Have you re-enrolled for Medicaid? Learn more about changes that could affect your coverage.

Olivia.Gillespie

Avatar for Liv Gillespie

About Liv Gillespie

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Liv Gillespie has created 89 blog entries.

Signs That Your Loved One Is Hiding an Addiction

By |2024-08-09T13:47:44-04:00August 9th, 2024|Addiction Treatment, Articles|

Many of us may feel that we would immediately recognize addiction in our spouse, our child, our best friend, and especially ourselves. However, at least 48 million Americans are living with substance use disorder (SUD) right now, and not all of them are seeking treatment. Countless more deal with behavioral addictions that are either dismissed, [...]

PA Businesses That Hire Employees in Addiction Recovery

By |2024-07-29T10:35:27-04:00July 29th, 2024|Addiction Recovery, Aftercare|

Not only is employment post-recovery necessary for most of the 850,000+ individuals living in addiction recovery in Pennsylvania, but it’s also a huge indicator of success in long-term sobriety. The benefits of being hired and working after achieving sobriety aren’t just economic—they’re psychological and social. People who work after completing treatment make more social connections, [...]

Addiction Treatment Scams to Be Aware Of

By |2025-01-10T11:13:15-05:00July 11th, 2024|Addiction Treatment|

It’s not completely understood why there are so many forms of addiction treatment center fraud out there, but one reason could be the long-standing stigma associated with substance use disorder (SUD), a mental health and behavioral disorder.  Research shows that people who seek help for addiction can experience negative biases and prejudice on the [...]

The First Signs of a Meth Addiction

By |2024-06-28T12:01:06-04:00June 28th, 2024|Addiction, Articles, Drug Addiction|

Methamphetamine, known more commonly as meth, is a popular stimulant that targets the central nervous system. Over 2.5 million people use the substance and over half of those have methamphetamine use disorder. The stimulant has several forms and goes by other nicknames: Speed  Crystal meth or Crystal Crank Chalk  Tweak, Ice, and Glass The nervous [...]

How To Tell When It’s Time To Change Your Job in Recovery

By |2024-06-21T10:34:46-04:00June 21st, 2024|Addiction Recovery, Articles, Recovery|

We love to see our clients beat addiction and thrive in sobriety once they’ve completed residential or intensive outpatient treatment with us. We also know that a big part of a healthy, long-lasting recovery is the ability to foster a work-life balance.  It can be difficult to find good work--work that you enjoy and that [...]

How Heroin Addiction Develops

By |2024-06-13T09:34:07-04:00June 13th, 2024|Addiction, Articles|

Heroin is highly addictive and can lead to physiological dependence within days of repeated use. Dependence can lead to addiction when the person finds that they cannot stop using heroin despite negative consequences.  In 2018, a study showed that around 30% of people who tried heroin and continued to use it over the course of [...]

The Most Commonly Abused Drugs in Pennsylvania

By |2024-06-11T15:49:05-04:00June 7th, 2024|Addiction, Articles, Drug Addiction|

It’s interesting but unsurprising to note that drug abuse is largely concentrated in Pennsylvania’s most populated major city: Philadelphia. Chances of finding illicit drugs, using them, and abusing them are more prevalent in Philly than anywhere else in the state.  This doesn’t mean that substances don’t create issues for families and individuals across PA. That’s [...]

How Cocaine Addiction Develops

By |2024-06-07T13:04:42-04:00May 28th, 2024|Addiction, Articles, Substance Use Disorder|

Stephen King famously struggled with cocaine addiction—even at his most productive and lucrative career points. One of his entertaining debut films, Overdrive, is a great example of the brain on cocaine: fast, hyped up, and disjointed. Although King quit using cocaine in the late 1980s, he has shared some of the consequences of his use, [...]

Let These Beautiful PA Hiking Spots Support Your Sobriety

By |2024-06-07T13:04:43-04:00May 17th, 2024|Addiction, Addiction Recovery, Articles, Healthy Living, Recovery|

When you enter St. Joseph Institute’s treatment program to recover from a substance use disorder (SUD), you’re called to make radical changes that prioritize your well-being. One of the ways you might begin to care for yourself is by taking walks throughout our beautiful campus and the hiking trails that surround it.  In fact, hiking [...]

Exploring The Victim Mentality and How It Hurts Recovery

By |2024-06-07T13:04:44-04:00May 9th, 2024|Addiction, Addiction Recovery, Articles, Recovery|

Think about the last time you found yourself or a loved one asserting any of the following statements: That’s not my fault/I’m not responsible for that I can’t do anything about this Everything fails anyway, so there’s no hope in trying to change anything Would you say that the statements above are spoken by someone [...]