How Addiction Can Affect Marriage
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 [...]
What to Do if Your Loved One Refuses to Go To Treatment
Not too long ago an insightful story by author David Sheff about his son’s battle against addiction was published in the New York Times. Sheff relays searching for his child at night, checking all the neighborhoods he knew he might [...]
How Parenting Styles Connect to Substance Use Disorder
Emotionally immature parents can affect their children’s development in ways that may make them more prone to substance use disorders as adults. What does it mean to be emotionally immature? We know what it means to mature biologically. If we [...]
Why Successful Recovery is A Group Effort
If we zoom as far out as possible from our loved one’s substance use disorder (SUD), we see that its effects ripple into larger social systems. We see that the person struggling with addiction is taking the brunt of the [...]
How the ADA Protects People in Recovery
Although we've seen significant progress towards improving the public's understanding of substance use disorders in recent years, people in recovery often still struggle with stigma that affects their ability to move forward after seeking residential addiction treatment. At St. Joseph [...]
Addiction Affects the Whole Family: What It’s Like to Live With Someone Who Has an Opioid Use Disorder
When an opioid abuser is in the home, their addiction can have a ripple effect on everyone around them. Just as a person with an opioid use disorder needs access to comprehensive care to begin their recovery journey, family members [...]
Understanding the Difference Between Inpatient and Outpatient Addiction Treatment Programs
Substance use disorders are chronic illnesses with complex biological and environmental triggers. A person with a substance use disorder can learn to manage their condition and live a fulfilling, productive life, but they need access to appropriate addiction treatment. Every [...]
Are You Supporting or Enabling? Here’s How to Tell the Difference
Enabling is often unintentional—and generally comes from a place of love. You hate to see your loved one suffer and want to make their life more manageable, but your actions cause more harm on a long-term basis. Some signs that [...]
Making Amends in Recovery
An active addiction can cause us to say or do things that are completely out of character. We may lie, cheat, or steal. We may lash out verbally or physically when confronted about our substance abuse. We may deeply hurt [...]
Denial and Addiction: How to Help Your Loved One Acknowledge the Need for Treatment
Denial can be a powerful coping mechanism when accepting reality seems too painful. Because addiction is often stigmatized, it's common for people with substance use disorders to be in denial about their condition. However, acknowledging the problem and being brave [...]
