For decades, individuals suffering from addiction have traveled the same route toward recovery with some measure of success. That route entailed combining a recovery program, such as AA, with therapy. The problem with this traditional route is that therapists and program leaders had only marginal potential for influencing patients outside the office or treatment center. […]
6 Ways that Alcohol Makes Depression Worse
A great many alcoholics are also suffering from major depression. Because alcohol can feed our brain’s serotonin receptors, it can make someone feel good for a short amount of time. But eventually the person crashes and feels even worse than they did before. And this vicious cycle continues and is, unfortunately, very hard to break […]
I Hate it when He is Right
I hate it when He is right. Last night I was reading through the Menards ad, sharing with my husband, Braum, that I’d like to go to Menards Saturday to pick up a few things. I wanted to use up a gift card I hadn’t used yet and buy the components for a household project. […]
Can Therapy Treat Opioid Addiction?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, morphine, and many others.” When a person becomes addicted to opioids, their brain experiences a rush of dopamine. These […]
The Signs of Opiate Addiction
Watching your local news or checking your social media feed, you’ve probably heard about the opioid epidemic, the nation’s current public health crisis. As death tolls from the crisis continue to rise dramatically every year, this is not an issue to be taken lightly or ignored. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 42,000 […]
How Telehealth May Change the Future of Therapy
A while back there was a very funny television show starring Lisa Kudrow (ditzy Phoebe from Friends) called “Web Therapy.” It was an improvised show and Lisa played a therapist who treated her patients over the Internet. Hence the title of the show. Well, back when the show was on, the idea of treating mental […]
Rule 25 Assessments & Collateral: Untangle the Mystery
Often, I have been asked, “What IS ‘Collateral’ for my Rule 25 Assessment and why do YOU need it?” Here is my answer. In order to do a comprehensive Substance Use Disorder/Rule 25 Assessment thoroughly, besides interviewing the client, an assessor needs to contact people and/or agencies that have “relevant and reliable” information pertinent to […]
5 Ways to Recognize Addiction Before it Takes Over
Drug and alcohol use in this country is on the rise, with over 23 million Americans addicted. To put that into clearer perspective, that’s one in every ten people in the United States over the age of 12 that are currently struggling with substance abuse. But what is addiction exactly, and how can we recognize […]
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