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Functional alcoholism can be difficult to spot. By definition, functional alcoholism is when someone appears as any non-alcoholic would, despite having a habit of abusing alcohol. They are called “functional” or “high-functioning” alcoholics because they appear to have normally proceeding lives that may even contain great jobs, friends and family relationships. April is alcohol awareness […]

Children are sponges. They absorb information better than any of us. If you think your problem is going over their head, think again. Although your child doesn’t understand the gravity of a chronic substance use disorder, the disease’s effects will long remain: Binging nights, erratic outbursts, nights withdrawal crept in— or perhaps you’re the functioning addict. Drunk only after work. […]

Something you will hear going to 12-step meetings is “relapse is part of recovery”. In my opinion it doesn’t have to be. However, if you do relapse it’s OK. What is important is that it’s a short relapse, get back to a meeting or into treatment. It is easy to beat yourself up after you […]

Perfectionism is a common characteristic trait for many people living with active addiction and those in recovery. It seems like a conflicting statement: the drive to be perfect but reliant on substance use as a coping mechanism. In actuality, those in recovery or active addiction tend to hold themselves to incredibly high standards. In many […]

Many forms of mental health that affect individuals––depression being one of them. When we hear the word depression, we may often think of someone who is just sad, upset, or having a hard time dealing with emotions and feelings. It sounds like something with a simple solution, right?  While depression may sound like something you […]

As nice as it would be to have the ability to control everything that happens around us, most of the time we can’t. Things happen that are beyond our control and sometimes it takes a negative toll on our mental health. So how do you shield your mental health from the wrenches and daggers life […]

What is in my control? This can be a difficult question during a time like this where there seems to be so many things that are out of our control. We can’t control when restaurants and businesses are going to open, we can’t control the closing or opening of schools, beaches, the government’s actions, or […]

It’s part of human nature to seek connections and form relationships; even the most introverted personalities need human contact every so often. The problem comes when that need to create and maintain bonds overshadows one’s self-interest. We’ve all been there; we’ve all had a friend, family member, or partner that we knew- logically- was not […]

Preparing to enter an inpatient drug or alcohol rehab program is, in many ways, akin to preparing to go off to college. Getting the most out of both experiences requires a fair amount of pre-planning, follow through, and earnest effort. Just like the decision to pursue higher education can benefit your future, beginning your journey […]

Most people seeking an addiction recovery program do their research in a very specific, restricted area: within about 10 miles of their home. Sometimes that radius can be expanded to include the entirety of the state, but rarely does one consider the broader horizons that out-of-state treatment can provide. This self-imposed limitation can lead to […]