DRUG USE AT WORK
Despite a common misconception that all those with substance abuse disorders are unemployed, 68.9 percent of drug users are employed and active in the workplace, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). There are many ways this can be problematic for the workplace as a whole,
GHB
There are so many types of drugs out there – prescription, over the counter, illegal – with the potential for abuse and addiction that it can be hard to keep track. You’ve probably heard of most of the really popular ones, like heroin, cocaine, OxyContin, meth, etc., but there are hundreds of substances out there […]
DIFFERENT ALCOHOLIC DRINKS MAY TRIGGER DIFFERENT EMOTIONS
Different people have different reactions to drinking alcohol. There’s the fun drunk, who’s the one likely to climb on a table and put on an impromptu concert. There’s the philosophical drunk, who suddenly finds the answers to all of life’s problems after a few shots. There’s the morose drunk, who after one drink too many […]
WHAT IS RATIONAL RECOVERY?
Rational Recovery® is a registered, commercial program to help individuals recover from substance addiction through permanent abstinence. Rational Recovery® was founded in California in the 1980s by a social worker named Jack Trimpey as a direct counter to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step programs. The premise of Rational Recovery® is that an addicted person […]
NUTRITION AND INGREDIENT LABELS ON ALCOHOL
Are you in the habit of checking labels when you go grocery shopping? If you’re watching your weight, you probably check out the fat, calorie, or carbohydrate content of foods and drinks before you buy them. If you’re diabetic, you have to keep a close eye on sugars. If you have allergies or moral objections […]
CAN YOU MAKE SOMEONE STOP DRINKING?
Have you ever looked at a friend or loved one with a drinking problem and thought, “Why won’t you just stop? Can’t you see how bad this is for you?” Unfortunately, if someone has fallen far enough into the clutches of alcoholism, it’s possible that they can’t. It’s not uncommon for people with substance abuse […]
ENABLING ADDICTION’S
The word “enabling” has both positive and negative connotations. On the one hand, you might give someone the tools or confidence needed to enable them to find a new job. When it comes to addiction, however, to enable is harmful. In that case, enabling someone really means teaching them that it’s okay to be irresponsible […]
WHAT NOT TO SAY TO SOMEONE IN RECOVERY
Words have power. Anyone who has ever struggled with depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues knows how easily one word can trigger a slew of negative thoughts. Sometimes the speaker is deliberately being malicious, but too often a person can have the best of intentions and still make a disastrous misstep. If a friend or loved one […]
ADDICTION AND FOSTER CARE
With the spread of the opioid epidemic and other drug use, children are increasingly removed from unsafe homes and placed into foster care. In a 1999 report, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated that studies showed that between one-third and two-thirds of child maltreatment cases were affected by substance use to […]
WHAT TO DO AFTER YOU FIND YOUR TEEN’S DRUG STASH
You’ve been worried about your teenage child for a while now. His usual adolescent sullenness was replaced by something angrier. He’s been secretive and defensive, trying to keep you out of his bedroom at all costs. He’s started hanging around with a new crowd that you don’t approve of. His grades have plummeted, and he’s […]