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

Alcoholism Can Hide Behind Any Successful Person

Alcoholism Can Hide Behind Any Successful Person

What can I do if I’m having problems with alcoholism? Alcoholism is the most common form of substance abuse in the United States, affecting millions of people all over the country. But just because it’s common doesn’t mean that everyone knows how to spot it, or that all alcoholics get the help that they need….

Alcoholism Deaths Lead to New Classes for Texas Students

What can I do to protect myself from alcoholism as a university student in Texas? It’s well-known that alcoholism is rampant on university campuses. In fact, college and dangerous drinking are literally proverbial. People expect that college students will engage in dangerous drinking, including binge drinking, drinking to blackout, or even alcoholism. But just because…
Alcoholism: How Do I Know My Limits?

Alcoholism: How Do I Know My Limits?

How do I know if I’m drinking too much? Millions of Americans struggle with an addiction to, or chemical dependence on, alcohol: alcoholism. But in controlled consumption and moderation, alcohol can be safe to use. How do you know the difference between drinking that’s okay, and dangerous drinking? What does alcoholism look like? Luckily there…
Alcoholism on the Rise in the US - What to Do About It?

Alcoholism on the Rise in the US – What to Do About It?

What can I do to fight alcoholism? The dependence on alcohol is almost as old as humanity itself. As long as there has been alcohol, there’s been people abusing it. So alcoholism is one of the oldest forms of substance abuse—if you’re suffering from alcoholism, know that you’re not alone. But, you should also know…
The Importance of Alumni Community in Recovery

The Importance of Alumni Community in Recovery

“You can’t get picked off the edge, if you remain in the middle.” You hear it echoed in the rooms and treatment centers around the world. Every day that we think that we can lick this thing ourselves, is a day closer to a relapse. Drug and alcohol treatment is something that cannot be done…
Alumni - New Year New Perspective

Alumni – New Year New Perspective

So we’ve come to the end of 2013 and what a year it has been. About this time last year I was returning from the psychiatric hospital in Houston where I decided to run away to over Christmas. My addiction teamed up with my manic tendencies and literally drove me to a point of insanity….
The Year of Change - An Alumni's Story

The Year of Change – An Alumni’s Story

I started drinking at the age of 13. It wasn’t in a closet or hidden from the world but rather whenever my friends and I could sneak some liquor off the top of someone’s parents liquor cabinet. It was the occasional venture to the forbidden for me. This continued until I was 15 and a…
Men in Recovery - Am I Alive?

Am I Alive?

Looking back at my struggles with addiction brings to the surface much more than just my experience with drug and alcohol abuse. The ever encompassing “disease”, and I do see addiction as a disease, manifests in many other ways other than the drink, the pill, and the needle. Ever since I was young, I can…
Am I Depressed, or Just Feeling Low?

Am I Depressed, or Just Feeling Low?

Feeling down on occasion is all part of being human. What turns a bout of sadness into full blown clinical depression? How do you know the difference, and when to get help? When that feeling persists, and then magnifies until it seems there is no escape . . . then there’s a problem. So, you’re…
Anabolic Steroid Use Among Teenagers

Anabolic Steroid Use Among Teenagers

Parents of teenagers may be so concerned over their children’s use of alcohol or drugs that they discount the risks of anabolic steroid use and abuse. Yet statistics show that a small but growing number of teenagers are turning to anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs for improved athletic performance or to address issues…
Anatomy of a Heroin Detox

Anatomy of a Heroin Detox

When heroin finally leaves the body, mere hours later, withdrawal symptoms can begin. Intense cravings will develop, leading to a very uncomfortable process both psychologically and physiologically. Duration of use tends to affect the tolerance to heroin and the amount of it used. As these levels increase, the more severe the withdrawal symptoms will be….
Are Men More Prone to Addiction Than Women?

Are Men More Prone to Addiction Than Women?

Addiction, whether drug, alcohol, technology, sex, et cetera, is a personalized disorder. Meaning, why and to what a person becomes addicted, varies with each person. Socio-economic standing, gender, genetic makeup, and personal habits can all have a hand in whether a person develops an addiction, and to what level of severity.The Journal of Abnormal Psychology…
Are Opiates Physically Addictive?

Are Opiates Physically Addictive?

Prescription drug addiction is a fast growing problem in the United States. Opiate addiction signs include doctor shopping (visiting various doctors to get multiple prescriptions for drugs) or taking more medication than prescribed. Addiction can be treated several different ways, usually through opiate substitution prescribing or through behavioral changes. Opiate substitution prescribing is typically more…
Are You Afraid Of Being Sober?

Are You Afraid Of Being Sober?

In her recently-published memoirs, Blackout: Remembering Things That I Drank To Forget, Sarah Hepola laments about the unfairness of her friends’ being able to “stay at Captain Morgan’s pirate ship party while [she] was drop-kicked into a basement with homeless people chanting the Serenity Prayer.” In this one brief sentence, Ms. Hepola captures a fear…
Are You Enabling Your Loved One's Addiction?

Are You Enabling Your Loved One’s Addiction?

Having someone in your life struggle with an addiction is challenging to deal with. You may want to help them, but how do you know when you’re helping instead of hurting? Enabling behavior can easily be mistaken as helpful behavior. We’ll explain why in this article.Enabling an addict is defined as any actions that make…
Ashamed No More: The “Stigma” of Addiction

Ashamed No More: The “Stigma” of Addiction

When I got sober one of the things that plagued my mind was the stigma of addiction in our society today. How would people who weren’t affected by this disease view me? I was terrified of their judgment and worried myself over the thoughts of others. The sad truth is that society today views drug…
Attitude of Gratitude: Step 12

Attitude of Gratitude: Step 12

Getting sober and working the 12-Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous has provided me with a life I never believed I could have, or even one that I deserved. I will be forever grateful to the program and the people I have met in meetings, treatment centers, and sober living homes. One of the most important aspects…

Austin Drug Dealer Arrested, Major Drug Kingpin Off Streets

How do drug dealers contribute to the rise of drug addiction? If you’re suffering from an addiction to drugs such as meth, cocaine, heroin, PCP, marijuana, or Molly – or abused prescription painkillers such as OxyContin, Percocet, or Vicodin – you probably wish you knew what to do to fight addiction. The primary ways that…
Avoid These Mistakes if You're Planning a Drug Intervention

Avoid These Mistakes if You’re Planning a Drug Intervention

If you’re thinking about holding an intervention for someone in your life who’s struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, there are some things you should know before you begin. You may already know how difficult it can be for an addict to accept treatment, so it’s important to run the intervention as smoothly as possible….
Avoiding Drugs at Music Festivals

Avoiding Drugs at Music Festivals

People travel from all over the country to camp out, socialize, and dance at music festivals for days on end. With electronic music rising in popularity, these festivals are garnering more and more attention—and not just from fans. While many celebrate these events as the ultimate form of escapism, law enforcement is becoming increasingly worried…
Avoiding Marijuana Relapse

Avoiding Marijuana Relapse

Marijuana addiction is real, believe it or not, with real withdrawal symptoms. Putting down the glass bowl for good can be a real struggle for some people. Besides group meetings and therapy, the following are a some tips for resisting the urge to smoke. Ditch the paraphernalia Any glassware or smoking devices, no matter how…