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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The idea that someone has to hit rock bottom before they are willing to accept help or able to follow through with treatment is one of the most persistent and dangerous myths about addiction. There are a number of problems with this myth. “Rock bottom” is arbitrary. The first issue with the rock bottom idea…
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Most people who need help for addiction don’t get it. One study found that fewer than 25 percent of Americans with a substance use disorder get any sort of treatment. [https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/10-percent-us-adults-have-drug-use-disorder-some-point-their-lives] Some of those people lack access to care, either because they live in rural areas or they believe they can’t afford it. However, many…
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Bipolar disorder is a major risk factor for developing a substance use disorder. One study found that among people with bipolar disorder, 56 percent developed a substance use disorder at some point in their lives. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2851027/] By comparison, just over eight percent of American adults have a drug or alcohol use disorder. [https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_2790/ShortReport-2790.html] Bipolar disorder…
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It’s an unfortunate reality that most Americans who need treatment for a substance use disorder never get it. There are a number of reasons for this. According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the vast majority simply don’t think they need treatment. [https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-DR-FFR2-2016/NSDUH-DR-FFR2-2016.htm] Of the 17.7 million American adults who needed…
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It hardly seems possible that someone who isn’t yet 18 could develop a substance use disorder but it happens surprisingly often. Despite some positive trends in teen drug use in recent years, there are about one and a half million teens who meet the criteria for a substance use disorder. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166985/] Even if a teen…
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Anxiety is a common problem for people recovering from addiction. One large study of more than 43,000 people found that 17.7 percent of people with substance use disorders also have an anxiety disorder. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921723/] It also appears that in the vast majority of cases, the anxiety disorder comes first and the substance use disorder begins…
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Dreams about relapse are extremely common among people recovering from addiction. In a typical relapse dream, you might use drugs or alcohol again, suddenly feel overcome with remorse, disbelief, or panic, then wake up and feel relieved that it was only a dream. Despite the relief that it was only a dream, many people are…
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