by Seda Gragossian, Ph.D., and Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP Practical Recovery has always treated (in outpatient) teens, tweens, and families. Recently we have expanded our outreach efforts for this population. All addiction treatment is a combination of treatment and prevention. When we work with teens and families the prevention component is especially important. Because parents can be a provider’s primary partners in treatment and prevention, at Practical Recovery we often focus largely on parents during the change process. Parents are needed to create a positive environment, which leads to positive behavior change for the teen. This article outlines the overarching ideas that Practical Recovery emphasizes in our work with parents, these ideas are rather different than “tough love,...

Pro football players are not getting any smaller. When they hit each other on the field pain seems inevitable. In most cases pain motivates people to do something different in the future. The rewards of pro sports (money, fame, women) overpower even pain. Or they motivate someone to take painkillers. Owners and coaches might ignore a pain pill problem for the sake of keeping a strong player on the field. Strong players, great teams, winning seasons, getting into the playoffs, winning the Super Bowl: Coaches and owners have many potential rewards as well. It is hard to see how these problems--overuse of pain pills in the NFL, and active efforts to cover up that use--are going to be resolved. Even under less dramatic circumstances people in chronic pain easily overuse pain pills. Se...

by Devon Berkheiser, Psy.D. We all make mistakes, and it can be easy to get discouraged when they happen. But feeling too much guilt and shame can lead to irrational thoughts and self-destructive behaviors. It’s important to keep our mistakes in perspective by spending some time remembering our successes as well. Recall a time when you made a positive change in your life. Perhaps you gave up a harmful habit or established a new, healthy routine. The positive change can be big or small; either way, remind yourself that you have been successful in the past and you can be successful again in the future. Recognize that success often takes a lot of time and effort. Usually, a positive change is comprised of many small steps along the way. Mistakes are a normal part of a change proce...

by Devon Berkheiser, Psy.D. Conflict is an inevitable part of interpersonal relationships. We are each unique individuals with our own belief system and point of view, and it’s only natural that we will at some point have disagreements with other people. While managing conflict can be scary and overwhelming, conflict resolution skills can be learned so that you feel more confident in your ability to address conflicts in relationships. Here are some basic conflict resolution skills: 1. Arrange a time and place to discuss the problem that is convenient for all parties. You may want to wait until you are able to speak about the problem in a calm and respectful manner. 2. Define the problem as specifically as possible. Try using clear-cut examples so that the other person understan...

by Seda Gragossian, Ph.D. We all know parenting comes with its own unique set of challenges. The pressure can feel immense as children look to us to help guide them through relationships, letdowns and unfamiliar emotions, just to name a few. Then there's the responsibility of keeping them safe and healthy, maintaining open communication, fostering their trust in you, and the list goes on. While parenting may not come with a manual, here are 12 awesome tips that will help set you up for success. 1. Raising healthy kids is not about removing obstacles from their path, but equipping them with the right tools to overcome obstacles on their own. 2. Failures are not all bad. In fact, learning to overcome failures can foster resilience. Teach your children how to get up after they hav...

by Devon Berkheiser, Psy.D. While addictive substances and behaviors can be satisfying in the short term, they typically prevent us from engaging in activities that provide a deeper sense of meaning and fulfillment. When you overcome an addiction, you will notice an increased enjoyment in daily activities and a greater overall sense of satisfaction with life (although it may take longer than you had hoped). Higher satisfactions come not from a quick fix, but from enduring relationships with others as well as productive activity. Relationships with other people are a crucial component of a happy, meaningful life. Take time to engage with family members and friends. Be open with your thoughts and feelings so that you can connect with others on a deep and intimate level. Reciprocate ...

by Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP Maybe. Unless the situation is desperate, there are several actions to take first. Have you been paying enough attention to your teen? Do you have regular and meaningful family time? Are you actively supporting your teen in activities that tend to prevent substance problems (such as sports, hobbies, lessons, etc.)? Have you been moderating your own use of substances? Are you living up to the same behavioral standards you expect of your teen? Have you talked with your teen about the concerns you have? Have you spoken with the school? In order to influence someone's behavior, we generally need to change our own. You may already have ideas about what you need to do. Are you prepared to make these changes? If you get a positive test, what are you going to ...

Originally posted on the Reunion San Diego blog on June 2, 2013 For a long time, addiction treatment programs have used the word “relapse” to describe a return to drinking or drug use following a period of voluntary abstinence by people with drug and alcohol problems. Often the words “lapse” or “slip” are used to distinguish a brief period of “using again” from a return to more extended and long-term use. At Practical Recovery, we’re joining hands with a number of experts in the field who want to do away with the use of the word “relapse” because we think it has negative connotations. As addiction scholar William White, M.A., author of Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America, points out, the terms lapse and relapse actually have their ...

Barry Hazle recently received media attention, and a nearly $2 million dollar settlement, after he challenged the legality of a mandate to a 12-step substance abuse treatment program. Hazle was convicted of possession of methamphetamine in California and sentenced to a 90-day treatment program. Because he was an atheist, Hazle had difficulty engaging in the treatment, which was 12-step in its approach and required a belief in God. When he was sent to prison for failure to participate, Hazle fought back, alleging that his First Amendment rights were being violated. He sued the parole officer that sent him to prison, California corrections officials, and Westcare Corporation (a company which contracts with the state to provide treatment facilities for parolees). The U.S. district court ag...

by Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP There are multiple ways to experience any well-developed approach to addiction recovery, whether that approach is, for instance, SMART Recovery, a 12-step group or Stanton Peele’s PERFECT Program. In this article I present my observations about experiences in SMART Recovery. I acknowledge the foundation established for this article by The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature by William James, and The Varieties of Recovery Experience: A Primer for Addiction Treatment Professionals and Recovery Advocates, by William White and Ernest Kurtz. This article is written to help celebrate SMART Recovery’s 20th anniversary, and the annual conference last month in Washington, DC, celebrating that anniversary. The highlights of that conference,...