Practical Recovery

Preventing Addiction in Teens

Addiction treatment is a combination and prevention, with an emphasis on prevention where teens are concerned. Here are eight essential tips for preventing teen addiction.

NFL Painkiller Sweep

Dr. Horvath responds to the recent painkiller sweep in the NFL, and looks at why it might be tricky to eliminate the problem.

Remembering Your Successes

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 […]

Conflict Resolution

Conflict can be an uncomfortable part of relationships. While you may not be able to entirely eliminate conflict, here are 5 tips that will help you deal with it.

12 Helpful Parenting Tips

We all know parenting is HARD. Practical Recovery’s Seda Gragossian, Ph.D., offers up 12 tips to help set you up for success when it comes to parenting.

Higher Satisfactions

Higher satisfactions come not from a quick fix, but from enduring relationships with others as well as productive activity.

Should You Drug Test Your Teen?

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.)? […]

The Language of Using Again

If you have a slip in recovery, what language do you use to define it? Is it relapse? A slip? We take a look at different definitions and how they might affect you.

Atheist Barry Hazle Sues and Wins Over Mandatory 12-Step Treatment

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 […]

The Varieties of SMART Recovery Experience

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 […]