Recreational marijuana isn’t yet legal in PA, but in 2016, Pennsylvania legalized medical marijuana, also referred to as cannabis. We often write about how not everyone in recovery needs to avoid marijuana, but it’s probably a good idea to steer clear of it, especially after completing residential treatment or outpatient services with St. Joseph Institute. [...]
Young people have enough to worry about between schoolwork, extracurricular activities, jobs, and puberty. Toss in high substance abuse risk, and they may just implode! But nobody’s imploding today, because St. Joseph Institute in Port Matilda, PA, is here to help you empower your children to stay safe. We know that substance-use prevention education can [...]
Marijuana has been around for thousands of years, but it’s still a topic of heated debates around substance dependency. The research we have on marijuana doesn’t give us clear answers on its overall safety and validity in the recovery process, but this article can help you understand the difference between medical and recreational marijuana, and [...]
What’s red, achy, hot to the touch, and totally silent at the same time? If you guessed inflammation, you’re 100% correct. But if you’re in recovery from substances, how does inflammation come into the picture? Let’s find out. What Is Inflammation? Simply put, inflammation is your immune system’s way of saying: “Hi, I’m responding [...]
Fewer than 7 drinks per week. That’s it. That’s the definition of light drinking, according to a massive study from the BMJ Group in 2025. Depending on how you grew up and your previous history with alcohol, getting down to 7 drinks could be a huge challenge. You may also feel like just one drink [...]
You might feel like gas station heroin is super dramatic for a supplement sold next to energy drinks and snacks at your local 7-Eleven. But if you or someone you care about has struggled with opioid use disorder (OUD), you might know that gas station heroin's effects aren't dramatic. They can be serious and even [...]
So much of recovery seems psychological, emotional, and spiritual—but what if simply changing up a few habits that support your brain health made everything a bit easier? The thing is, more and more research suggests that when your brain gets more support from healthier habits and nutrition, the recovery hill you have to climb may [...]
We all have the capacity to eventually get there—throwing out our backs in our thirties or caring for the sports injury of a teenage child—and suddenly opioid-based pain killers enter daily life. Each one of us is vulnerable to injuries or diseases that can cause constant, overwhelming pain, making medication a new lifeline. But this [...]
You might be reading this as a parent in Pennsylvania who can’t quite pin down what’s changed in your adult child. Maybe they still show up to family events, but they seem dulled or perhaps even distant. They could seem overly anxious, unmotivated, or stoically sad, and you’ve noticed that they’re using cannabis frequently—whether medicinally [...]
What treats your mental, physical, and spiritual health while catering to your recovery, stress management, and real-life responsibilities simultaneously, all without the need to run around to various appointments or constantly explain yourself? A hint: it works best when your care team and larger support system communicate closely and adjust treatment as needed while you [...]
