Substance Use

It’s often said that someone with unhealthy substance use patterns is self-medicating. At least half–and possibly many more–of people with substance use disorders also have a co-occurring mental health issue. These typically include anxiety disorders, major depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive/compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, or autism spectrum disorders. Often, someone… Read On »

Are Anger and Addiction Related? We don’t get angry for no reason. Typically, we get angry when we’re hurt. This can be physical, as with abuse or assault, or it can be emotional, such as when a parent or loved one disparages, criticizes, neglects, or lies to us. When we’re hurt like this, especially when… Read On »

Addiction is often characterized as irrational and compulsive behavior related to a particular substance or habit. The substance is so compelling that, given the opportunity, a person with a substance use disorder can’t help using. This helps to explain why many people with substance use disorders are aware of the damage their addiction causes but… Read On »

The major risk factors for addiction include genetics, having parents or siblings who have substance use disorders, childhood abuse or trauma, early substance use, or having a mental health challenge such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, OCD, schizophrenia, and others. However, there is another factor that may put you at higher risk of developing a… Read On »

One important part of addiction recovery is understanding how you think about yourself. In other words, discovering your identity. For some people, a significant impediment to staying in recovery–or even getting treatment in the first place–is that they don’t know who they are without their drug of (no) choice. An alcoholic, for example, might imagine… Read On »