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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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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Relapse is common in addiction recovery. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, between 40 and 60 percent of people relapse within a year of treatment. [https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/treatment-recovery] The nature of addiction makes relapse common. It combines deeply ingrained habits, physical dependence, and neurological changes that all tend to keep you trapped in addictive behavior.…
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When someone accepts that her substance use has become a problem, often her first thought is to attend a 12-Step program like AA or NA. These programs have been around for decades and helped millions of people get sober. Twelve-step programs certainly have some advantages. A big one is that they’re free and open to…
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One of the most important things to remember about addiction recovery is that it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Enthusiasm and willpower will only get you so far. Everyone has good days and bad days in recovery, and the bad days can make it seem like the whole project is doomed to fail. While…
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If your substance use has become a problem or if you are recovering from a substance use disorder, your job may be part of the problem. People in some jobs have a much higher risk of developing substance use disorders than others. The most significant factors that contribute to substance use include stress, odd or…
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People recovering from addiction often want to know when they can start dating again. This is especially true of teens and young adults who would most likely be dating, had their substance use not intervened. Most experts recommend that you have at least a year of solid recovery before you start dating again. Here’s why.…
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As the opioid crisis in the US has continued to get worse in recent years, there has been a lot of media coverage of the causes of addiction. Many people have also been personally affected by the opioid crisis. Therefore, many people have had to reconsider what they thought they knew about addiction. Although there…
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Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. Research from Hootsuite shows that 88 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 use social media and the average internet user has more than seven social media accounts. [https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-statistics-for-social-media-managers/] We use social media to keep up with friends and family, follow…
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