Addiction can take a toll on many aspects of your life, including your physical health, mental state, spiritual well-being, relationships – and your finances. In fact, many people in recovery find themselves struggling financially. This is because addiction clouds your judgement when it comes to money management. You’re thinking about scoring, not saving your pennies. You’ve likely burned through a lot of cash to support your lifestyle during active addiction and may even be struggling with severe debt. What’s more, getting help for a substance use disorder can be expensive – though the cost of not getting treatment is much, […]

February 22 is Be Humble Day, a made-up holiday created to increase empathy and awareness and get people to think about the virtue of humility. The idea is that being humble for just one day may result in prolonged humility; you’ll realize how important it is and how great it feels to be humble. If you’re in recovery, you’re likely familiar with the importance of humility. It plays a big part in accepting that you’re powerless over your addiction. To accept your addiction and restart your life, you must have humility. What Is Humility? Webster defines humility as “the quality […]

If you’re in recovery from a substance use disorder, your heart is likely saying thank you right about now. That’s because alcohol as well as the majority of illegal drugs can have an adverse impact on your heart health, ranging from irregular heart rate to heart attacks. In honor of American Heart Month this February, here’s a look at your heart on drugs. According to the American Heart Association, chronic drug use can lead to a variety of cardiovascular problems, including: Rapid or irregular heart beats (arrhythmia) Sudden increase in blood pressure Endocarditis (inflammation of the heart lining) Dilated cardiomyopathy […]

Thanks to a growing body of research, we now know that addiction and addiction recovery is different for men and women alike. In fact, women face some unique challenges including having a harder time quitting and a greater chance at relapse. Differences between women and men also include how they develop a substance use disorder, experience consequences of use and what they need in terms of treatment and lasting sobriety. Men and women experience addiction differently and often wrestle with different societal pressures and emotions. Here’s a look at a few key differences: Women become addicted faster with smaller amounts than […]

Mental illness and substance use disorder often go hand in hand – in fact, there’s even a name for it: co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis. According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health, nearly 8 million people in the U.S. experience both a mental disorder and substance use disorder simultaneously. Either disorder — mental illness or a substance use disorder — can develop first. Data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows high rates of cooccurring substance use disorders and anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder) as well as  mental disorders such as depression and […]