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

Step 1 - Admitting That You Need Help

Step 1 – Admitting That You Need Help

The credo of the first step universally used in Alcoholics Anonymous groups across the world involves the merciful act of concession. There is a sense of guilt, but if the act of admitting you have a problem is entirely sincere, a heavy burden is lifted. The Power of Humility There is one great thing about…
Step 10 - Maintaining Your Efforts for the Long Haul

Step 10 – Maintaining Your Efforts for the Long Haul

Step 10 of the 12-step program focuses on taking personal inventory and, where needed, admitting wrongdoing. The first nine steps of the process prepare the way for step 10 and beyond. Building on this pattern of life is important for maintaining sobriety for the long haul. Taking Inventory Self-evaluation is an important part of recovery….
Step 2 - A Power Greater than Yourself

Step 2 – A Power Greater than Yourself

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) proposed the twelve-step program for recovering from alcoholism, but it has been used with great success for recovering from many different kinds of addictions. Step two happens earlier in the process for a reason.Step 2: Came to believe a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Belief There are many…
Step 3 - Surrender

Step 3 – Surrender

Recovery is about finding peace of mind. Substance abuse creates chaos and brings negativity into every aspect of your being. Finding presence is key, starting with Step 3 of the 12 steps.“Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”This decision is about trust,…
Step 5: The Great Reveal

Step 5: The Great Reveal

The fifth step of a typical 12-step addiction recovery program is often misconstrued. If you are a recovering addict and you have moved into step 5, you will be asked to admit your troubles, the ones you inventoried in step 4. The text of step 5 states “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another…
Step 6 – Accepting What Comes Next

Step 6 – Accepting What Comes Next

Until you accept a problem in its entirety, and shoo away all excuses and justifications, you cannot, and will not, overcome it. Just because you’ve accepted that your behavior is destructive doesn’t mean you’re suddenly ready to part ways with it. After all, you’re addicted because, on some level, the lifestyle serves you in some…
Step 7 - Learning Humility

Step 7 – Learning Humility

Step seven in the 12-step program is focused on humility, seeking help from a higher power to do what cannot be done by sheer determination or willfulness. This particular step is spiritually focused as a means to understanding what it means to humble oneself before another in light of what has been done. Step 7:…
Step 8 - Making Amends

Step 8 – Making Amends

Making amends may sound easy, but listing people harmed then following up with amends (in action or words) is one of the more challenging aspects of recovery. The very act of making amends requires thoughtful introspection about the reality of addiction and the true cost exacted on family, friends and oneself. True growth in recovery…
Step 8 - Willing to Face Up to Your Actions

Step 8 – Willing to Face Up to Your Actions

One of the most challenging components of recovery is facing one’s own actions. This may sound easy but it is actually very difficult to look at oneself in the mirror and acknowledge the harm done through addiction. Step eight in the 12-step process says to make a list of all persons harmed and be willing…
Steroid Abuse—How If Effects Men

Steroid Abuse—How If Effects Men

What can I do about steroid use? All kinds of men are learning the hard way about steroid use, and how easily it becomes steroid abuse. And steroid usage carries with it many side effects, which can include damage to the cardiovascular system or the male hormonal system. If you’ve been using steroids to get…
Stimulant Addiction Treatment Center

Stimulant Addiction Treatment Center

Stimulants are a broad class of substances that run from the caffeine you get in your morning coffee, to prescription stimulants, such as Adderall and Ritalin, and, at the far end of the spectrum, to illegal substance such as cocaine, crystal meth, and Ecstasy. Stimulants temporarily increase your energy and attention levels. They also increase…
Study Drugs: How “Good Grade Pills” Lead to Addiction

Study Drugs: How “Good Grade Pills” Lead to Addiction

What can I do if I’m dealing with addiction to study drugs? Study drugs are widely used by college students and high school students alike. They’re taken to increase concentration and stamina, and are often used when pulling an all-nighter before a big test. Have you ever felt like you needed some more concentration? Do…
Suboxone for Opiate Addiction Treatment

Suboxone for Opiate Addiction Treatment

In the US, the drug Suboxone is prescribed to help with opiate addiction by preventing withdrawal symptoms. It’s used to help both acute opiate withdrawal (the initial, most intense withdrawal period) as well as long-term withdrawal. Why Does Opiate Withdrawal Happen? Opiate drugs—heroin, morphine, codeine, OxyCodone, and so on—are highly addictive, sometimes after just one…
Synthetic Marijuana Killing Teens in Texas How to Fight It?

Synthetic Marijuana Killing Teens in Texas How to Fight It?

What is synthetic marijuana, and why is it so dangerous? Synthetic marijuana is a class of drugs that’s becoming increasingly popular all over the country. But it’s more popular among certain people certain groups of people than others – such as young people, college students, or teens. And right now, synthetic marijuana been implicated in…
Talking to Your Family About Your Addiction Recovery

Talking to Your Family About Your Addiction Recovery

If you are fortunate enough to have moved beyond drug addiction and into addiction recovery, at some point in your recovery process you will be confronted with the uncomfortable requirement of telling your family and loved ones about your addiction and your recovery efforts. Many recovering addicts find this confrontation to be difficult because it…
Teen Meth Abuse Treatment In Texas

Teen Meth Abuse Treatment In Texas

Methamphetamines are an ever-increasing danger to American health. Many parts of the country are experiencing massive rates of meth addiction and teen meth abuse. The highly addictive and deadly nature of this drug can have serious effects on its users. If you or someone you know is suffering from this terrible disease the Last Resort…

Texas A&M Addiction and Misery, Students Need Rehab

Where can I go for drug addiction help if I’m a student at Texas A&M? Texas A&M is a great school, one of the most popular and prestigious schools in all of Texas. But, like most colleges and universities around the country, Texas A&M suffers from drug addiction and alcoholism. Students here are participating in…
Texas College Students Abuse a Lot of Meth

Texas College Students Abuse a Lot of Meth

What can I do if my son is struggling with an addiction to meth (methamphetamine)? Unfortunately, meth is a very popular drug among college-age men. And that includes the University of Texas, of course, along with UT-Austin, Texas A&M, University of Houston, and University of North Texas. College students may be more vulnerable than other…

Texas Drug Testing – How Do I Protect Myself?

What can I do to keep myself safe from the threat of Texas drug testing? If you’re someone who’s struggling with an addiction to illegal drugs such as meth, cocaine, heroin, PCP, Molly, or prescription painkillers such as Percocet, Vicodin, or OxyContin, remember that all it takes is one failed drug test for you to…
Texas Medical Board Tries to Fight Prescription Drug Abuse

Texas Medical Board Tries to Fight Prescription Drug Abuse

What does the Texas Medical Board have to say about prescription drug abuse? Drug addiction in Texas is changing rapidly. Where once Texas used to be struggling with addiction to heroin, cocaine, meth, PCP, or Molly, addiction has been changing rapidly to focus more on the abuse of prescription medications. These medications are usually prescription…
The 12th Step in Addiction Recovery: Giving Back

The 12th Step in Addiction Recovery: Giving Back

Alcoholics and drug addicts can be the best resource to help other addicts to overcome their problems. Experience is a great teacher. No one would wish an addiction experience on another person. People who have experienced drug and alcohol addictions are best suited to understand the highs and lows of a substance addiction, the stresses…