Dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT, is a form of therapy that was originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder but has since been found to be effective in treating a number of conditions including substance use disorders, eating disorders, depression, and suicidal behavior. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2963469/] DBT is essentially a package that uses selected cognitive and behavioral…
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Research has found that gratitude has many wide-ranging benefits. These include better mood, better physical health, better self-esteem, better sleep, and more resilience in the face of adversity. [https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier] Studies show that many of these positive outcomes are mediated by yet another benefit: better relationships. Strong relationships are the foundation of a strong recovery. Self-esteem,…
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Choosing an addiction treatment program for yourself or someone you love may be one of the biggest decisions you have to make. Not all treatment programs are of equal quality and choosing the right program might mean the difference between a strong recovery and sliding back into addictive behavior. However, there are about 14,000 addiction…
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People are often wary of group therapy at first. The thought of talking about your problems with a bunch of strangers can be intimidating. However, many people are pleasantly surprised by how much they end up liking group therapy and how much they get out of it. Group therapy has become a staple in most…
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When you’re recovering from addiction, your attitude matters a lot. Many people enter treatment at a low point in their lives. For whatever reason, they have finally reached a point where their substance use is unsustainable and something has to change. They may be dealing with a load of problems including wrecked relationships, career issues,…
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Life definitely improves when you’re sober, but it doesn’t happen right away. Everyone who enters treatment for addiction expects life to get better, otherwise no one would put in the time and effort. However, if you expect too much too soon, those expectations might hold you back. If the improvements you expect don’t materialize immediately,…
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Whether or not to share your addiction history can be a tough decision. Although we’ve come a long way in reducing the stigma of substance use disorders, there’s still a long way to go. A 2018 poll found that although a slim majority of Americans now see addiction as a disease that requires treatment, a…
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When you enter treatment for addiction, it’s normal to want to know if you’re doing things right. You’re putting a lot of time and effort into treatment, and you (as well as the people who care about you) hope it will improve your life. In times like these when you’re not sure where you stand,…
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Addiction is a chronic condition and, as with other chronic conditions, relapse is always a possibility. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that between 40 and 60 percent of people will relapse within a year of completing treatment for substance use. [https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/treatment-recovery] Although everyone has different patterns of substance use and relapse, relapse often…
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Alcohol has long been a fixture on college campuses. For many people, having a social life in college means drinking. Studies have found that young adults do, in fact, binge drink more if they’re enrolled in college than if they don’t and that increase is mostly due to the pro-drinking social environment. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2930506/] Unfortunately, just…
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