Addiction Blog. Insight and Advice
from Our Austin Area Addiction Recovery Experts.

People who drink to the point of being intoxicated usually have some hangover issues. The best cure for this is to prevent it but if that does not happen, there may be ways to mitigate symptoms. There are other steps in hangover prevention. Once symptoms begin, fewer options actually provide relief. Traditional ‘cures’ do little…

Answering how to overcome depression will never be as easy as many people think. Depression, like many other mental health disorders, is often misunderstood. There is no shame in admitting that you need help with lifting the most debilitating symptoms of depression. Find a mental health treatment program and get the help that you need….

Leaving rehab is a time of great challenge for people in recovery. After completion of a program, you may feel ready to return to life but life has other plans. Executives especially may find it daunting to return to the previous pace of life and stay sober. Executive sober living programs can be a good…

Working hard in substance abuse recovery can put things into perspective. Humility is one of the traits that are helpful to have when looking to build a successful recovery. Shaping your journey around humility helps you see things differently. It may not come naturally to you, but you can work towards this goal if you…

Wilderness therapy combines nature experiences, along with some survival techniques, to develop therapy that helps people who struggle with substance use disorders, mental health, and behavior disorders. People who go outdoors focus on their self-improvement and overcome the issue of difficult behaviors and coping mechanisms. The goal is to foster personal and social responsibility while…

BZP, or n-benzylpiperazine, is sometimes the slang term for ecstasy, A2, MDAI, Head Rush, Exotic Super Strong, and other similar street names. This ‘novel’ drug is emerging because they are different from common drugs and professionals are still learning the lasting effects. BZP is a component drug in ecstasy with many similar effects to MDMA….

The path of recovery is different for everyone. Some people love to look at different recovery programs and find the right one, while others step into 12 steps and realize this is the way they will navigate recovery best. Until you want recovery from addiction, you are not likely to succeed at it. You have…

Every single day and year of your life is different. You progress through tracks in school, you work your way up the ladder at work, and hit milestone after milestone throughout your life. Whether you like it or not, life continues moving forward. When life stops becoming about hitting milestones, you begin to feel like…

Ambien is an effective prescription pharmaceutical product that can help people get to sleep. In large doses, it can depress respiratory functioning and lead to a near-comatose state. The greater risk of Ambien use is its tendency to generate dependency when it is used over an extended period of time. Individuals who fall into the…

The World Health Organization recently defined a new diagnosis for complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Mental health experts have now summarized the symptoms and issued updated guidelines for clinical assessment and treatment. What Is CPTSD? PTSD is one of the best-known trauma responses. People affected by this disorder suffer overwhelming physical and mental symptoms. But mental health…

The term ‘soft drugs,’ and ‘hard drugs’ are arbitrary terms with little to no clear way criteria. The term ‘hard drug’ has been used to categorize drugs including meth and marijuana. Marijuana is usually the only drug included in ‘soft’ drugs, although some people include nicotine and alcohol in this category for legal status use…

Family therapy is part of rehab and recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. Addiction affects the entire family system therefore, recovery needs to be happy for the entire family, not just the person suffering from substance abuse. The use of psychodrama for the family is one tool people can use to grow in recovery from…

When people think about hitting ‘pause,’ it typically means they think of stopping altogether. Not just pausing to reflect on why sobriety is a powerful substance abuse recovery tool, but how to stop doing what they are doing altogether in favor of a different way of life. While there are bigger pauses in life, there…

The long-term effects of meth can be incredibly detrimental. Methamphetamine is an incredibly addictive drug that can cause a variety of health problems. Many people end up getting addicted to this drug and have a hard time getting off of it. Addiction is by far one of the worst side effects of meth. The Last…

Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs designed to alleviate symptoms of anxiety. Introduced in the mid-1950s, “benzos” were originally intended to take the place of highly addictive barbiturates. However, decades of research have revealed that benzodiazepines can be just as habit-forming as the drugs they were meant to replace. The addictive potential of benzos lies…

While many times addictions involve physical dependency, the psychological and behavioral aspects of addiction must be considered as well. Addictive behavior is just as difficult to treat than physical addictions. Addictive behaviors, like physical addictions, result in changes to your brain chemistry. You can even experience psychological and physical symptoms of withdrawal when you stop…

Like many pharmaceutical products, Ambien is an effective treatment for sleep disorders when it is used properly and pursuant to a prescribing physician’s recommendations. Ambien, shares a few less favorable traits with other prescription drugs, the most significant of which is a risk of addiction or dependence. A physician may prescribe Ambien for a short…

If you’ve ever experienced coming down from cocaine on your own, you know how challenging it can be. Symptoms can be both physical and psychological in nature, and none of them are pleasant. However, you may be wondering what all can happen during cocaine withdrawal. Is it just uncomfortable, or can it actually be dangerous?…

Made from the coca plant in South America, cocaine is one of the most powerful, deadliest, and highly addictive drugs in the world. Sadly, it is also one of the most popular. Cocaine overdose symptoms can occur quickly before you have time to react. As a result, you can suffer from severe health problems or…

When you think about addictive drugs, you are likely to picture illegal chemicals that people purchase in sketchy alleys. However, the reality is that some of the most common causes of drug abuse can be harmless looking pills that your doctor prescribes to you. Prescription drugs might be legal, but they can still be quite…

Addiction to prescription drugs can be as dangerous as other forms of addiction, but people rarely give it the same level of caution. Prescription medication is often seen as more legitimate, leading to a lot of misconceptions about how dangerous abuse can be. Suboxone addiction can be particularly devastating, since Suboxone is often prescribed to…