zolpidem addiction and the treatments you need to counteract these changes.

What's the DSM-5, Why Does It Matter and What’s Your New Diagnosis?

With the DSM-5 the American Psychiatric Association has a new diagnostic manual. Substance abuse and dependence are now gone - replaced by mild, moderate and severe substance use disorders. Will the changes affect you? Check out the new diagnostic criteria to find out if you have a substance use disorder.

Why You Need Treatment after Detox - Common Challenges of Early Recovery

Detox not followed by treatment usually ends in relapse. Read on for a list of strange but true recovery roadblocks (why does your memory get WORSE in early recovery!) and find out how to avoid them.

The Four Ds – a Simple Relapse Prevention Strategy

Learn this simple distraction and breathing exercise that works well to get you through periods of intense cravings.

Think You Have Adult ADD/ADHD? Here’s Why You Need a Professional Diagnosis – 15 Other Conditions that Can Cause ADD/ADHD Symptoms

There are about 15 other common disorders that can cause symptoms that can be misdiagnosed as adult ADD/ADHD…which makes self diagnosing, and especially self medicating, a pretty bad idea.

20 Common Behavioral Warning Signs of Adult ADD/ADHD

Adults with ADD/ADHD face similar challenges and tend to exhibit similar behaviors. Read on to find a list of 20 very common behaviors of adult ADD/ADHD. The more behaviors that match your own, the more you may want to think about getting tested for a diagnosis.

5 Risk Factors That Increase Your Odds of Caretaker Burnout

The physical, mental and time demands of caretaking coupled with the emotional aspects of the job make burnout an unfortunate end point for too many who take on the important task of caring for a loved one. But it doesn’t have to end that way - Read on to learn 5 risk factors that up your odds of burnouts and see if you can’t make some changes today to protect yourself against the stress of tomorrow.

Nigella Sativa (Black Seed) a Natural Opiate Withdrawal Cure?

Used for thousands of years as a traditional medicine, nigella sativa is a safe and effective complementary medicine that treats everything from cancer, to arthritis - and possibly opiate withdrawal. Learn more about the benefits (and risks) of this affordable and natural home-remedy for opiate withdrawal.

Compulsive Buying Disorder

People with compulsive buying disorder buy when they feel down and they buy to good – unfortunately, those good feelings are quickly replaced by guilt, remorse and by ever more financial problems and credit card debt. If you think you’re a ‘shopaholic’ you may well have a mental health disorder that’s not going away on its own.

Club Drug Harm Reduction - Common Adulterants in Cocaine, MDMA and Amphetamine

Club drug harm reduction - what’s in those drugs? European researchers tested over a 1000 samples of cocaine, MDMA and amphetamine to find out. Learn about common adulterants and about how to stay safer with club drugs.

Gambling Addiction FAQs

What is gambling addiction - how does it happen - who is at risk - and what to do about it?

Is It Problem Gambling or a Gambling Addiction?

As many as 15 million Americans have a problem with gambling, and an estimated 2 million or more are gambling addicts. Learn how to differentiate between problem and pathological gambling.

The Three Stages of Gambling Addiction

From recreational gambler to pathological gambler, all addicts pass through three stages of behavior and irrational thinking.

Gamblers Anonymous - 12 Steps of Recovery

Just as the 12 steps help alcoholics reclaim sobriety, they also help many to overcome an addiction to gambling.

Why Video Lottery Terminals Are So Addictive

Learn why VLTs earn their reputation as the crack cocaine of gambling.

The Gambling Intervention

An intervention offers family a powerful weapon against the devastation of gambling addiction.

Cocaine Addiction Test. Rate Your Withdrawal Symptoms and Learn What Treatment You Need

Rate your withdrawal symptoms to find out what level of treatment you need - people that score 20 or higher on this cocaine addiction test generally need more intensive treatment.

Adult ADHD - 9 Ways to Overcome Impulsive Spending

ADD/ADHD causes impulse control problems, so it’s not surprising that many people with ADD/ADHD have money problems stemming at least in part from impulsive spending. Here are 9 simple ways to overcome an impulsive spending problem.

Existential Therapy: Self Examination and Change for a Meaningful Life

Can a therapy rooted in existential philosophy really help you to overcome feelings of anxiety, depression or even substance abuse? Can eyeballing your mortality and the meaninglessness of human existence really lead to peace and well being!? Read on to learn more about existential therapy and find out if the self examined and deliberate life is the life you’ve been looking for.

Marijuana Withdrawal – Learn Your Odds of Experiencing Each Different Withdrawal Symptom

An ordered list of common withdrawal symptoms by percentage experienced – cravings (59%), sleeping problems (50.5%), anger or irritability (45.6%)…

Children Living with Addicted Parents – Spotting Neglect and Knowing When to Intervene

Children living with drug or alcohol addicted parents may experience neglect and endangerment. Here are 13 situations that warrant outside intervention.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Computerized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Can a computer program really replace therapist delivered cognitive behavioral therapy? According to the latest research, the answer is a qualified yes. Guided CCBT seems to work about as well as in-person CBT. Learn more about computerized CBT and find out if it might be right for you.

Evidence Supporting Aromatherapy for Anxiety Management

Mounting evidence suggests aromatherapy can help reduce anxiety. Most people can use this affordable therapy without experiencing negative side effects, so if you struggle with stress or anxiety, maybe you should add a little lavender or citrus to your daily routine! Read on to find out more.

Dealing with Anger - How a Therapist Can Help

Find out if you’ve got an anger problem that needs attention – and if you do – learn what a therapist might teach you to help you manage that fury.

5 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress and Anxiety

There’s no denying it – the holidays can be overwhelming, especially if you're in recovery from addiction. Here are 5 ways to cope with stress during the holidays.

8 Methadone Falsehoods – Forget the Fiction, Learn the Facts

Think you know methadone? Be careful, because a lot of what’s passed as common knowledge about this controversial medication has little basis in fact. Here are 8 common methadone myths exposed and debunked.

Addiction Recovery & Meditation: 8 Ways Meditation Keeps You Sober

If you aren’t meditating already, here are 8 very good reasons for you to consider taking it up. Whether you’re still drinking or using and trying to control yourself, just starting off with treatment or long down that winding and difficult recovery journey, stopping yourself from taking that next drink or line or hit is always going to be a challenge. Fortunately, while you may never be able to erase temptation from your life, you can take some steps to build up your resilience against cravings as you also build up your overall levels of health and happiness.

Introducing the HAMS Harm Reduction Program - An AA Alternative

Is moving from high-risk drinking to moderate-risk drinking a worthy goal? To learn more about harm reduction, here’s an interview with HAMS founder Kenneth Anderson.

Why Do Bullies Bully?

Learn more about what makes bullies tick and why they act as they do. You may be surprised to learn that most bullies are popular, have high self esteem and bully to increase their own social status.

Bullying Statistics

Bullying is probably more common and more costly than you realize. Here are some numbers and statistics that demonstrate just how large the problem is, and just how serious its consequences.

The 12 Steps of Overeaters Anonymous – A Mutual Help Group Solution to Food Addiction and Compulsive Eating

A brief introduction to a 12 steps program for compulsive overeaters

When Bullying Becomes a Civil Rights Violation

Bullying is never trivial, but in some cases, such as when bullies harass people based on gender, race, or disability, bullying becomes an enforceable civil rights violation and schools that fail to address such bullying are in violation of civil rights and discrimination law.

LGBT Bullying

For most GLBT students, bullying and harassment are as much a part of the school day as math or science – and this is a tragedy, because research shows that not only are bullied GLBT teens more likely to drop-out out of school and far more likely to commit suicide, research shows that the trauma of high school endures, and that GLBT students who were heavily bullied in their teens grow into young adults who are far more likely to be depressed or anxious, or to contract an STD. Learn more about LGBT bullying and learn what schools can do to put a stop to it.

My Child Is a Bully. What Should I Do?

No parent wants to imagine their child as the playground bully, but if you learn that your son or daughter is a possible bully, you have to take it seriously and you need to take steps to make sure the bullying stops. Bullying hurts not only the victim, the aggressors are also at risk of long term harms - such as an increased risk of substance abuse, poor academic performance and even an increased risk of a criminal record. Fortunately, just as bullying is a learned behavior so too can it be unlearned. Here are a few tips and strategies that can help you to help your child overcome their bullying ways.

Bullying and Suicide – Know the Warning Signs

Being a bully victim can lead to feelings of hopelessness and even to serious depression, and research shows that people who get bullied are at an increased risk to also have suicidal thoughts and to engage in self harm. Make sure you know the warning signs of suicide and be ready to intervene if necessary, to stop what is usually a very preventable tragedy.

Relational Bullying – The Power and Pain of Social Bullying

Relational bullies use our needs for acceptance and friendship against us as they manipulate and harm our social relationships. The victims of relational bullies may never come home battered and bruised, but the pain of being the victim nasty gossip and rumors or social exclusion is just as real and just as harmful. Relational bullying peaks during middle school and its perpetrators and victims are usually girls, and unfortunately - most of the time, the bullies get away with and adults never even learn about it. Learn more about relational bullying and about what you can do to make sure your child never becomes a victim.

15 Signs Your Opioid Use Is Becoming Opioid Abuse

Do you use opioids (or does someone you love)? It’s so easy to slide from responsible use to dangerous misuse. Test yourself to make sure you’re not falling into addiction.

Did You Have ADHD as a Child? Answer These Questions to Find Out

You can’t get a diagnosis of adult ADD or ADHD unless you can show that your symptoms originated in childhood and persisted into adulthood. Answer the following questions to see if your behaviors in childhood match the criteria for a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD.

Forget Revenge – Learn How to Forgive to Beat Anger and Feel Better

Though it seems like revenge will make us feel better, researchers say it does the exact opposite. Luckily, where revenge fails forgiveness soars, and when you forgive someone else it’s you who benefits most. Learn to beat lingering anger with a 5 step method to true forgiveness.

Expert Q&A: The Best Mental Health and Addiction Answers of 2012

ChooseHelp experts answered more than 700 addiction and mental health questions in 2012. After much struggle and deliberation we've picked the very best 20 or so from this impressive collection of knowledge and compassion.

Dealing with Survivor Guilt

People who survived the earthquake in Haiti, whether in or out of Haiti, may be at risk of survivor guilt, which can be one symptom of a stress disorder.

Worrying a Lot about the Earthquake in Haiti – Do You Have a Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

Although the closer you are and the more directly affected by a traumatic event the greater your risk of a stress disorder like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), people who witness very traumatic events can also experience stress disorders, as can people who only watch the events unfold on TV.

How to Support Someone with a Family Member in Haiti

Many of us know someone deeply affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Even thousands of miles from the devastation, we can see the pain and worry in the faces of those we care about as they watch and wonder, or grieve, friends and family left behind in Port au Prince.

Dealing with Grief after a Disaster – The Risk of ‘Complicated Grief’

While few things hurt like the sudden loss of a loved one, grief is a necessary and ultimately healthy process. Unfortunately, people who lose family and friends to disasters may be at an increased risk of a disorder known as traumatic or complicated grief.

Helping Those with Mental Illness after a Disaster – PTSD Risk

Watching the devastation in Haiti, worrying intensely about the well being of affected friends or family or grieving the loss of loved ones can be very tough for anyone; and stress disorders are a legitimate risk, even for people only watching the tragedy on TV – but for those with an existing mental heath disorder, the risks of PTSD are even greater.

Helping Children Cope after a Disaster

A guide to how children feel and act after experiencing a disaster and what parents can do to minimize fear and other harms.

Trained Service Dogs Reduce PTSD Symptoms

Like seeing eye dogs but for those suffering from PTSD symptoms, service dogs are ever vigilant so you don’t have to be, they are trained to wake you from nightmares, block others from intruding into your personal space, watch your back and even give you a doggy hug during moments of intense anxiety. While there is little research on the relatively new idea of pairing those with PTSD with service dogs, those who are already benefiting from this canine companionship say it makes a world of difference – that it can be a literal lifesaver.

Should You Try EMDR for PTSD? A Review of the Research Evidence

How well does EMDR really work to treat PTSD? Read on to see a review of some of the latest research evidence on the effectiveness of EMDR and other treatments for PTSD.

Managing Stress and Anxiety in the Wake of Trauma

Feeling stressed and anxious after a disaster is normal. Here is some information on what feelings are normal after a disaster, with tips on managing and reducing feelings of stress and anxiety - and also, information on when to get professional help for serious stress or mental health symptoms.

No More Surfing for Sex or Porn: 10 Tips for Controlling Your Internet Use

While complete internet abstinence might be best, going offline for good isn’t a reasonable option for many. Here are 10 strategies to help you control your surfing for those times when you have to be online.

A Guide to Getting into Rehab without Insurance

Step by step instructions on finding rehab treatment when you don’t have insurance.

Pastoral Counseling

For many of us, separating faith from a search for answers to the problems of life makes little sense at all. Pastoral counselors are mental health professionals that heal with conventional therapies, but also through an understanding of spiritual needs and wants.

Social Norms Marketing for Alcohol Abuse Prevention

Heavy drinkers tend to think that other people drink more than they do (myth). If people with such misperceptions get accurate information about how much others in their community are drinking, they are more likely to reduce their overall consumption. Giving people who have incorrect beliefs about a negative behavior accurate information is called social norms marketing – and it is a cheap and effective way to reduce negative behaviors, like binge drinking, across a large population.

Understanding Risk and Protective Factors – Things That Increase or Decrease the Risks of Teen Drug Use

Although there are no guarantees, teens who grow up exposed to a significant number of protective factors (such as having loving and effective parents, doing well in school etc.) are far less likely to use drugs than teens who grow up exposed to many risk factors (early aggression, having peers who use drugs or alcohol, having a parent with a substance abuse problem or mental illness and others). Fortunately, parents can do a lot to increase the protective factors while decreasing the risk factors!

Parents Who Binge Drink - Don’t Be Surprised When Your Teens Do Likewise!

Teens that delay their first experimentation with alcohol until the age of 21 have virtually no risk of ever developing an alcohol abuse problem, but what can parents do to keep these experimentally prone youngsters from trying alcohol? - Researchers say that one of the most important things you can do to keep your children safe is to set a good example in the home and to practice what you preach!

The Importance of Teen Alcohol Use Prevention (A Few Beers DO Matter!)

While you probably don’t want to see your teen son or daughter drinking alcohol, you may not worry about a few beers as much as you’d worry if you saw evidence of marijuana or even harder drug use. The true risks of those few drinks, however, extends far beyond the risks of alcohol alone – and teens that start drinking at a young age are much more likely to develop alcohol dependency issues as adults. Read on to learn more what increased dangers face those teens who drink alcohol.

Preventing Teen Prescription Drug Abuse and Addiction

While your teen son or daughter might never consider buying heroin or cocaine from a shady street dealer, they’re more likely than you might think to abuse a pretty similar type of drug, and if they’re like most teens abusing prescription medications – they don’t even have to pay for it…getting high is as easy as opening the family medicine cabinet.

Parenting Styles that Prevent Drug and Alcohol Experimentation

Although as the parent of a teen you may wonder how much influence you have, research shows pretty clearly that what you do (or don’t do) has a huge impact on your teen’s health, happiness, and even choices. Learn which parenting styles reduce the odds of drug and alcohol abuse and which styles increase the risks – and learn how parental monitoring can keep your son or daughter safe from the worst of the dangers.

The Importance of Supervision and Activity during the after School Hours

Kids and teens left unsupervised in the hours between the end of school and dinner are far more likely to get into trouble with drugs and alcohol. Read the research findings that paint a scary picture of the consequences of too much unstructured time.

Prevent Underage Drinking – How to Send a Clear Message on Alcohol to Your Children

Parents who send a clear message to their kids about the unacceptability of underage drinking have kids that are less likely to get into trouble with alcohol – but sending a clear message about drinking doesn’t begin and end with a single conversation, rather it takes both word and deed and particularly, the setting of a positive example in your own life. Want your kids to steer clear of underage drinking? Here are 7 ways to send the right message in your home.

Why Feeling ‘Connected’ to School Keeps Teens from Using Drugs and Alcohol – And How Parents Can Promote School Connectedness

Teens who believe that their teachers and peers at school care about them and want them to succeed are less likely to use drugs and alcohol, less likely to get into trouble with violence or the law and more likely to finish school (with higher grades)! Find out why school connectedness matters and learn what you can do to increase your son or daughter’s feelings of school connectedness.

Parents - Prevent Drinking to Prevent Developmental Brain Damage

Adolescents are burdened with a still developing brain that’s uniquely at risk to alcohol overexposure - but that still developing brain is also very attracted to experimentation and thrill seeking, it isn’t as affected by the negatives of alcohol (teens don’t get as sleepy when drinking or as hung over after the fact) and it isn’t as capable of higher order decision making. All in all, it’s a bad combination and because of this, parental prevention efforts are very important. Parents who can prevent underage alcohol abuse can prevent developmental brain damage.

Prevent Teen Drug and Alcohol Use – Enforce Constructive Time

The more time your teen has for 'hanging out', the greater the odds of trouble. Head-off problems by swapping out some of that free time for time spent engaged in constructive activities. Here are some ideas to get you started.

16-Point Safety Checklist before Sending Your Teen to Residential Treatment

Considering residential rehab treatment for your teenager? First read this warning-sign checklist to spot and avoid dangerous or ineffective programs.

Avoiding Methadone Overdose During the Dangerous First 2 Weeks

Your risk of overdose is higher during the first 2 weeks on methadone than it was before you started. Learn how to stay safe until you get stabilized.

AA Resource List – Everything You Need to Know about Getting Started with the 12 Steps

New to AA? Start here – a list of 9 quick-read articles answering all your important questions on getting started with the 12 steps.

Tramadol Withdrawal – Advice on Coping with Discontinuation Symptoms

A how-to guide with practical advice on coping with the opiate-like and atypical withdrawal symptoms of tramadol discontinuation.

Yoga as a Treatment for Depression - Yoga Causes Increase in Natural Antidepressant (GABA)

Researchers at Boston University Medical School show that sustained yoga practice results in increased levels of one the body’s natural antidepressant neurochemicals, GABA, in the brain.

Why Holistic Alcohol Rehab is Better

No one form of therapy works well for everyone, and that's why the best alcohol rehabs provide a very comprehensive base of treatments, including some that don't at first seem all that related to overcoming addiction...but can help a lot.

Alcohol Rehab, Everyone Can Afford It!

The vast majority of alcoholics never get help, and most never want it; but there is a significant number of people who know they need help and want to change, but for few reasons, feel they cannot get into rehab. Here's how to overcome these barriers to treatment, get help and get sober.

Alcohol Rehab or Therapeutic Community...Which Do I Need?

When evaluating available alcoholism treatments, you will quickly need to decide whether you need long term stay at a therapeutic community or the more intense therapies of a briefer stay at an alcohol rehab. Whichever you decide, don't wait....check in tomorrow, get sober tomorrow.

Alcoholism Rehab - Info Sheet

Sometimes anything short of alcohol rehab just isn't enough. Don't ignore what's obvious, and when you've tried and failed on countless occasions to quit, you need to accept that you can't do it on your own. Get into rehab and detox safely, learn why you drink, and learn what you need to know to never have to drink again. You can do it, you do need some help, and it's always worth it.

Do You Need Residential Alcohol Rehab… Will Outpatient Care Work?

Some people can stop drinking on their own, more people will need some form of professional therapy, and most of us will require therapies on an inpatient basis. What do you need?

Are You Ready to Quit Drinking? Overcoming Ambivalence to Change

Few people make a decision to quit alcohol for good before resolving feelings of ambivalence about drinking – after all, if there wasn’t something we enjoyed about alcohol then why would anyone ever develop a problem?! Read on to answer a few quick questions that should help you to clarify what is that you like and don’t like about drinking and what it is you’d like and not like about quitting – so that you’ll develop a better idea about whether you are ready to quit for good!

Alcohol Detox – The Signs of Mild, Moderate or Dangerously Severe Alcohol Withdrawal

If an afternoon in a doctor’s office and a few pills could save your life/keep alcohol withdrawal symptoms from progressing to dangerous levels, is it worth just doing it on your own? Read on for information on why you need medical assistance, what to expect from detox and how to predict the severity of symptoms.

5 Reasons Why Synthetic Marijuana Is Riskier than Natural Marijuana

Take a harm reduction perspective - if you choose to smoke marijuana, smoke the natural kind and pass on the synthetic varieties. Here are 5 great reasons to avoid synthetic marijuana.

Moderate Drinking for Your Heart Health? Weighing Cardiac Benefits vs. Increased Cancer Risks

If you’re drinking for health reasons, you may want to think again, because while very moderate drinking may reduce your odds of heart disease, even moderate drinking is being shown to increase your risk for a host of cancers.

A Basic Guide to Detoxing before Rehab

Most rehabs won’t admit you until you’re safely detoxed. Here’s some basic information on your detox options: what happens in detox, whether or not you can do an ambulatory detox and how to find a detox provider near you.

You Can Run but You Can’t Hide… How to Break the Cycle of Social Anxiety

Learn why avoiding what causes your anxiety isn’t a very good strategy and learn what steps you can take to break out of a negative cycle of social anxiety.

Alcohol and Anxiety – Why They Don’t Mix

Although a drink or two can reduce anxiety temporarily, in general, alcohol makes anxiety worse; and sometimes significantly so.

Holiday Relapse Risk Self-Test

It’s hard to avoid the craziness of the holiday season. Take this self test and see if your Christmas habits put you at risk of relapse.

Should Teens Use Suboxone? Exploring the Pros and Cons of Adolescent Suboxone Use

This article will explore the appropriateness of Suboxone for teens and examine some of the pros and cons of medication assisted treatment (MAT) for adolescents.

Teenage Addiction: Why Teens Rarely Admit to a Problem

Don’t wait for your son or daughter to come to their senses - teens almost never self-recognize addiction and they rarely ask for help. Learn why they can’t see the truth and why this matters when picking treatment.

Methadone: Are You Ready to Start Tapering? Take This Self-Test and Find Out

Start tapering before you’re ready and your odds of success aren’t great. Take this 16 question self test and find out if you're ready to start reducing your daily dose.

A Guide to Finding Adolescent Trauma-Sensitive Addiction Treatment

Learn more about how trauma and substance abuse co-exist, the importance of trauma-sensitive care (and where to find it) and what parents can do on their own at home to help.

Problem Gambling Self Tests

Worried about your gambling? Take these 2 very quick self tests to find out if you’ve really got something to worry about.

Pathological Gambling Is Linked to Lowered Physical Health

Researchers have shown that pathological gambling seems to ‘cause’ diseases like tachycardia, angina and liver disease.

Problem Gambling Risk Factors – Are You at Risk of Developing a Problem?

While there is no way anyone can predict who’s going to wind up having a gambling problem, researchers have identified a number of known ‘risk factors’ that seem to up the chances of trouble down the road.

Teen Gambling and Teen Problem Gambling

Teens are attracted to the excitement and financial reward of gambling, and since gambling is easily accessible and socially approved, about three quarters of teens in grades 7 to 12 say that they do, at least occasionally lay a bet. However, teens are at a much greater higher of developing gambling problems and the earlier a teen starts gambling, the greater their risk of a lifetime problem.

Seniors and Problem Gambling

While most seniors gamble for recreation only, a small subgroup of the elderly are at increased risk to develop a gambling problem. Risk factors for a gambling problem can include the loss of a spouse, health problems that limit participation in other activities, a need for money and others.

7 Ways to Squash Gambling Debts and Avoid More Betting

Struggling with gambling debts? Here are 7 steps you can take to get back in control of your financial situation and to stop gambling for good.

How Does Your Gambling Compare to North American Averages?

Do like to gamble? Do you ever wonder if you’re putting yourself at risk of developing a gambling problem? Well, the more often you play and the more you wager the greater your odds of getting in trouble. Want to know if your gambling falls within a ‘normal’ range? Compare your habits to North American averages to see how you stack up.

4 Steps to an Effective Gambling Intervention

The 4 secrets to a successful gambling intervention – Convince someone you love to get some help for their problem gambling.

How Adverse Childhood Experiences Lead to Adult Addiction

Part 1 of a 2-part article on how childhood trauma leads to lifelong challenges – like addiction and other mental and behavioral health problems. Also, how to know if childhood trauma affects someone you love.

Methadone Side Effects - What to Expect?

Thinking about using methadone but worried about the side effects? Well, firstly, know that while there are some side effects associated with the drug, it is a very well tolerated medication and most people find the side effects to be very manageable. Secondly, a lot of misinformation surrounds methadone, so some of what you may have heard may be untrue. Learn more about the side effects of methadone and learn if it might be a form of addiction treatment that will work for you.

Cocaine Addiction - What Happens in the Brain? Why Is It So Hard to Just Stop?

Learn how gradual and imperceptible changes to the brain’s structure and function lead people steadily from recreational use to heavier use to addiction.

Stop Smoking Marijuana: Overcome 7 Common Obstacles to Change

Want to stop smoking marijuana? Here are 7 common problems that can lead to relapse (insomnia, boredom, a need for relaxation, etc.), along with solutions for each problem.

The Different Types of Counselors – Which Kind of Counselor Do You Need?

An overview of the different types of professionals that commonly offer therapy and counseling services.

The Pros and Cons of Kava for Anxiety

Learn more about using herbal Kava as a mild but effective treatment for anxiety. A brief summary of some studies on its effectiveness and a discussion about the potential liver damage risks of consumption.

The 8 Commandments of Safe and Responsible Opioid Use

Scared to use opioids? Worried about overdose, addiction or diversion? Well for most people, cutting your risks substantially is as easy as following the 8 recommendations from the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

Adult Trauma Therapy for Complex Childhood Trauma

Could childhood trauma, abuse or neglect be the root cause of your substance abuse or unhappiness in adulthood? Learn how to recognize adult symptoms of complex childhood traumas and learn what types of treatment work best to help you move beyond a difficult past.

Harvard Researchers Say Electrical Acupuncture Works Well as a Treatment for Opiate Addiction

A study on electrical acupuncture demonstrates its possibilities as a form of opiate addiction treatment.

Adolescent Treatment – A Guide to Finding Teen-Focused Care

What do the experts suggest? Learn about the ideal values that drive effective adolescent treatment (teens aren’t just mini-adults) and learn the essential questions you need to ask to get the right care for your son or daughter.

5 Reasons Why the California Society of Addiction Medicine Rejects Rapid Opioid Detox

Though the idea of avoiding withdrawal symptoms while under sedation sounds appealing, the California Society of Addiction Medicine does not endorse rapid opioid detox. Here are 5 primary reasons why they don’t.

Considering Milk Thistle for Alcoholic Liver Disease – an Overview and Review of the Evidence

If you have alcoholic liver disease should you be taking milk thistle? The research evidence is inconclusive, but a number of studies show real benefits and no studies show significant harms. Read on to learn more about this potentially life-saving herbal medicine.

Learning from Relapse: 13 Questions to Ask Yourself after a Slip

Ask and answer the following 13 questions after a slip to identify exactly what led you into trouble.

8 Burnout Busting Ways to Improve Your Job Satisfaction Level (Career Change Not Required)!

Work tedium, a negative attitude, a lack of challenge or variety…just a few examples of workday factors that can lead to dangerous burnout. Sometimes you can change jobs and sometimes you can’t. Here are 8 ways to learn to love the job you’ve got when leaving just isn’t an option.

Protect Yourself from Caregiver Burnout – 8 Tips and Strategies to Use

Caregiving, if you’re not careful, often leads to burnout. The hours and the frustrations take a significant toll and unless you’re vigilant, you’ll put your health and happiness at risk. But it doesn’t have to go that way – learn 8 ways to be an effective and compassionate caregiver while still protecting what’s important to you and your family.

Burnout Self Test – Do You Exhibit These 20 Signs of Work Burnout?

Has cynicism and fatigue replaced the enthusiasm and drive you once had at work? If so, you may be dealing with burnout, a worrisome psychological state that can rob you of your happiness and even your health. Learn more about burnout and take a quick 20 question quiz to find out if you’re experiencing the symptoms of this stress related condition.

Ease Chronic Pain with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Changing your thinking can make a huge difference to your outlook, mood and disability level. CBT is research proven and gets you results in a hurry.

Depression, Chronic Pain & Opioid Misuse

Learn how opioids can lead to depression, how depression worsens pain and what to do when you have both pain and depression.

Anger in Relationships - Try a 7 Minute Writing Exercise That Reduces Escalating Fighting

In a stormy relationship? Do meaningless disagreements tend to grow into angry fights? If so, you’re dealing with something called escalating negative affect reciprocity… and it’s a relationship killer. Luckily, there’s a cure - read on to learn about a 7 minute writing exercise that will help you to see things from your partner’s perspective and which is clinically proven to increase relationship satisfaction.

Onychophagia – Nail Biting

Are you one of millions that continue to bite your nails into adulthood? Find out more about nail biting and learn what you can do on your own to overcome you ‘habit’. Find out also about medications and psychotherapies that are also available for those that can’t break free on their own.

Pyromania

Most arsonists aren’t pyromaniacs as most can control their actions. A true pyromaniac suffers from an impulse control disorder and a deep fascination with fire and sets fires only to feel pleasure or relief and not for any financial or other gains.

Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling)

Strong urges to pull hair from your scalp and from other parts of your body results in bald patches and emotional stress. Trichotillomania is an incompletely understood condition that may affect as many as 9 million Americans. Read on to understand this disorder and what treatments are used to manage it. Learn also about self-help techniques that you can use today to start controlling your hair pulling at home.

Quitting Marijuana – 10 Things to Do before Your Quit Date

When quitting marijuana, preparation and planning increase your odds of success. Here are ten easy exercises to complete in the week leading up to your quit date.

Supporting Adolescent Recovery – 7 Steps to Better Communication with Your Teen

Parental support is a necessary component of teen addiction recovery, but you can’t have full support until you build real communication; learn how to improve your parent-teen communication skills in 7 easy steps.

Why Does Drinking Release the Rage? Understand Alcohol-Related Anger and Aggression

Why does alcohol lead to aggression and rage for some, but not for others? Learn more about how alcohol facilitates aggression and learn what kinds of people are most prone to alcohol related anger.

Addiction Treatment: Strategies for Coping While on a Waiting List + Minimizing Your Wait Time

Tips for minimizing the time you spend on a treatment waiting list and making good use of whatever time you have to sit through.

How to Benefit from Therapy

5 easy tips for getting the most out of your therapy experience.

Couples Counseling

Although most people only consider getting marriage or couples counseling in the face of very difficult relationship problems (which is a good time to consider couples counseling!) couples counselors can also help people even in satisfying relationships get more enjoyment out of their union.

Understand Art Therapy: Healing Through Creative Expression… Could Art Heal You?

How can you get better when you can’t say or don’t know what’s wrong? Well, with art therapy, you release subconscious thoughts and emotions into artistic creations that tell a trained therapist what’s really going on…and once you know the problem, you can get to work on the solution.

Teen Binge Drinking and the Risks of Alcoholism

The younger and harder that kids start drinking, the greater their eventual risk for alcoholism.

15 Signs of Marijuana Use Parents Need to Watch For

Is your son or daughter smoking marijuana? Learn the signs of marijuana use and be ready to spot a problem before it gets out of hand.

Why Therapeutic Wilderness Programs for Troubled Teens Work

You can't manipulate nature, but if you don't respect her, there are consequences. Wilderness programs can teach troubled teens to be accountable, responsible and self determined.

Keeping Teens Safe from Incredibly Destructive and Addictive Crystal Meth

Nothing beats the devastation of a crystal meth addiction, and parents need to keep kids safe from this very addictive menace. Here's what to look for; and if you see any warning signs of meth use, don't wait for tomorrow...take action TODAY.

Is Your Teen Depressed? Learn the Signs

Depression in teens more than doubles the risks of substance abuse and dependency. Learn how to spot it, and what to do if your teen is depressed.

The Risks of Teen Drug Use - It's About More Than Addiction

With addiction and drug abuse teens are at risk for a host of peripheral social problems, including suicide, violence, mental health difficulties and poor academic performance. Get educated about the risks facing your teen, and learn what really helps if there is a problem.

Should You Be Drug Testing Your Teen?

Not knowing is the worst...and drug tests promise parents the peace of mind that comes with certainty; but drug tests do come with some risks attached, and before you initiate a family testing policy you first need to get educated and informed.

Marijuana, How Is It Smoked? What Parents Need to Know

A parent's guide to marijuana, hash and hash oil, and how teens are smoking these drugs.

Drug and Alcohol Treatment for College Students…Many Need It, but Few Get It

College can be a lot of fun, hopefully educational and also very dangerous. The college years are a very high risk period for the development of alcoholism or drug addiction, and although many college students would benefit greatly from early intervention and treatment; very few ever get help.

How Can You Get Your Teen to Stop Smoking Marijuana

When your worst fears are confirmed, and when you do find your son or daughter experimenting with marijuana...what can you do and how can you get them to stop?

How to Choose a Wilderness Program - The Questions Parents Need to Ask

A series of questions that will tell you what you need to know to make an educated decision, and choose the best wilderness program for your troubled teen.

Teen Sexting – How Common Is It?

Despite a lot of media hype over teen sexting, research suggests that most teens don’t do it.

Teen and Drugs – When Are They Most Likely to Start?

Statistically speaking, your teen son or daughter is more likely than not to use drugs or alcohol well before finishing high school. By knowing when your child is most exposed to drugs and alcohol and most likely to try experimenting you may be able to prevent or minimize the extent of that experimentation. Read on to find out more about the stages of adolescence that are associated with the greatest likelihood of drug and alcohol use.

8 Secrets to Loving and Raising a Teen with Addiction

A little tension is normal in the parent-teen relationship, but when your teen suffers from addiction and loses control over their actions, relations in the family can get pretty damaged in a hurry. Here are 8 parenting tips on raising a child with addiction to happy and healthy adulthood while maintaining some peace in the household.

If Your Teen Drinks – How to Judge the Severity of the Problem

So you catch your teen son or daughter drinking and you learn that it’s been going on for a while. What do you do now? Do they need treatment or just punishment? Is it normal? Is it a big deal?!! Get started on answering these questions by comparing your teen’s age and drinking habits to the NIAAA criteria for low, moderate and high risk teen drinking.

Does Your Teen Have a Problem with Drugs or Alcohol? Ask them These 6 Questions to Find Out

Want to know if your teenage son or daughter has a problem with alcohol or drugs? Ask them 6 easy questions and if they answer yes to 2 or more, they may very well have a problem

Teen Substance Abuse – How The Seven Challenges Program Encourages Authentic Change

You can't force authentic change and you can't control a person's true thoughts and motivations...so maybe you shouldn't even try. Does your adolescent son or daughter need substance abuse treatment or treatment for co-occurring disorders? If so, you may want to look at treatment programs or counselors using the Seven Challenges Program, an evidence based treatment program which encourages honest communication to foster an authentic motivation for change. Read on to learn more about this clinically tested teen program which is now in use in hundreds of facilities nationwide.

Your Teen Drinks or Uses Drugs – 5 Tips for Getting Them to Stop

OK – you’ve caught your son or daughter drinking or using drugs – now what? Well, the first thing you need to do is make sure they don’t repeat their mistakes and keep using or drinking, and if they can’t or won’t stop, then you need to get them some help. So after catching them experimenting with substance use, what’s really important is that you monitor their activities so that you’ll know right away if they continue to use or drink. Here are 5 ways to do just that.

For Teens That Want to Quit Marijuana – 10 Situations That Lead to Relapse and 5 Ways to Overcome Cravings

If you prepare yourself for high-risk situations and learn strategies to prevent relapse you have a great chance of being able to quit on your own – learn how to succeed here.

Marijuana Risks for Teens – Help Your Kids Delay Marijuana Use to Avoid Cognitive, Academic and Mental Illness Consequences

What are the real marijuana risks for teens? Regular moderate marijuana use won’t do an adult much harm, but it will harm a teenager. Brain development continues through adolescence. If you smoke marijuana regularly during certain key periods of adolescence, you pay a lifetime price. Parents – get your son or daughter to just delay marijuana use to the age of 21 and save them from a host of permanent cognitive impairments.

Is Stress Making You Sick? 33 Medical Conditions Caused or Worsened by Stress

Feeling stressed out? Well, if that’s how you feel on a regular basis you might want to think about making some lifestyle changes, before that stress load starts to compromise your health.

Anger Management – 7 Quick Ways to Cool the Fires

Quick to anger? Learn 7 simple strategies for cooling down fast when you feel that rage threatening to spill over.

SMART Recovery: A Free Science-Based Alternative to the 12 Steps

There are many pathways to recovery. If the 12 steps don’t feel right, consider SMART Recovery meetings. SMART Recovery is a free, science-based community self-help group.

Sober Friends Support Your Recovery. A How-To Guide to Making Sober Friends and Building a Healthy Support Network

Quitting drugs or drinking often means severing ties with your old drinking/using buddies…but what do you do if you don’t have any other friends? Here’s a how-to guide to starting over and building sober friendships.

Urge Surfing: Beat Cravings and Relapse with a Mindfulness Technique

For the next 10 seconds, try not to think of a pink elephant…Impossible, right?! The fact is, the more you try to suppress an impulse to use drugs or alcohol the more fixated your mind becomes on that very impulse, and this is bad news for anyone serious about maintaining their sobriety. Fortunately, you don’t have to drink or use and you don’t have to fight or suppress your cravings, all you have to do is surf over them and they’ll disappear – using a proven mindfulness technique known as urge surfing.

10 Easy Ways to Raise Your Self Esteem and Enjoy Life a Little More Each Day!

Make a few minor changes, take on a few of those tasks that have been weighing on you, pamper yourself a little bit and learn to accept yourself for the great person - with strengths and weaknesses - that you already are.

Cyber Bullying - Around the Clock Harassment

It used to be that bullying stopped after school – and once kids and teens were safely home, they could have at least some respite from the harassment endured during the day. Unfortunately, in today’s 24/7 connected society, bully victims get no relief as their tormenters continue the attack around the clock through tactics such as vicious emails, the distribution of unflattering photos or videos, online gossip spreading and many others.

How to Prevent, Identify and Respond to Opioid Overdoses

No more preventable deaths! If you or someone you love takes opioids you need to know how to prevent and respond to overdoses.

Blind Methadone Detox – The Pros and Cons of a Blind Taper

Learn the advantages and disadvantages to a blind methadone taper. Would not knowing the reduction schedule ease your anxiety or would you rather stay in control, so you can plan coping strategies for temporary upswings in withdrawal symptoms?

A 15 Point Plan to Succeeding with Methadone or Suboxone

Using or thinking about using Suboxone or methadone? Work through the 15 recovery steps outlined in this article and greatly increase your odds of long-term success.

Marijuana Detox: Withdrawal Symptoms and How to Cope

How to get past the first 2 weeks of marijuana withdrawal symptoms. Learn what to expect from marijuana withdrawal, with tips and suggestions for coping with individual withdrawal symptoms.

Gut Bacteria Protect Your Mental Health. Learn How to Protect Your Microbiome

Imbalanced gut bacteria may increase your risk of anxiety, depression, obesity and a host of other diseases. Learn how digestive bacteria can cause anxiety and find out how dietary changes can help you instill or protect an optimal balance of beneficial bacteria.

Keep Yourself Feeling Great! Maintain Wellness and Prevent Worsening Psychiatric or Emotional Symptoms with This Easy Exercise

Create wellness sheets and have a reminder of what you need to do every day, and once in a while, to keep yourself feeling good and to prevent worsening psychiatric or emotional symptoms.

Hope for Families of Dual Diagnosis Addicts. Why Things Are Better Than They Seem!

Hope is vital. Without hope, family gives up and the dual diagnosis addict lose necessary and beneficial support. Learn why treatment works, and why you have to keep hope alive!

How to Strengthen Your Family to Help a Loved-One in Rehab

Are you willing to make changes to become the kind of family that really supports recovery? Find out more about how strong families prevent relapse and about how you can strengthen your family, starting from today.

Who Is Most at Risk for an Internet Addiction?

Who is most at risk for an internet addiction - it's not who you think!

Internet Addiction Self Test

Worried about your online habits? Take the following 8 question test, and see if you meet the criteria for internet addiction.

MMPRPG's and the Dangers of Video Game Addiction

EverCrack - the name says it all, and it's not funny anymore for the hundreds of thousands that are so addicted to their virtual worlds that they can't stop playing.

Understanding Internet Addiction - Facts, Symptoms and Risks

A recognized compulsive-impulsive use disorder - understand internet addiction, know how to spot it and learn what can be done.

Email Addiction - An Impulsive Compulsive Disorder

The 2 hallmarks of an email addiction are an obsession with thoughts of checking for email and an inability to resist the urge to check. Email addicts might check for mail hundreds of times per day - and eventually think of little else.

For Children and Teens - The Risks of Excessive Video Game Play

Kids that spend more than 2 hours a day in front of a video game, computer or TV set are at increased risk of mental health problems, obesity, poor school performance and a host of other negatives. Read the research highlights that paint a scary picture of what excessive screen time does to a developing mind and learn some easy to implement tips to get your son or daughter away from the TV or video game screen!

Psychiatric Disorders that Predict Internet Addiction

Researchers say that people with certain mental health conditions, like ADHD, depression, social phobia and others are at greater risk to develop a co-occurring addiction to the internet. Learn more about what types of disorders put a person at increased risk of internet addiction and about what can be done to prevent it for those most at risk.

The 2010 Suggested Diagnostic Criteria for Internet Addiction

As a relatively new and evolving condition, Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) does not yet have a codified set of diagnostic criteria. Here are the latest recommendations (from 2010) to help doctors and other mental health workers make a diagnosis. Easy to understand, these new diagnostic criteria may help you diagnosis a problem that you or a loved one deals with.

Addiction Treatment Options for Opioid Addicted Chronic Pain Patients

Three opioid addiction treatment options for people with chronic pain – including options for people who still need opioids for analgesia.

Chronic Stress Leads to Obesity – Cut the Stress to Shed the Pounds

Chronic stress causes brain changes that lead us to crave comfort foods and to actually strive to increase abdominal fat stores – it’s our unconscious mind working against our best intentions! Learn more about how and why stress leads to weight gain and get some tips on things you can do right now to reduce your stress load.

Is Suboxone Strong Enough for You?

You can take a month long prescription for Suboxone home with you and when you decide to taper down and quit using, the withdrawal pains are much less severe than methadone’s. For these reasons and others, many people prefer the idea of treatment with Suboxone over treatment with methadone, but unfortunately, Suboxone won’t work for everyone. Some people will find that only methadone is strong enough to provide full relief from withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings.

Methadone or Suboxone during Pregnancy?

complications including a significantly elevated risk of miscarriage. Although you may wish to quit using opiates entirely upon learning of a pregnancy, the withdrawal symptoms of an opiate detox can be very hard on the fetus and can result in miscarriage as well. Fortunately, methadone (and in some cases, buprenorphine) is proven a safe and effective medication for use by pregnant women. Methadone is the recommended treatment for pregnant opiate abusing women.

Suboxone – Understanding Precipitated Withdrawal

If you try to abuse Suboxone or you take it for the first time before you're feeling opiate withdrawal symptoms, you can go into precipitated withdrawal - which is a sudden and intense medication caused entry into opiate withdrawal symptoms. Learn how Suboxone can cause precipitated withdrawal and learn how to make sure you'll never have to experience it!

What You Need to Accomplish before You Stop Using Methadone or Suboxone

Getting into a methadone or Suboxone treatment program and off the abuse of opiates is a monumental step to better health and a better life, but medication alone is rarely enough! Those that give themselves the best chances of a lifetime of recovery take the time of stability that medication offers and use it to take back control of their lifestyle, their finances, their relationships and social support network and many other things. Read on to find out what must be done during maintenance treatment before you can begin thinking about tapering off your medication.

Creating Balance and Life Satisfaction: A 23 Question Diagnostic Tool to Identify What’s Missing from Your Life

You don’t get addiction treatment to create a life without drugs or alcohol - you get it to create a BETTER life without drugs or alcohol. Finding moderation and balance in life helps to protect you from relapse and ultimately, to be happier and more fulfilled. Take this quick self test to find out what areas you need to work on.

9 Strategies for Dealing with a Bully

Bullying is common, but it’s not harmless; in fact, children who get bullied can experience consequences like depression, social anxiety or low self esteem that can last all the way into adulthood. If you or someone you love is getting bullied, you need to make it stop. Read on to learn 9 proven ways to deal with bullies.

Orthorexia: An Unhealthy Obsession with Healthy Eating

Did you know the fixation with healthy eating can spell disaster? Don't let your diet control your life. Learn about Orthorexia: The obsession with correct eating.

Alcohol Rehab for Older Women - It Is Never too Late

Seniors do very well in alcohol rehab, and since the risks of drinking increase as we age, older women who drink too much need help right now.

No Relapse; Medications Used After Rehab Can Help

The initial weeks and months after alcohol rehab are a time of great temptation and cravings. Three commonly used medications can help to reduce the strength of cravings, and help you stay sober.

Heavy Drinking, High Blood Pressure and the Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

They call hypertension the silent killer. Heavy drinking greatly increases the risks.

How to Spot and Treat Psychosis in the Pre-Illness Phase (It Never Has to Get Fully Symptomatic)

Psychosis: it affects 3%, but if you spot and treat it in the pre-illness phase you can stop the symptoms before they even get started. Learn the warning signs of the prodromal phase.

Seasonal Alcoholism – The Link between Seasonal Affective Disorder and Substance Abuse

Don’t try chasing away those winter blahs with a few drinks to lift your spirits, you may be suffering from undiagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorder and by using alcohol as self medication you are greatly upping your risk of a substance abuse problem.

Addicted to Alcohol? Learn About Alcoholism & Treatment

The difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction (alcoholism), what puts you at risk of becoming an alcoholic and what to do once you’ve crossed that invisible line to addiction.

8 Item Recovery Wellness Checklist – Avoid Relapse and Get Healthy and Happy

Decrease your relapse odds and increase your happiness, resilience and health by focusing on balanced wellness. Here’s an 8 item wellness checklist with suggestions for small changes you can make today.

Depression Lifestyle Changes - Why Getting Active Reduces Feelings of Depression

Getting out and doing something - anything - may be the last thing you feel like doing, but staying at home and in bed only reinforces negativity and leaves you with little to focus on other than the ruminative thoughts of depression. Learn why getting up and doing pretty much anything can reverse this negative spiral of depression and help get you feeling better, faster.

25 Ways to Prevent and/or to Cope With Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Try a few of the following real-life tips from panic patients and therapists to prevent anxiety and panic and to retake control when panic strikes.

Online Therapy for Insomnia

Research suggests that online counseling programs for insomnia can be just as effective as in-person therapy.

Life Coaching - Can a Life Coach Help You?

Feeling ‘stuck’ in life or dissatisfied at work or with personal relationships? Wanting to make a change but not sure about how to change – or even what to strive for? Find out more about life coaching and learn if a life helper might be what you need to get yourself moving in the right direction again. Learn also about the limitations of coaching and get tips on how to find an effective coach.

What Is Suboxone?

Suboxone is an opiate replacement drug that takes away opiate withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings without getting you high. Suboxone is a medication that works similarly to methadone, but unlike methadone, it can be taken home in month long doses and it doesn’t cause such a difficult withdrawal. If you’re addicted to opiates, Suboxone can get you feeling normal again so you can get your life back on track.

Are People Using Methadone or Suboxone Still Drug Addicts?

If a person uses Suboxone or methadone as prescribed then no more is she a drug addict than is someone physically dependent on blood pressure medications! Addiction and physical dependence are not the same. Although a person on Suboxone or methadone will need to take their medication each day, they will not experience the compulsions or harms from use that are characteristic of addiction.

Switching from Methadone to Suboxone

Although someone wanting to switch from Suboxone to methadone for the treatment of an opiate addiction can do so easily, switching from methadone to Suboxone can be more complicated. People on methadone will generally first have to reduce their daily dosage down considerably before switching to ensure sufficient withdrawal symptoms relief from Suboxone.

The 3 Stages of Suboxone Treatment

Treatment with Suboxone occurs in three phases, the induction, stabilization and maintenance phases. Learn what happens in each phase and how long it takes to move through these stages of care.

Ayurvedic Medicine as Addiction Treatment

Put 5000 years of Ayurvedic treatment experience behind your goal of overcoming addiction. Learn more about Ayurvedic medicine, how it works and if it might work for you.

Intervention Tip #1- Avoid Distraction and Don’t Debate

Tips on running a successful intervention. Stick to the facts and avoid getting bogged down in debates about what’s true and what’s not.

Synthetic Marijuana Withdrawal: Strategies for Coping with Common Symptoms

What to expect from synthetic marijuana withdrawal, how to cope with common symptoms and how to make it past the first tough week.

Kratom for Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms: Risks and Benefits

Kratom leaves are used to reduce opioid withdrawal severity. Should you consider this potent supplement? Learn the risks and benefits here.

Eating Disorders: How to Determine an Appropriate Level of Care

A general overview of the different levels of care (hospitalization, residential, day treatment, outpatient). How to know which is right for you.

Should You Quit Drinking or Drugs? Find Out with 4 Easy Exercises

Should you or shouldn’t you quit drinking or drugs? Ambivalence is normal, but you’ll feel better once you make a firm decision, one way or the other. Here are 4 easy exercises to help you.

Tramadol Addiction – The Health Risks of Chronic Use and Abuse

If you’re looking for a good reason to stop abusing tramadol, read on here for an overview of how tramadol works in the brain and the risks associated with chronic abuse, such as addiction, lowered sleep quality, neonatal abstinence syndrome, medication overuse headache, seizures and more.

Understand Pain Self Management – 14 Ways to Take Control of Pain

Read on to learn how to reduce pain and disability, avoid mental illness and achieve greater quality of life.

Working as a recovering addict in a drug rehab. Helping others as you help yourself

Why rehab graduates stay on after graduation, and how to choose a quality rehab.

Don’t Like AA? 6 Community Alternatives to 12 Steps Groups

Getting and staying involved in a community self help and support group during the initial period of recovery is a very good idea. Support groups can keep help keep you motivated to stay at the fight, can offer wisdom and encouragement and can be an excellent source of sober support and friendship. 12 steps groups are the most common type of community support group, but not everyone finds what they need though the 12 steps - and some people find the spiritual component uncomfortable. Here then, are 6 great alternatives to AA and NA.

The Americans with Disabilities Act – Protecting Your Right to Ongoing Treatment

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, as long as you no longer use illegal drugs, you have a right to treatment and you cannot face discrimination at the workplace because of your past addiction. Learn more about your rights under this federal law and find out what to do if your employer violates the law.

In Recovery – How to Find a Job After a Long Period of Substance Abuse

Idle hands and too many idle hours aren’t often helpful as you strive to maintain your recovery – and also, everyone needs to make a living, right?! Problematically though, addiction is rarely associated with high job performance and though you’re now in recovery and ready to do great work – the gaps in your resume can make it hard to even get in the door. In a booming economy, it might not matter, but when times are tight, getting a job in early recovery can be really tough. Here’s a list of resource agencies that specialize in helping people in recovery find work – as well as a list of tips for general job searching success.

Occupations with Highest Rates of Substance Abuse

In recovery, it’s helpful to avoid over exposure to peers who abuse drugs and alcohol. Here’s some information on the occupations that are most and least associated with substance abuse.

The 10 Best Addiction and Recovery Articles of 2011

The best of the year's addiction and addiction recovery articles on ChooseHelp!

The Importance of Resilience in Addiction Recovery

Resilient people adapt to change and bounce back from adversity – and resilient people are less likely to react to tragedy or great stress with relapse back to substance abuse. If you’re in recovery, resilience can save your life. Read on to learn 8 ways to become a more resilient person.

SAMHSA’s 10 Rules for a Successful Recovery

After convening a panel of experts and consumers to talk about what’s really important in the recovery process SAMHSA has released an updated 10 rule guidebook on sustaining a successful recovery. Here are the 10 things you need to do to achieve and maintain your recovery.

12 Greatest Recovery Quotes from Famous Writers and Thinkers

Feeling stuck in addiction? Lacking confidence or motivation for change? Read on and get inspired by 12 wisdom-filled quotes on addiction recovery from some of history’s greatest writers and thinkers.

Feel Better about Yourself - 6 Practices That Raise Self Esteem

Discover the 6 life practices associated with healthy self esteem and make a few changes to boost your own sense of self worth!

7 Tips for Using Technology to Stay Clean and Sober

7 tips and tricks for getting the most out of your phone, tablet and laptop as you work to maintain your recovery.

Sleep and Recovery

Clinical research proves that one of the greatest indicators of relapse is poor sleeping during initial sobriety. Unfortunately, the legacy of alcohol abuse on sleeping cycles makes falling asleep and achieving a restful sleep very difficult. Learn about the influence of sleep on recovery, and tips on getting a good night's sleep.

In Recovery? A 7 Step Guide to Solving Problems without Drugs or Alcohol

If you’re in recovery you’re probably used to dealing with problems by getting drunk or high. Unexpected problems are still coming (as they always do) so get ready for them. Learn effective problem solving techniques today and avoid relapse tomorrow.

7 Strategies for Staying Sober Over the Holidays

Worried about how you’ll make it through Thanksgiving? Here are 7 simple suggestions for making sure your holidays don't end in relapse.

The 10 Best Addiction Recovery and Mental Health Articles of 2012!

The most talked about, most influential and most important (helpful) addiction and mental health articles of the past 12 months.

Don’t Let a Slip Turn Into a Relapse

Some basic facts about relapse, why a slip never needs to mean the end of a recovery or that treatment has failed, what to do if you slip (right away) and how to reduce your odds of relapse in the first place.

Recovery Road-Map: The First 5 Years

An explanation of the first 4 stages of recovery: how long each one takes, what kind of treatment you need in each stage, and what you need to accomplish before you can graduate to a higher stage.

Addiction Recovery: Using the S.M.A.R.T. Framework to Achieve Goals

Learn this effective system for accomplishing short, middle and longer-term goals.

Peer Recovery Support Services – Build Lasting Recovery with a Little Help from Your Friends

We often talk about formal treatment and self-help groups like AA, but we rarely mention the third essential pillar of recovery – peer driven recovery support services. Find out how recovery support services can help you stay clean and sober for good.

Drug Treatment for Teens - The ASAM Adolescent Levels of Care, with Case Study Examples

So many options - outpatient, intensive outpatient, residential, high intensity residential…how are parents supposed to know what’s needed? Here’s a brief explanation of the different American Society of Addiction Medicine Adolescent Levels of Care with case study examples to illustrate.

Check Yourself: Alcohol Disease Risks and the Mortality Rates Associated with Your Level of Drinking

Based on your current level of drinking, find out your risk for certain cancers, cirrhosis, heart attack and stroke (and remember, if you’re still reasonably healthy, you can reduce your risks dramatically by curbing heavy drinking.)

Marijuana Amotivational Syndrome?

Does it exist? Learn about marijuana amotivational syndrome; the truth, the facts and the hearsay.

Infectious Disease Risks Associated with Drug Use and Abuse

Unfortunately, the damage done through drug abuse far exceeds the sometimes substantial destruction of the drug alone, and can also include infectious diseases and other health risks. Don't risk your health and happiness for a few hours of dwindling pleasure; get help and get better today.

Marijuana Caused Infertility

Marijuana, smoked by either a man or a woman, reduces the chances of a successful conception.

Your Legal Rights To Confidential Drug Treatment

You have a legal right to confidential treatment, and you cannot be discriminated against on the job, in the housing market, or for access to any governmental programs. Find out what your rights are, and get help today.

Medical Marijuana; the Facts

Is marijuana good or bad, and if it offers so much to people with cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis...why does it remain illegal? Learn the facts, the benefits and the risks, and learn why medical marijuana faces some significant challenges to acceptance and legality.

Addiction – A Brain Disease, Not a Moral Failing

As much as some would like to call those with addiction weak willed or immoral, the truth of it is that addiction is simply a treatable brain disease.

Drugs and Prisons

The number of Americans imprisoned on drug offenses, the cost of keeping them within the corrections system and the racial disparity of this offender population.

Addiction and Health Care Costs

Why cuts to addiction treatment funding may not save money in the short, medium or long term - Uncovering the hidden long term health care costs of untreated addiction.

Binge Drinking: Health and Societal Costs

Binge drinking is bad for you and bad us. When you binge drink you put yourself at an increased risk of accidents, trauma and assault, and when you binge drink regularly your risks for a host of chronic disease go up substantially; but binge drinking affects more than the individual alone, at the societal level, binge drinking costs Americans well over $100 billion dollars per year.

American DUI – The Ugly Truths

Although drunk driving isn’t as common as it was 20 years ago, well over 10 000 Americans are still killed every year in alcohol involved traffic accidents, and if you’re driving around after midnight on a Friday night, then about 5% of those driving around you are over the legal limit. In all, drunk drivers take 159 million perilous and sometimes tragic driving trips in America each year.

Alcohol Policies and Laws to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms – Which Programs Work and Which Programs Don’t

Although a legal substance, a lot of legislation regulates how we can buy, sell and consume alcohol – and this is understandable, since alcohol misuse costs Americans an estimated $223.5 billion per year. Find out what types of alcohol polices actually work well to reduce the harms of excessive alcohol use and which ones – though they may sound good – do not work very well at all.

Reduce Your Opioid Use - 42 Pain Management Alternatives to Consider

Worried about taking opioids or wondering how you’ll manage pain without them? Here are 42 largely side-effect free pain interventions to try.

Motivational Interviewing

Your family, friends and employer may all be screaming at you to change your ways – but until you develop a motivation for change that comes from within – lasting recovery is pretty unlikely. Motivational Interviewing is a proven effective form of counseling that helps you to overcome feelings of ambivalence and decide on and commit to a course of action.

Chronic Pain Opioid Guidelines for People with Active Addiction, People in Recovery and People on MAT

Pain leads to relapse, but opioids are dangerous for people with substance use disorders or addiction histories. Get pain relief while reducing your relapse risks by following SAMHSA’s opioid guidelines.

Ayahuasca as an Addiction Treatment: Shamanic Visions to Cure Your Addiction?

Can an intense Amazonian hallucinogen help you to overcome drug or alcohol addiction? Read on to learn more about how Ayahuasca works and to find out where you can get treatment with this traditional shamanic medicine if you so desire.

A 2 Question Drug Abuse Test That Predicts Your Odds of Having a Problem

Drug abuse test: do you have a substance use disorder? Well, if you’re not sure, answer the following 2 questions honestly and find out – 92.3% of people that can answer no to both questions do not have a problem.

11 Reasons Why Teens Abuse Prescription Opiates – And How Parents Can Prevent It

From a study of thousands of adolescent opiate users we learn the 11 most common reasons why teens abuse pain pills. Ultimately it all comes down to easy availability and misperceptions about consequences and safety.

How to Gain Control of Worry and Anxiety - Use a Worry Diary to Challenge Your Worries and Feel Better

Worries drain your mental energy and do little to solve a problem – so banish unhelpful worries by writing them down and then challenging them with a series of structured questions. Learn how a worry diary can help you to get past excessive worrying.

How Many Units of Alcohol a Day Predict a Serious Detox

when reading about the dangers of alcohol withdrawal on this site, it said that one of them is if you drink 20 or more units a day. what is a unit considered??

Xanax Discussion

how do you get to the xanax discussion website

Finding Local Help

My sibling is staying with me to recover from heroine and meth. He is substituting suboxin and xanex bars to help his recovery. He says he's done it before, but I want to ask him to see a doctor within my city. Can you recommend a doctor that could help him detox correctly (therapist, psychologist, or medical doctor). Eventually, I'd love to help him get into a rehab program. He has no where else to go and my parents do not know of the situation.

Call This Number Right Now

I have no insurance no money and spent 50,000 dollars in the last 90 days on crack and other drugs/alcohol. I have not slept in 6 days and i have been looking for help the last 3 days. Nobody seems to want to help me and I cant get help locally. I really need to find a rehab/treatment center soon. i am suicidal and the only reason i haven't pulled the trigger is i have young children that need there dad. Please advise me as to what i can do?

Potentiating Opiates with Antihistamines

what is a "Finnegan?" and what is its pharmaceutical name and purpose? I overheard s conversation I shouldn't have about someone I care about. They are combining and abusing them. I also found a round white pill with the imprint MT1 on one side and a dividing score on the other. Wondering if this is a form of one of them?

Salvation Army Rehab Info

How does the salvation army rehab work

Alcoholism Recovery Employment Assistance in Mass.

I am wondering if The Mass Rehabilitation Commission assists recovering alcoholics with finding a job or computer training.

Facebook Addiction

My daughter is on Facebook all the time. She graduated from high school last year and is taking a year or two off to figure out what she wants to do before college. As far as I can tell, all she wants to do is stay glued to that computer screen. She used to be a pretty social and outgoing girl, but now she barely leaves the house and the only contact she seems to want to have with others is through a computer screen. She had a part time waitressing job but she got let go last week after her manager said she wasn’t paying enough attention to the customers (she was on her phone). She says we’re out of date and out of touch and that this is just the way it nowadays, but all I can see is her wasting her life away without doing much of anything as she stays up all night on the computer. She bought her own phone and the computer was a gift from her grandparents and she pays her own bills. She’s not interested in hearing what we have to say on the matter – but I think she’s addicted to something unhealthy and I want to know how to get her to stop! What can I do?