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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Relapse is a part of many recovery stories. It’s the moment in your sobriety when you use the substance that you previously abused, leading you back into addictive patterns. Chances of relapse among formerly drug and alcohol-addicted people are high, but that doesn’t mean that you or your loved one will relapse. It also doesn’t [...]
