Articles

Dr. John Dyben, DHSc, MCAP, CMHP – Chief Clinical Officer The cannabis plant has myriad chemical compounds (literally hundreds), and various cannabis strains tend to have these compounds in different amounts.  Perhaps the most well-known chemical in cannabis is Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, most commonly referred to as THC.  This is the primary psychogenic compound that causes the… Read On »

Congratulations! Your loved one has made the courageous decision to seek help for addiction. Because each program is unique, there are many factors to consider when deciding if a treatment program is right for you. While this can be overwhelming, it is important to remember to ask questions when you talk to admissions. Today let’s… Read On »

Imagine sitting in rush-hour traffic and suddenly feeling an overwhelming desire to take off your seat belt and open a window or door. Or sitting with coworkers at lunch when a sense of panic takes over and drives you away from the table. The next move becomes a critical one, and for some people with… Read On »

Terry Shapiro, MS, CAC – Vice President and Executive Director of Hanley Center and Florida Programs When you get to be my age, the question starts to be asked a little more frequently: “What are you going to do when you retire?” Since my dream of becoming a major league baseball player is probably out… Read On »

For many, talking about mental health is extremely uncomfortable. However, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that 43.6 million people have experienced some form of mental illness, such as depression or anxiety, within their lifetime. Transparent conversations are the key to ending the stigma surrounding mental illness. When we openly share our… Read On »

In 2018, over 48,000 people committed suicide, making it a leading cause of death with incidences more than doubling the number of homicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people age 10 to 34, and the fourth leading cause of… Read On »

Our brains are prone to negativity. In neuroscience, scientists and researchers call this the “negativity bias.” Since we are inherently social animals fighting for survival, it’s pertinent for us to take special note of negative situations or feelings, as they might be a threat to our longevity. Unfortunately, we can internalize and catastrophize negative messages… Read On »

Most treatment programs offer a hybrid of individual and group therapy sessions, which has proven to be effective in creating substantial progress for the healing process. While individual therapy sessions can offer a set pace for a patient’s growth and therapeutic work, the speed of group therapy sessions can be somewhat unpredictable due to the… Read On »

International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is a global event held on August 31st each year. IOAD aims to raise awareness of drug overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death.  The United States accounts for over 25% of the estimated number of drug-related deaths worldwide, including overdose deaths. From 1999–2018, almost 450,000 people died… Read On »

In our efforts to understand the complex human behavior of dependency, we use all kinds of words, phrases, and imagery, which ultimately get in the way of our understanding. Dependence is something inherent to human existence in life on earth. For example, we often use the phrase “like our lives depend on it.” In reality,… Read On »