Alcoholism Archives

How to Choose an Addiction Treatment Program

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Excerpted from Chapter 5 of The Recovery Book.

Addiction treatment programs—inpatient and outpatient—can be quite varied. Some specialize in alcohol rehab, others focus on drugs. Some are just for women, others are just for men, and some are for teens only. Some focus on the LGBT community, particular ethnic groups, or chronic pain patients.

Addiction Treatment Programs – Basic Criteria

When you start looking for a treatment center, first consider several basic criteria:

Location. Can the patient as well as others in the family travel to a treatment center that is across the country, or is a center close to home preferred?

Treatment. What types of treatment are offered and what is the philosophy of treatment?

Certification. Are the counselors certified? Are there doctors on staff?

Expense. How much does it cost? Do they accept insurance? Do they have a payment plan?

Aftercare or continuing care. Is an … Read more...

Back to School & Sober: 12 Tips for Success

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Heading back to school this fall as a newly sober person? Maybe you just finished treatment, or maybe you took a year off to build a really strong foundation for your recovery.

Wherever you are in your recovery, you might be nervous about heading back to school. Totally understandable. Maybe you’re worried you’ll be the only person not partying. You might fear you won’t have any fun. You might be afraid you’ll be tempted to use again, being surrounded by lots of partying students.

The good news is, these days there are many high school and college students in recovery. You are not the only one. Far from it.

With some preparation you can have a school year filled with academic achievements, a great social life, and no relapse. Below, a dozen ideas to help you succeed:

1. Get involved in a recovery program. Recovery programs help build self-esteem, self-respect, … Read more...

Back to School & Sober: How to Resist Peer Pressure

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“I just went back to school after six weeks of addiction treatment and summer vacation. What do I do when my friends ask if I want to get high?”

When you go back to school you will likely run into temptations to drink to use drugs. You need to make a plan to deal with this kind of situation long before it comes up, or you might have trouble refusing these offers.

Peer pressure can be tough to fight, but you can resist. All you need are the right tools. You probably got some of them in treatment, and you’ll pick up others as you go to more AA or NA meetings.

Talk about this issue with your counselor, your sponsor, and other students at your school who are in a recovery fellowship. Ask them exactly what they do to avoid problems. The following tips may also help:

Think ahead

“Since My Divorce” Interviews Dr. Al

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Divorce coach Mandy Walker, who blogs at Since My Divorce, interviewed Dr. Al Mooney recently about how addiction, alcoholism and recovery can play havoc with a marriage and other relationships.

Check out her series of posts on addiction and divorce:

When Does Drinking Become a Problem in a Marriage?

Does Your Spouse’s Drinking Problem Mean Divorce?

How Do You Protect Your Kids From an Alcoholic Spouse?

How To Survive With Your Alcoholic Spouse in Recovery

Ask Dr. Al: What is Recovery?

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What is Recovery?

Getting and staying sober is the first priority when someone gets into recovery. But most soon learn that recovery is about so much more. Here are some basic truths about living in recovery.

Recovery is a way of life. Recovery is about building and enjoying a better life for yourself in sobriety. It’s about finding and developing loving relationships, solid friendships, strong community ties, satisfying work, and invigorating play. It’s about spending your life in good health and good spirits. It’s about living a good life steeped in the culture of recovery. What is Recovery

Recovery is about healing. Over time you’ll notice that your body is healing. Even better, your brain will be healing as well. Addiction hijacked your brain, making it very hard for you to make good choices. As you focus your thoughts and actions on sobriety and recovery, your cravings will disappear and your thoughts will … Read more...

Ask Dr. Al: How big of a problem is addiction today?

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How big of a problem is addiction today?

According to recent statistics, about 22.2 million people in the U.S. age 12 or older (8.5 percent) were abusing or dependent on drugs or alcohol in 2012. The largest subgroup, 14.9 million, misused alcohol only.

Most of those 22 million people needed treatment for their addiction. But sadly, very few get it. Only about 2.5 million got treatment at a specialized facility that year. That leaves more than 20 million people who needed treatment but didn’t get it.