American Addiction Centers Blog
Alcohol Awareness Month: How to Support The Cause
March 28, 2024
Alcohol Awareness Month aims to increase public awareness about alcohol and alcohol use disorders (AUDs). As a public outreach campaign, it cultivates consciousness regarding everything from the adverse effects of alcohol and its impact on individuals and communities to alcohol use disorder prevention and treatment. So what can you do to support Alcohol Awareness Month? […]
Who doesn’t like to receive an affirmation for something well done? It could be a thumbs up, praise, formal recognition, a prize. It’s an age-old concept, popular as ever. You’re familiar with it. Grade school students may get a gold star for an assignment well done. At a more advanced level, college students who earn […]
Most people are so over quarantine. Like it’s a bad plot in a TV series that’s run one too many seasons long. It’s been about a nine-month stretch, and we all find ourselves still living in what feels like a horrible final season of The Pandemic. And what makes matters even more troublesome, the current […]
Have you experienced what’s known as “the pink cloud”? This term describes a period of happiness and elation that’s often experienced by people in early recovery. How it manifests is different for everyone—some people feel it the moment they make the decision to stay sober, while others are not affected until weeks or months after […]
Substance abuse has the ability to not only cause physical pain, but it also has the ability to separate those battling the disease from their families and friends, thereby causing emotional pain as well. According to a 2015 University of Cambridge research study, estrangement is when the supportive relationship between family members is broken down. […]
Opioid addiction knows no bounds. People of all ages, walks of life and occupations may struggle with substance abuse. Many of them are parents of school-age children and, for various reasons, can’t take care of their offspring in a responsible, healthful way. Some may have lost rights to or abandoned them. Others may be away […]
With the election, the pandemic, the protests, the fires, and the hurricanes, there is plenty to be stressed about in 2020. Not to mention the regular obstacles that we face in any given year for just existing as an adult living in this world. Stress is the body’s response to a demand or challenge. In […]
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, seeing health professionals in person has become harder than ever. People struggling with substance misuse looking to find treatment are no exception. This is especially unfortunate as most medication-assisted treatments (MAT) such as buprenorphine and suboxone require an in-person examination to be prescribed. But a recent development may change that. According […]
Life is full of challenges, whether you have a substance use disorder or not. But for people in recovery, learning how to get through tough times without relying on alcohol or drugs is essential to survival. If you stay sober long enough, you’re guaranteed to face to a crisis at some point, whether it be […]
Today is Election Day in the United States. Tensions are high. Morale may seem low. Buildings are boarded up. Needless to say, voters from both parties feel like everything is on the line. Perhaps, it is. This is one of the most polarized election years in modern history. Some struggle to handle their emotions and […]
Sometimes, you don’t have to craft content mainly through words. You can draw it. Then, to clarify concepts and elaborate upon them, add captions. That’s exactly what an illustrator did to describe life for someone struggling with addiction during the pandemic. The end result presents this person’s own experience, which likely reflects that of others. […]
Depression isn’t getting “bad news” and then having a bad day or two because of it. And taking the advice from well-intentioned loved ones to read a self-help book or to watch a comedy aren’t necessarily viable solutions for it. Clinical depression, or major depressive disorder, is a serious mood disorder. It causes severe symptoms, […]
The current presidential election year is nothing short of an emotionally-charged experience for many Americans, as it has been with the majority of 2020. Lurking just underneath the surface of this experience is one of many threats to America’s well-being: the ongoing opioid crisis. Addiction continues to be a problem in the United States, even […]