by Devon Berkheiser, Psy.D. For many people, recovery can be a vulnerable time. It often involves building up a new support network while dealing with a lot of challenging issues and feelings. A recent news story highlights just how vulnerable people in early recovery can be, and the potential dangers that they face even in places that are supposed to be safe. Karla Mendez Brada was a young woman in treatment for substance abuse. As part of that treatment, she attended Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings which are meant to provide support and “fellowship.” At those meetings, she met a man who quickly became her fiancé. Although AA typically advises against getting involved in romantic relationships in early recovery, it does happen; and not all of t...

Our very own Dr. Horvath questions Dr. Peele about defining addiction, recovery and many other important issues on this SMART Recovery podcast. Click here to listen to the entire audio clip.

In recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a report titled “Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative.” While knowledge about suicide has been steadily increasing, it is still a major problem around the globe, with more than 800,000 people dying by suicide each year. Here are some of the key points outlined in the WHO report: Suicide is a serious problem. Approximately every 40 seconds, somebody dies by suicide. Among young adults between 15 and 29 years of age, suicide accounts for 8.5% of all deaths and is ranked as the second leading cause of death. Among those aged 30-49, it is the fifth leading cause of death. Suicide accounts for 50% of all violent deaths in men and 71% in women. Despite increased underst...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 03, 2014 Practical Recovery announces the opening of The Restoration Inn Press release SAN DIEGO, CA - Practical Recovery, an addiction treatment system located in San Diego, CA is thrilled to announce the opening of The Restoration Inn, a place where women from all over the world are invited to come and renew their sense of self following a traumatic event or set of events. The specialized team at The Restoration Inn is committed to addressing the unique needs of survivors that have endured any sort of relationship trauma, including but not limited to child abuse, molestation, relationship violence, sexual assault and stalking. While all of our clients will present to treatment with some form of substance misuse, our intention to address not only...

Support is a crucial part of recovery. When times get tough, it is important to have supportive friends on whom you can rely. However, friends can be problematic when they trigger old addictive habits and behaviors. Often people in recovery need to build new friendships with people who are supportive of recovery and free from their own addictions. This can seem like a daunting task, especially if most of your social activities have involved drinking/using in the past. Here are 3 suggestions for finding new friends: Recovery meetings offer an opportunity to meet new friends who share similar goals. When attending meetings, say hello to other group members. Ask for phone numbers or invite somebody to go out for coffee. It may be scary to reach out to new people at first, but it gets...

World-renowned addiction expert, Tom Horvath, Ph.D., on the tragic death of Robin Williams and celebrity depression and addiction. Are you or a loved one in need of addiction treatment? Call us: 1-800-977-6110. We can help! Get connected! Sign up for our newsletter for recovery support and mental health tips!

My role as the Chief Operating Officer is to oversee the operations to maximize the client's experience at Practical Recovery. The goal is to ensure consistent quality of service by developing and enforcing good automated systems; validating processes; overseeing operational documentation; managing branding in each facility (core values/mission), and ensuring standardization and execution of policies and procedures at all sites. My team completes these operational objectives by completing daily audits such as: medication procedures, food/beverage service, therapeutic activities, satisfaction surveys, hospitality procedures, safety compliance, room searches/inventories, intake, admission and discharge procedure audits, monitoring drug testing, supervising client schedules and operational...

Debunking the bad science behind 12-step programs and the rehab industry Book Review by Tom Horvath, PhD., ABPP Text: 160 pages; Preface: 1 page; Notes: 9 pages The subtitle of this book guaranteed that it would be unpopular with many in the 12-step and rehab communities. However, titles are often a compromise between publisher and author. The publisher wants to sell books. The authors do also, but do not want to diminish the credibility of the work. A controversial title may be acceptable to authors if it can be nuanced in the work itself. This writing team is a psychiatrist and addiction expert father, and his son, a free-lance writer with a BA from Yale and an MFA from USC. What exactly do they say about 12-step groups and the rehab industry? Chapter 3 is entitled “Does A...

by Jessica Yaffa, Director of Community Education Whenever I begin a presentation or workshop I spend some time discussing the myths and stereotypes that exist surrounding domestic violence: Who does this happen to? What ethnic groups/religions/socio economic classes are most likely to be victimized? What are the backgrounds of those that find themselves in abusive relationships? Unfortunately, the answers to each of these statements are the same: ALL of us are affected by domestic violence. With the statistics being that 1 in 4 women are or will be physically abused during their lifetime, and knowing that every socio-economic class, culture and religion are dealing with this epidemic, the responsibility of creating change, standing up, and speaking out is a responsibili...

by Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP We recently remodeled our outpatient offices, requiring us to move everything out to re-carpet. It is challenging to clean up what has accumulated over 10 years! One item I have been saving (available from someone else on ebay, starting bid $3) is a 1970s Borm response golf counter. This very sturdy, entirely metal device straps to your wrist. It will easily count golf strokes, or anything that is expected to occur 999 times or less, by pushing the side pin in about 1/4 inch. Rewinding is a very deliberate activity, so there is no chance of re-setting by accident (as one might easily do with an electronic device). If a change is important enough to us, we often measure it or count it, and then record it. We have records of golf games, bathroom scales...