Chronic pain is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States. Opioid pain medication is a common treatment that can have dangerous repercussions, especially for those recovering from substance abuse. Many pain medications are addictive, leading to a slippery slope of dependency or relapse for those in recovery. That’s why finding alternative…
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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…
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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…
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From time to time, we all need reminders that some people are out there suffering from various physical or mental issues. It’s not that they need or want our sympathy. It’s simply a matter of us being aware that we may be among the lucky ones who don’t have to suffer. To keep us aware…
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Teresa Garate, Ph.D., was recently recognized as one of Crain’s 2019 Notable Women Executives Over 50 for her years of nonprofit leadership. Since joining Gateway’s Executive Management Team as vice president of strategic partnerships and engagement in 2017, Dr. Garate has used her strengths in relationship development to increase visibility for the organization, bringing Addiction…
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Lucy has been in recovery since 2011, but even after treatment, life hasn’t always been easy. When Lucy left Gateway Aurora, she returned to four children who had also struggled with her addiction. Some of them wanted nothing to do with her. And she had to rebuild trust with the ones who did. Drugs and…
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People in the LGBTQ+ community face higher rates of substance use disorders and other mental health issues than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. Exacerbating the problem, many LGBTQ+ individuals have additionally experienced discrimination, blame or complete denial of care from their healthcare provider due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. To address this stigma and better…
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When you think about substance abuse or addiction, what do you consider the most commonly abused drugs? Are heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine on the top of your list? Although these drugs are widely abused, you must also consider prescription medication. Sadly, millions of people abuse and develop addictions to the medications found in their…
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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…
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By: James Blasko, RN, BSN, Nurse Manager Springfield, Jacksonville, Pekin and MAT nursing program For National Nurses Week, I want to send my warmest wishes to all nurses, especially the ones in my Gateway family. You make every day better for our clients and our staff. This week reminds me how grateful I am for…
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