Teens might make impulsive choices. Perhaps during a night of partying, fueled by alcohol or drugs, an adolescent comes home in a police car—or winds up breaking a bone. Sometimes substance abuse extends into adulthood, and a grown person becomes too rowdy during a night out, embarrassing themself or their friends. When substances drive actions, [...]
Have you ever noticed that the tendency to hold onto physical stuff can mirror the inability to let go of substances? You may at this very moment be staring at a cluttered space, filled with items you’ve collected over years of living with addiction. And just like gripping the false escape that substances provide may [...]
The winter holidays can be challenging for many of our patients in residential recovery for alcoholism and substance abuse. A time of designated gift-giving, merriment, family time, and cozy atmospheres can bring with it triggers, stress, seasonal affective disorder symptoms (SAD), and relapse episodes. It can also be a time of profound reflection, reset, and [...]
When our clients arrive in Port Matilda to begin residential addiction treatment with us, they have to take the first few hours, days, and weeks one at a time. Jumping from chronic, active substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms to managing withdrawal symptoms during detox services is a curveball in itself. Everything must be taken in [...]
CBD is the most commonly used name for cannabidiol, a product of the cannabis sativa plant that doesn’t actually give you a high. Understandably, there’s some confusion about how a cannabis product can not cause intoxication, but think of this way: Cannabis Sativa is the mother of two daughters called Cannabis and Hemp. Cannabis is [...]
If you are completing residential addiction treatment with St. Joseph Institute in Port Matilda, you may be looking for sources of inspiration and hope to sustain you as you return home. At St. Joseph, we approach recovery with evidence-based methods, and we help our residents foster faith and spirituality. Our facility is named after the [...]
From Port Matilda to Philadelphia to across the United States, the sale and consumption of THC beverages is on the rise. While it’s younger people, mainly Millennials and Gen Zers that consume these cannabis-infused seltzer and alcohol-free cocktails, more and more diverse groups of people are noticing this new and intoxicating method of consuming THC. [...]
Gratitude in recovery isn’t just about thanking your loved ones for supporting you as you enter an addiction treatment program. It’s also not pretending that everything is fine. Everything isn’t fine all the time, and that’s normal. Recovery comes with challenges, setbacks, relapses, and growth. Gratitude is the practice of identifying and acknowledging positive aspects [...]
One tri-state area psychologist and author on dating topics, Paulette Sherman, explains that serial daters are people dependent on early-dating romance. The chase, the novelty, and the freshness of a brand new dating partner excites them in ways likened to substance abuse. Just like someone might feel thrilled and excited by doing cocaine or taking [...]
It’s no secret: married couples often experience disagreements, infidelity, financial strain, and, sometimes, tragedy. They can fail to be on the same page or feel like they’re falling out of love. Many factors can influence a divorce. However, research shows that alcoholism can be one of the driving factors behind a marital split. Many of [...]
