Addiction Blog. Insight and Advice
from Our Austin Area Addiction Recovery Experts.
Finding Your Way to a Spiritual Recovery from Addiction
The individual steps of a typical 12-step addiction recovery program are imbued with an overriding sense of spirituality. 12-step nostrums such as “reaching out to a higher power” and “asking a higher power to aid in addiction recovery” all reflect the power and ability of a spiritual approach to addiction recovery. Recovering alcoholics and addicts,…
Fitness as Your Anti-Drug
Exercise is often cited as a natural high. Endorphins are released which boost mood, relieve stress and aid in overall health. Individuals affected by drug abuse or addiction benefit from exercise and fitness as a regular practice in their lives of sobriety. Substance abuse takes its toll on mental and physical well being. Exercise can…
Fitness Helps Sobriety
How can exercise help me with getting past addiction and getting to sobriety? Many people know that getting to holistic health is a large part of recovery and overcoming addiction. And physical fitness and exercise is a very important part of that. Exercise can help you focus on something other than drug or alcohol cravings,…
Fitness Rehab for a Full Drug Recovery
We all know that physical fitness is essential to a healthy life. But did you know that fitness is equally essential to drug and alcohol rehab? Think about it. Over the years, studies have shown that fitness is at the top of the list of ways to recover, whether you’re struggling with your emotional life,…
Five Reasons Why Summer is a Great Time to Get Sober!
Don’t get me wrong. God’s got a plan for everyone and anytime of year is a great time to get sober. I just happened to get sober in July of 2008 so admittedly I might be a little biased. Either way, here are five reasons that I believe the summertime is a great time to…
Focusing on Nutrition in Rehab is Key to Meeting Goals and Feeling Healthy
When people do drugs or drink, their bodies are in a state of malnutrition. They often don’t get proper nutrients and may be dehydrated as well. There are also mental health issues to focus on that will be key to figuring out how to deal with staying healthy in recovery. Common medical issues including heart,…
Forgiving Yourself: Permission to Recover
Forgiveness can be one of the most challenging, and rewarding, aspects of recovery. An important part of the recovery process is learning to deal with the residual effects of addiction. This means reflecting on the harm done to yourself and others with a new perspective: less feelings of anger or resentment with more feelings of…
Four Misconceptions About Sex Addiction
The other day I sat down with Last Resort staff member Irving Najman to discuss Sex Addiction. Irving Najman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist as well as a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist.Sex Addiction is a problem that is becoming increasingly more common both as a dual addiction with substance abuse, as well as…
Four Reasons Why the Best Person to Help an Addict is Another Addict
Lot’s of really good people tried to help me get sober. My family tried. My friends tried. Professional therapists, doctors, even lawyers tried. Still, I just kept getting loaded. It wasn’t until I got connected to a bunch of recovering addicts that I was finally able to stop drinking and using for good.What made the…
Four Signs of Recovery From Alcohol and Drugs
Four Signs of Recovery From Alcohol and DrugsLet’s get one thing straight; recovery is about a lot more than just abstinence from alcohol and drugs. Don’t get me wrong; abstinence is great. But it is only the first prerequisite to entering a life of recovery. Recovery entails a restructuring of deeply held beliefs, a change…
How To Have Fun In Sobriety
We live in a culture of beer ads and sexy vodka models portraying that life is just a big party. This perception is one of the many reasons that 1 in 13 Americans are considered alcoholic. There is a social belief that is molded into our minds by the worlds greatest advertisers that we are…
Gardening Therapy for Addiction Recovery
A critical element of long-term addiction recovery is learning and discovering new activities that will be fulfilling and enjoyable, and that will be a healthy alternative to drug or alcohol abuse. Counselors discovered that gardening therapy is an ideal activity for this purpose. Recovering alcoholics and drug addicts will often feel a sense of boredom…
Genetic Factors in Addiction and Alcoholism
If you have family members who are alcoholics or drug addicts, unfortunately, your family may be on the losing side of the genetic lottery where addiction is concerned. Studies have repeatedly verified that genetics is at least fifty per cent responsible for a person’s susceptibility to alcoholism or drug addiction. This does not a child…
Get Help for Your Percocet Addiction
The painkiller Percocet is highly addictive. If you’re looking for help to quit using the drug, here are some tips and general information.Percocet is the brand name for the combination of oxycodone and acetaminophen, used to treat moderate to severe pain. Oxycodone, the opiate analgesic of the drug, which is what makes it so addictive….
Get Some Help for Your Vicodin Addiction
Like all substance addiction problems, Vicodin addictions are difficult, if not impossible, to overcome without outside assistance. Vicodin is an opiate painkiller. Opiates work wonders in alleviating pain, but they also interact with your brain’s dopamine neurotransmitter reward system. After a short time, opiates change a person’s brain chemistry to create powerful urges and cravings…
Getting Help for an Ambien Addiction
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…
Getting Help for Someone with a Gambling Addiction
Opportunities to participate in legal gambling have exploded over the past twenty-five years. The explosion of those opportunities has created a parallel growth of people who succumb to gambling addiction, which is characterized by an uncontrollable psychological urge to gamble. When gambling addicts are kept away from gambling venues, they might experience symptoms that are…
Getting Help for Suicidal Thoughts
Suicidal thoughts occur when a person is feeling overwhelmed. The pain can feel permanent, as if it will never subside but with time and support, an individual can overcome the problems and pain. With the right tools and strategies, suicidal feelings will pass. First Steps to Getting Help for Suicidal Thoughts Some important steps can…
Getting Help When A Family Member Has A Drinking Problem
Alcoholism can happen quickly within months and it can happen slowly over a period of several years. When you have lived with a person and have seen them drink on regular basis, you may not immediately recognize they have a drinking problem. A day may arrive when their drinking patterns and behaviors when drunk become…
Getting Rid of Food Cravings
Veggies get you full quickly, and they’re highly snackable–but few people snack on carrot sticks and cauliflower. The biggest players in the snack-food world are barbecue chips, chocolate chunk cookies, cheesy crackers and the like. It’s not fullness we’re after. It’s warmth, it’s distraction, and it’s habit. Know What You’re Up Against Junk food addiction…
