Overcoming the Stigma of Addiction
Overcoming the Stigma of Addiction Stigmatization in our society is largely connected to the behaviors and concepts of our society, in part by the people that make up our community. Many of us who struggle with addiction of any sort find it is often difficult to seek treatment out of fear of judgment, shame, or […]
Preventing Relapse: The Role of Lifestyle Balance
In addiction recovery, if your life is filled with non-pleasurable activities, you are more likely to relapse. The relapse will provide an intense, but only temporary, satisfaction. Perhaps the greatest risk for imbalance comes when we are too focused on what we “should” do and not enough on what we want to do. Of course, we […]
Acupuncture and Addiction
Does acupuncture help in the treatment of addiction? Chinese medicine, such as acupuncture, has long been used to treat an array of illness. More recently, Eastern methods have become increasingly popular within many addiction treatment approaches, as a supplement to other therapies. Acupuncture is said to help alleviate withdrawal symptoms and physical pain, cure insomnia, […]
In-Network vs. Out-of-Network Providers
Why you may want to work with Practical Recovery, an out-of-network provider, rather than with an in-network provider If price is your primary consideration, then using an in-network addiction treatment provider is an easy choice. If you have flexibility on this issue there are other issues to consider. Of course, you may be fortunate and […]
Book Review: Too Much of a Good Thing…
Too Much of a Good Thing: How Four Key Survival Traits Are Now Killing Us by Lee Goldman, MD A review by Tom Horvath, PhD Too Much of a Good Thing is packed with well-referenced scientific information to support the author’s suggestion that hunger, thirst and desire for salt, fear and anxiety, and ease of blood […]
Forgiving Yourself in Recovery from Addiction
Forgiving yourself in recovery is essential. Learning to forgive yourself is essential as you begin to do more self-healing in your recovery. We often have a tendency to hold ourselves to such strict standards that we find no reason or justification to forgive ourselves. Maybe you’ve found yourself in a certain situation, able to forgive […]
Recognizing and Changing Self-Defeating Behavior
Changing self-defeating behavior plays a major role in recovery and improved mental health. In life we find there are unavoidable difficulties we are bound grapple with. It is absolutely normal to find yourself challenged in difficult situations, even making less-than-stellar decisions or find yourself in regret. So what does self-defeating behavior mean? When we find […]
NJ Hospital Reducing Use of Opioids to Treat Pain
In a unique move toward reducing opioid overuse, the emergency room of New Jersey’s St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, the busiest in the state, has decided to eliminate the use of opioids as the first defense against mild to moderate cases of pain. In an effort that has spanned a period of two months, the […]
Self-Confidence vs. Self-Esteem
The difference between self-confidence and self-esteem: Confidence and self-esteem are often confused with one another, when in fact there is something unique and different to be said about them both individually. “Confidence” comes from the Latin confidere, meaning “to trust.” To be self-confident is to trust in oneself, particularly in one’s ability or aptitude to engage successfully […]
14 Addiction and Recovery Movies to Add to Your Queue Right Now!
Revised and expanded from original Jan. 23, 2015 post on Addiction and Recovery Movies In early recovery, many people feel like they suddenly have a lot of free time that they aren’t sure how to fill. Movies can be a great way to stay entertained for a couple of hours… and there is no shortage […]