written by Clay Hightower, LMSW From the moment that one makes the commitment to stop ingesting a mood-altering substance or engaging in a process addiction, they are at risk of relapse. Without proper planning, one is potentially one stressful event, unforeseen challenge, or fixed false belief away from the voice convincing them that they cannot [...]
Survey of Men and Women with Substance Use Disorder in Halfway Housing Brandi McNeely Addiction Research Foundation Men and women in sober living in order to recover from substance abuse face numerous challenges that involve integrating oneself back into sober society after months or years of substance abuse. Along with this re-integration, is the fact [...]
Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) for Alabama Brandi McNeely Addiction Research Foundation Syringe services programs (SSPs) have in recent years been expanding throughout the United States as a response to the opioid epidemic and response to injection drug use related diseases, which are continuing to spread across the US at higher rates. SSPs are qualified as [...]
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention and Intervention for Substance Use Disorder The Addiction Research Foundation Brandi McNeely “Mindfulness” is a term that can be heard echoed throughout recent culture, bringing to mind different images and definitions for different people. Although ‘mindfulness” may be a broad and possibly misunderstood term, there have been movements to better integrate practices [...]
Did Drinking Give Me Breast Cancer? The science on the link is clear, but the alcohol industry has worked hard to downplay it. STEPHANIE MENCIMERMAY/JUNE 2018 ISSUE Edmon De Haro I thought I’d done everything right: breastfeeding my children, a careful diet, plenty of exercise. I wasn’t overweight and didn’t have a family history. I [...]
The problem with any single label for a complex issue is that it implies a level of understanding or agreement that probably doesn’t exist. This is true for all labels and it is especially true for addiction. If I say that you are an addict and you then agree with me that, it will sound [...]
What is Smart Recovery? SMART Recovery's 4-Point Program® helps people recover from all types of addictive behaviors, including: alcoholism, drug abuse, substance abuse, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, gambling addiction, cocaine addiction, and addiction to other substances and activities. Smart Recovery’s purpose is to support individuals who have chosen to abstain, or are considering abstinence from [...]
Yoga and Meditation Effects on Recovery Rates Study Many studies have observed the effect of yoga and meditation on the fight-or-flight response, which is the body’s natural reaction to stressful and life-threatening situations. While this response is a survival mechanism, intended to save you from immediate physical danger (such as being attacked by a wild [...]
The Star Matrix © is an assessment system based on research and understanding that there is more than one path to dependency on mood altering substances and therefore more than one way to conceptualize the problem. There are multiple components that affect the most important question in all substance abuse disorders. That question is “why?”. [...]
