The holidays are stressful for so many reasons. For a person struggling with mental health or substance use concerns, normal holiday stress can feel unmanageable. Dealing with difficult family members, financial stress, and feeling pressure to make everything perfect have the potential to derail even the most carefully planned holiday events. In this blog post,…
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Anorexia nervosa is a severe mental health concern that affects around 1% of the population. It has the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder, according to data from the NIMH[1]. Despite its severity, it is common for the families of people with anorexia to feel so overwhelmed with guilt about their failure to prevent…
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The term dual diagnosis describes an individual who meets the diagnostic criteria for a mental health concern and a diagnosable substance use concern. Many of the doctor-prescribed medications that alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety, pain, and chronic fatigue impair people’s ability to self-regulate and stick with an effective dose. If you are concerned that you…
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People in early recovery often experience frustrating bouts of insomnia. Swimming laps or taking part in water aerobics are gentle ways to get your heart rate up during the day. Humans are physical beings—from an evolutionary perspective, we aren’t built for sedentary lifestyles. Having an active daytime routine helps regulate circadian rhythms to promote deep,…
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It’s not uncommon for people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction to also have a mental health disorder. It could be depression, PTSD, anxiety, or an eating disorder. Treatment becomes more complicated because both issues must be addressed in order to encourage healing. If you’re dealing with anorexia or bulimia in addition to substance use,…
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Binge eating disorder is America’s most common eating disorder, with even more people suffering the condition than anorexia or bulimia. This mental health problem occurs through frequent eating of excessive amounts of food even when you feel no hunger. In fact, the condition manifests to divert your attention from bigger problems in your life. You…
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If your goal is to remain sober this Christmas, you aren’t alone. The holidays provide ample opportunities to reflect on past experiences, failures, and traumas that can make people want to drink or use drugs. If you know that using drugs causes problems in your life, using substances during the holidays is likely to lead…
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For someone who doesn’t suffer from an addiction, it’s easy to think, “Anyone can quit with the right willpower.” The reality is that it’s not that simple. Physical and psychological dependence make it nearly impossible to quit without help. Sure, ending physical dependence is possible with an intensive detoxification process. However, the main reason people…
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Self-medicating is often a precursor to addiction, especially for a person struggling with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder and addiction can lead to a mental and physical dependency that makes life unmanageable. It’s essential to understand why you started to self-medicate with alcohol and learn a new way of living. Through addiction treatment, you’ll see that…
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Addiction can refer to physical or mental dependence on an activity that hampers a healthy lifestyle. When you have a physical addiction to a substance, chemical changes in your body make you feel like you need the drug. Psychological addiction can cause you to turn to drugs in response to environmental cues or stress.…
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