Genetics and Other Physical Risk Factors for Addiction

Scientific and addiction treatment experts continue to struggle with the roots of addiction. What causes addiction? What are the factors that place an individual at higher risk for developing an addiction? Do factors like gender, race, ethnicity, age or genetics play a significant role in the development of addictions? Read more

Substance Abuse Among Pregnant Women

Perinatal substance abuse is a particularly troubling problem. Pregnant women who abuse drugs and/or alcohol expose themselves as well as their unborn children to myriad health risks. Read more

Substance Abuse, Health, and the Immune System

Individuals struggling with addiction often face serious health problems. Not only does regular abuse of drugs and/or alcohol interfere with the proper absorption of vitamins and nutrients from food and put immense strain on the heart, liver, and kidneys, it compromises the body’s ability fight off infection and disease. Read more

Recovery: A Family Affair

As part of Alcohol Awareness Month in April, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is promoting the message that recovery is a family affair. Read more

Dual Demons – Depression and Addiction

Although experts are not entirely sure whether depression more often precedes addiction, or addiction precedes depression, clinical depression frequently accompanies addictive behaviors. The truth, many believe, may lie somewhere in between. Read more

Using Poetry to Aid in Recovery

There is a place
Where you will find out
That you are not alone,
That your story is not the only story
That we are all part of the same verse,
The universe of words.
This poetry that heals
And makes us whole.
Come,
We’ve been waiting for you.

-Richard Brown

This quotation appears on the website for the National Association for Poetry Therapy. Poetry therapy is based on the concept that the spoken and written word possess healing properties. In poetry therapy, poetry is used to encourage self-expression, healing, and personal growth for individuals in recovery. Read more

Art Therapy for Recovery from Addiction

Art therapy is a method of addiction treatment that uses the creative process of art-making to improve and enhance the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of recovering individuals. Read more

A Short History of Female Addiction in America

When it comes to addiction and recovery, women face a unique set of challenges. Research has shown that women become addicted to substances more quickly than men, and they more often die from substance abuse problems than do men. In addition, women have been traditionally underrepresented in substance abuse research studies and treatment groups. Because of this, the effects of drug abuse for women are far less understood. Read more

Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Treat Addiction

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a widely accepted model for the treatment of many serious mental health disorders. In recent years, it has gained popularity as a method for treating addiction. Read more

Daily Inventory: The Tenth Step

Step Ten in the twelve-step process of recovery begins what are sometimes called the “maintenance steps” – steps 10, 11, and 12. In these steps, the recovering individual begins a conscious effort to utilize the tools of twelve-step recovery in his daily life. Daily exercise of recovery skills supports his sobriety and emotional health. In a traditional 12-step recovery program, the individuals working the tenth step say, “We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.” Read more

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