Of the many unfortunate outcomes of substance abuse and addiction, violence is one that has significant ripple effects on families and communities. Whether it’s violence turned inward or channeled into interpersonal conflict and crime, the link is clear. Understanding the complicated relationship between alcohol and violence against oneself or others is crucial in creating effective…
The world is an interesting place right now. For the first time in many people’s lives, we’re facing a viral pandemic that is changing the way we interact with those around us. While many of the things we should be doing — washing our hands, avoiding touching our faces and practicing social distancing — might seem like common sense,…
Addiction is a highly personal experience that affects each individual differently. The factors and circumstances that lead to someone developing addiction are many, and you may be surprised to find out that one of the elements to consider is gender. For years, the only subjects in addiction research were men. This bias has hindered the…
Traumatic events shape you. Whether it’s a childhood experience or something you faced as an adult, these situations change how you see the world and how you view yourself. It’s not uncommon to hear that someone who has suffered a traumatic experience now struggles with addiction. Too often, trauma leads to alcoholism or drug abuse.…
Most people don’t truly understand addiction. They see an unhealthy dependence on drugs or alcohol, and mistakenly think addicted individuals lack willpower or have some kind of moral failing. Most don’t understand why an addict can’t just stop using. The truth is addiction is a complex brain disease. This means quitting takes more than just…
As a dad, you want your children to always look at you as their hero. However, if you’re struggling with substance use, the effects of your addiction are bound to impact or even devastate your family. Even if you believe you’re hiding the signs and your family doesn’t know, you’re probably mistaken. Over time, drugs and alcohol…
Chemical dependency can creep up on you. For example, you may have had a great reason to start reaching for alcohol or benzos. However, it eventually turns on you. Case in point is the relationship between mental health and substance abuse. Because ultimately, the drugs hook you, there’s help in the form of dual diagnosis…
During the month of June, there’s concerted outreach to inform people about post-traumatic stress disorder. It culminates in PTSD Awareness Day on June 27. Although many of these efforts originate from veterans’ organizations, you don’t have to be a military member to experience it. In fact, there are many people who never saw combat who…
When you care about someone, it can be hard to see them down or depressed, especially if you’re not sure how to help. A quick Google search — “how to help my girlfriend with depression” comes back with more than 77 million results, and sorting through them, it can be challenging to separate fact from…
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness and reducing stigma. To start our month-long conversation about mental health, we started asking some questions: Mental Health Awareness Month Millions of people in the United States deal with mental health disorders. Yet less than half receive help. Chances are you know someone with…