Family Recovery: Establishing Boundaries
As family members and friends of an addicted loved one, you have probably observed this person fail to establish clear boundaries. You may also have a hard time establishing the boundaries that would protect you from this person’s behavior. Learning [...]
The Senior Addict: Meeting the Treatment Needs of Older Adults
Addiction among seniors is a growing problem. Unfortunately, this problem often slips under the public radar, and the government does not provide seniors the education, attention, and funding they deserve. This article looks at 10 barriers to age-appropriate treatment for [...]
Enabling: Learning the Difference Between Love and Attachment
Guilt. Resentment. Anxiety. Exhaustion. If you have an alcoholic or addict in your life and feel one or more of these feelings consistently, you are probably engaging in enabling behavior. What is enabling? Enabling is the illusion of help, the [...]
Afraid to Love: The Enabling Dilemma
A mother called very upset that her son had not been approved for admission to St. Joseph Institute. I explained that he wasn’t ready for treatment. He wasn’t ready to stop using his drugs. He had no motivation to get [...]
Common Roadblocks to Recovery
There is no point in being less than honest. Recovery is hard work. It requires discipline and change – things that most of us resist, not just addicts and alcoholics. To overcome addiction it is important to recognize that there [...]
How Not to Fall: Mountain Climbing and Relapse Planning
I don’t have the courage to scale mountains, but I am fascinated by the preparations of the climbers. They make a plan for their ascent and carefully assemble the equipment that will be needed. Each piece of gear is carefully [...]
Consequences: A Critical Tool in Addiction Treatment
When we acknowledge that addiction is a brain disease it becomes easier to understand that there is a battle going on inside the addict’s head. They hear the “voice of the disease” saying that they need drugs and alcohol to [...]
7 Hard Truths About Opiate Addiction
I recently spoke with a young man who was “having a problem with opiates.” In actuality, he was trying hard to convince both himself and me that his prescription medication abuse wasn’t serious. Certainly he felt it would be wrong [...]
How Do You Choose a Rehab for Drug and Alcohol Addiction?
Choosing Addiction Rehab If you had a disease that could kill you without an operation, my guess is that you would diligently seek a well-qualified surgeon with an excellent track record in hopes of saving your life. Why then do [...]
