Addiction Knows No Age Limits

Addiction, Recovery

We often think of addiction as being a young person’s problem. Now, however, the number of adults over 65 with substance abuse disorder is increasing. The reasons why are mostly conjecture, but we are certain of several things: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a...

Stages of Change Series – Part 2: Precontemplation

Addiction, Recovery

When we make a change, we progress through five different stages. They will take varying lengths of time. We may bounce back and forth among them, or never move beyond one of the stages, but they’re predictable. When someone you care about – family member,...

How Does Addiction Work in the Body and Brain?

Addiction, Resources

Is someone in your life struggling with substance abuse? If it’s not a disease you have, it may be hard to understand: Why does she do it when everything else in her life seems to be going well? Won’t his horrible consequences make him stop? He’s...

The Complex Relationship Between Trauma and Addiction

Addiction, Recovery, Resources

It’s tough to overestimate the overlap between trauma and substance abuse. I’ve seen innumerable instances of people in active addiction and in recovery who have suffered trauma. It can be a very complex, cyclical relationship: someone uses alcohol or...

Family Systems Therapy & Recovery

Addiction, Recovery, Resources

If you think about it for a minute, it’s probably easy to see that family is so important as an influence on drug and/or alcohol misuse and recovery. The impact can be positive or negative, healthy or harmful. There may be nothing more powerful than family in...