Real people sharing real stories about their experience with substance abuse and mental health.
During my twenty-five year career in substance abuse treatment, I’ve frequently heard family members (and clients) insist that "Alcohol isn't his/her/my problem - drugs are!" and "Alcoholism isn't his/her/my problem - addiction is!" as if the same principles of recovery from chemical dependency don't apply to any dysfunctional situation where alcohol either isn't present or isn't present enough to be identified as the primary drug-of-choice.
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When you engaged in long-term abuse of alcohol or drugs you may have damaged brain function. These damaged brain cells will not resolve in the early stages of sobriety. This is one contributing factor to relapse.
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To see a loved family member, whether it is a child, a parent or a sibling, go through the struggles of a substance use disorder is painful. It can be easy to avoid the situation or pretend it isn’t that bad, but ultimately for the successful recovery of this loved one it is important for family to confront the issue, encourage treatment and to play active and supportive roles in recovery.
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Substance abuse and addiction are very complicated issues, but contributing factors may be a result of poor, delayed or incomplete psychosocial development. Psychosocial skills and values, such as trust, self-identity, competence and purpose, are important for functioning normally within society.
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In the U.S., many students enrolled in colleges and universities take part in a dangerous practice called binge drinking. Some of these students drink voluntarily, while others do so under coercion during a hazing ritual. Whatever the reason for binge drinking, the activity can lead to life-threatening alcohol poisoning and other serious problems.
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When a person struggles with a substance use disorder, their family struggles too. Addiction is often called a family disease, because family dynamics contribute to and are affected by substance use. When families come together to support a loved one in recovery, and support each other, they can learn to change behaviors and enjoy a more positive and healthy home environment.
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Social support is an important part of recovery from substance use disorders. Anyone working an addiction treatment program can benefit from all types of social support, but the guidance of someone who has had similar experiences with drugs or alcohol is particularly powerful. Peer recovery advocates are in recovery themselves, and they devote their time—either as volunteers or as paid staff—to provide recovery services and social and emotional support to their peers.
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Parents tend to underestimate the power they have to affect their children’s lives, especially as they become teenagers and the influence of their peers grows. The truth is that for most young people, parents have the biggest impact on many aspects of their lives from their values to their health choices.
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Many people think of drug and alcohol addiction as problems affecting adults. However, in reality, patterns of substance abuse and addictive behavior are often first established in adolescence, or at an even younger age. This means that early education plays a critical role in preventing the onset of substance use problems in later life.
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Sex addiction, also known as compulsive sexual behavior disorder or hypersexuality, is classified as a mental disorder by the World Health Organization (WHO). Sexual addiction is characterized by a “persistent pattern of failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges resulting in repetitive sexual behavior.” It’s estimated that 3 to 6 percent of people experience compulsive sexual behavior in the United States.
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