Recovering From Substance Abuse and Recovering Your Identity as a Parent
Substance abuse is known to break apart families because of the emotional distress and lack of dependability that an addiction brings into the household. Taking steps towards recovery can help you heal as both an individual and as a parent. Allow the process of recovery to help you regain your life and relationships with the people who matter most. Substance Abuse Puts Children at Risk The children of drug and alcohol addicts face challenges even though they may not be actively engaged in substance abuse themselves. The shift of a parent’s attention from children to a substance such as alcohol [...]
Starting the Conversation About Rehab for Addiction
Many often subscribe to the idea that there are certain things you just don’t talk about. A friend’s personal problems might be one of them. Like most, you might assume that if your friend wants help, he or she will ask for it. Unfortunately – statistically – conversations where that friend actually reaches out for help are unlikely to happen. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports as many as 95 percent of those who need specialty treatment for addiction don’t believe they need it. What this means is if you believe a friend is struggling with an [...]
6 Ways To Avoid Relapse Post-Detox
When you are fighting addiction, seeking recovery is one of the bravest, possibly most life-changing decisions you can make. Not only are you rejecting an unhealthy lifestyle, you are opening yourself up to help and healing in a beautiful way. But anyone who has struggled through recovery before will tell you the same thing – it is not easy. Once you have successfully gone through detox, the process of rewiring your brain and habits begins. In order to avoid relapse and maintain sobriety, it is important to put certain practices in place in your life once you have finished detox. [...]
What Is MAT and How Does It Work?
There are many different types of programs for individuals struggling with substance use disorders, and many different viewpoints on what treatment approaches provide the best chance of finding long term recovery from addiction. In fact, one of the biggest challenges you may face (apart from conquering the addiction itself) is deciding which program is the best fit for your needs. While the answer may be different for everyone, recent research and best practices in the treatment field point to the use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) that specifically targets opioid dependency. MAT has been shown to help individuals manage withdrawal symptoms [...]
The Best Sober Activities to Maintain Recovery
Once you choose to maintain sobriety, it becomes important to seek out activities that don't involve alcohol. Especially in the early stages of recovery, it is important to avoid certain people, places and events in order to prevent relapse and keep triggers at bay. Depending on your lifestyle, sober activities may not be things you are very familiar with, or you may struggle to find creative ways of planning a good time without the consumption of alcohol. That's okay! Don't be hard on yourself if you find yourself stuck in this rut – transitioning to a whole new lifestyle [...]
Will Group Therapy Benefit You?
When you enter into addiction treatment or seek any mental health care, you will encounter a variety of treatment options. You are likely already familiar with individual therapy, where you meet with a therapist one-on-one and reap the benefits of talking with someone about the struggles and complicated emotions you may be experiencing. In addition to individual therapy, group therapy is often used in treatment as a means of allowing individuals to connect with others in therapy while at the same time allowing everyone the chance to experience the benefits of talk therapy. The benefits of group therapy Some treatment [...]
What to Expect When Detoxing From Painkillers
For many, the topic of detox is frightening. Those who have struggled, or do struggle, with addiction, are most likely aware of the unpleasant withdrawal effects the brain and body undergo when they don't take more of a substance before the prior dose begins to wear off. Withdrawal signs manifest as the body adjusts to the lack of chemicals it previously learned to rely on. As those levels change in the body, the body adjusts and withdrawal signs present themselves. This is why the process of detoxing from painkiller medication can be so unpleasant; but with the right detox [...]
Adolescent Psychiatric Services: Youth Partial Care in New Jersey
Youth partial care in New Jersey is an intensive outpatient program that provides therapeutic services in a treatment center for adolescents who are experiencing psychiatric symptoms, have conditions that negatively impact their daily functioning, or who may need inpatient care if their emotional or behavioral issues aren't addressed. Partial care programs are well-suited to these types of circumstances, because they provide highly structured and intensive day treatment for youths with mental health disorders or emotional disturbances. Youth partial care in New Jersey is meant to stabilize an adolescent's acute symptoms, so the program is time limited. Typically, youth partial [...]
Paying for Treatment: An Overview of New Jersey Family Care
Paying for adult or adolescent treatment for psychiatric conditions or substance use disorders can be intimidating at first. If you need healthcare insurance to help pay for mental health services, there is a program called New Jersey Family Care that can help. New Jersey Family Care is a state government health insurance program for people who are eligible for the Children's Health Insurance Plan, Medicaid or Medicaid expansion programs. New Jersey Family Care also accepts people who work but don't have employer insurance. If you live in New Jersey and meet the income requirements, you may be eligible for [...]
Maintaining Sobriety While Making the Most of Your Summer
The summer months offer plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities, time to catch up with friends and the joys of summer vacation. If you are newly sober, however, these activities can sound more stress-inducing than relaxing. After all, how are you supposed to have fun if you can't even have a drink? The answer is, actually, a lot of ways! By taking the time to be creative and explorative, you'll be able to make the most of your summer without ever needing a drink to enhance the time. Fun sober activities Taking the time to look around your local [...]
Would I Benefit from an Intensive Outpatient Program?
Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) allow clients to participate in addiction treatment while keeping up with their personal and professional lives.
My Teen Won’t See a Therapist – Now What?
If your child refuses to attend an assessment for therapy, try these simple strategies to overcome each step from denial to acceptance.
